Young girls using anti-aging creams appear on social media

Summary of the phenomenon of young girls using anti-aging creams on social media:
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[New Sancai Compilation First Release] Scarlett Goddard Strahan started worrying about wrinkles when she was in fifth grade.

When she was ten, Scully and her friends spent hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers peddle products to achieve today’s beauty aesthetic: dewy, “radiant,” flawless complexion. Scully has a carefully designed skincare routine that includes a cleanser, mist, hydrating mask and moisturizer.

One night, Scully's skin began to burn violently and develop blisters. The heavy use of adult-strength products wreaked havoc on her skin. Months later, Scully's face was left with patches of small bumps, and her cheeks turned red in the sun.

"I don't want to get wrinkles and make myself look older," said Scarlett, who just turned 11. "(But) if I knew my life would be affected in such a way, I would never put these things on my face. superior."

Experts say Scarlett's experience has become common as preteen girls across the country flock to beauty stores to buy high-end skin care products, a trend captured in viral videos with the hashtag #SephoraKids. Girls as young as 8 show up at dermatologist's offices with rashes, chemical burns and other allergic reactions to non-children's sensitive skin products.

"When kids use anti-aging skin care products, it can actually cause premature aging, damage the skin barrier and lead to permanent scarring," says Dr. Brooke Jeffy, a dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. , she posted a rebuttal video on social media.

In addition to physical harm, parents and child psychologists are concerned about the impact this trend will have on girls' mental health in the years to come. There is a wealth of data showing that concerns about appearance can affect self-esteem and body image, and exacerbate anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.

The obsession with skin care provides a window into the role social media plays in the lives of today's young people, and how it shapes girls' ideals and insecurities. The girls are experiencing high levels of sadness and despair. There is debate as to whether social media exposure causes or is associated with mental health problems. But for older teens and young adults, it’s clear that prolonged use of social media is bad for them.

Young girls' fascination with makeup and makeup is not new. Neither are children who hold themselves to idealized standards of beauty. Kris Perry, executive director of Children and Screens, a nonprofit that studies how digital media affects children's development, said the difference now is scale. In the age of filtered images and artificial intelligence, some of the beautiful faces they encounter aren't even real.

"Girls are being bombarded with idealized images of beauty that establish a standard of beauty that is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve," Perry said.

Mia Hall, 14, explains that the obsession with skin care is about more than just the pursuit of perfect skin.

Mia, a New Yorker from the Bronx, said it's a feeling of being accepted and belonging to a community that has the lifestyle and look you want.

It wasn't until Mia started eighth grade last fall that she started taking care of her skin. It's something girls her age talk about in school and on social media. Girls bond over their skincare routine.

"Everyone was doing it. I felt like it was the only way I could fit in," Mia said. She started following beauty influencers like Katie Fang and Gianna Christine, who have millions of young fans on TikTok. Some influencers are paid by brands to promote their products, but they don’t always mention this.

"When I see other girls my age looking beautiful or having a great life, I get really jealous and insecure," she said.

Charlotte Markey, a body image expert and Rutgers University psychologist, said the level of detail and information girls get from beauty tutorials sends a troubling message at a vulnerable age because girls are Going through adolescence and finding your identity.

“The message to young girls is, ‘You are a never-ending project, start now.’ In essence, ‘You are not good the way you are.’” Ma, author of The Body Image Book for Girls Key said.

The beauty industry is already cashing in on this trend. Consumers under the age of 14 will drive 49% of drugstore skin sales in 2023, according to a NielsonIQ report, which found that households with tweens and teens spend more on skin care than the average U.S. household. According to data from market research company Circana, in the first half of 2024, one-third of "name-brand" beauty product sales in stores such as Sephora were driven by teenage families.

The cosmetics industry acknowledges that some products are unsuitable for children but does little to stop children from buying them. For example, Drunk Elephant's website recommends that children 12 and younger should not use its anti-aging serums, lotions and scrubs "due to their very active nature." The guide is on the site's FAQ page; the product itself has no such warning.

Sephora declined to comment for this story.

Ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants like hydroxy acids are harsh in nature. For aging skin, they are used to stimulate collagen and cell production. Dermatologists say young or sensitive skin may experience redness, peeling and burning, which can lead to infections, acne and allergies if used incorrectly.

Dermatologists agree that kids' faces typically only need three items, all of which can be found on drugstore shelves: a mild cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

In the spring of 2024, a California bill aimed at banning the sale of anti-aging skin care products to children under 13 failed to pass, but Democratic Congressman Alex Lee said he planned to continue to hold the industry accountable. Li and other critics say popular brands use colorful packaging and product names like "baby facial" to attract younger buyers, just as e-cigarette companies and alcohol brands create fruity flavors to attract underage users. Same.

Li Tianming pointed out that Europe has set the right example. The European Union introduced legislation in 2023 to limit the concentration of retinol in all over-the-counter products. Apotek Hjartat, one of Sweden's leading pharmacy chains, said in March that it would stop selling anti-aging skin care products to customers under the age of 15 without parental consent. "This is a way to protect children's skin health, financial and mental health," the company said.

Across the country, worried mothers are taking their young daughters to dermatologists with bags full of child care products, asking: Is this okay?

"Moms will often tell me exactly what's going on, but need their kids to hear what the experts have to say," said Dr. Dendy Engelman, a Manhattan dermatologist. "They'll say, 'Maybe She will listen to you, because she will definitely not listen to me."

Mia's mother, Sandra Gordon, took a different approach. Last spring, she noticed dark spots on Mia's face and was shocked. Gordon, a nurse, threw all of her daughter's products in the trash.

"There were Sephora bags on top of the bags. Some of the stuff was opened, some of the stuff wasn't opened, some of the stuff was full. I threw them all away," she said.

Mia is not happy. But as she started high school, she now felt her mother was right. She has switched to a simple routine of only using face wash and moisturizer and says her complexion has improved.

In Sacramento, Calif., Scully missed early signs that the products were harming her skin: Within days of trying the viral skincare products, she developed a rash and felt a stinging sensation. Scully decided she wasn't using enough, so she layered more. At this moment, there was a sudden sharp pain in her cheek.

"It was late at night. She ran into my room crying. Her cheeks were burned."

As Goddard read the ingredients on each product, she was surprised to find retinol in products that appeared to be marketed to children, including a mask with a cat face on the packaging.

Her mother's biggest concern was the psychological consequences. Children's comments at school cause lingering anxiety and discomfort.

Goddard would like to see more protections. "I had no idea that skin care products marketed to children contained harmful ingredients," she said. "There has to be some type of warning."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)
(Editor: Jiang Qiming)
(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)