MOMS: The #1 thing to know about Tween skincare
Tween skincare is the rage. Our girls are learning more about their skin at a young age.
Taking care of the skin has never been such a hot topic and girls as young as 8 are taking their moms to Sephora or Ulta to buy a line of skincare products. This was unheard of when we were growing up.
I’m dating myself, but I’m of the age of Noxema pads, Clearasil, and Sea Breeze toners. And our moms used Ponds cold cream every night. Who remembers that smell?
Why should moms be concerned about Tween Skincare?
We don’t realize who our girls are being influenced by on social media. They are being told to buy certain skincare products to keep their skin young, and healthy and prevent aging.
Let me say that again…PREVENT AGING
These girls are ages 8-11, right? Why are we even using the word AGING and skincare?
Your daughters may not have hit puberty, so the concept of anti-aging shouldn’t even be introduced at this age.
Washing the face and applying moisturizer is important, but the rest of the skincare products are a waste of your money and WILL harm their young skin.
I have been working with a chemist to create my own skincare line. While doing research, I stumbled upon lots of misinformation gearing our girls in the wrong direction.
As a mom of 3 whose kids’ ages range between 10 and 15, I am conscious of what my kids are using on their skin.
What skincare products should tweens use?
Keep it basic. A cleanser and a moisturizer. When they go outside for recess or sports, a good zinc-based SPF.
THAT’S IT!
I know these girls want to use more, but less is better, especially with young skin.
I have this discussion all the time with my 10-year-old daughter who is constantly asking to do more for her skin. I will let her do masks but only on occasion.
Tween girls do not have oil glands yet, which means their skin is rapidly turning over and naturally exfoliating.
They don’t need to be using skincare products that exfoliate or prevent aging. Those products are going to damage their young skin and stimulate oil production before they hit puberty. Now they’re dealing with premature acne.
MOMS BEWARE
This is what I want to bring to your attention because moms need to be educated about what our girls are watching and learning.
Times are so different than when we grew up. We waited each month to read Cosmo and Glamour magazine to get our information. Our girls are hopping on their iPads or phones and getting instant information overload.
Our tweens don’t realize that the information they are learning can be harming their skin.
As a mom, I want to know what my kids are watching and learning. However, I’m a single mom of 3 and don’t do this as often as I’d like. I do ask my kids what the latest thing is they’re watching or seeing the most of.
This conversation is gold when it comes to understanding their digital world and what is trending or popular.
As a test, I did a Google search about tween skincare and it made me sick to my stomach!
Here are some items that I stumbled upon. I am horrified that this is public information. This isn’t to be mean, but only to help you understand what is being sold to our girls. I’ll also explain what is bad about these products and ingredients.
Let’s start with the “best” toner for tweens:
First off, tweens don’t need a toner! Plus a good face cleanser is balanced and doesn’t require the use of a toner.
Secondly, check out the ingredients:
All 3 ingredients are stripping their skin and they’re not even producing oil yet!
If your tween is using this toner, it is going to cause their skin to become sensitive.
Or worse, create premature acne breakouts before they hit puberty!
Using alcohol and witch hazel together is damaging to ANY skin. Why they would even use grain alcohol in skincare blows my mind!
Next up is the exfoliant:
There are two problems with this product:
- It’s an exfoliant – tweens don’t need to exfoliate because their skin rapidly turns over and naturally exfoliates at this age!
- It contains Glycolic and lactic acid – both of these alpha-hydroxy acids break down the skin’s barrier and can damage the skin
But if you read the highlights, why wouldn’t you think it’s a great product?
Marketing sells because these companies know that most consumers won’t go above & beyond to do research. If you are someone who does research, most of the Google searches are in alignment with these companies.
Unless you know a reputable source, don’t believe Google!
Our third product is retinol!
Why are young girls being told to use retinol?
Retinol should not be used before the age of 35 because the skin doesn’t NEED IT before then. Not to mention, retinols create skin sensitivity and sun damage.
Do your kids apply SPF before recess or before they play sports?
If the answer is no, keep them away from retinol because they are going to further damage their skin and set themselves up for aging before they are 20 years old!
Last but not least, the resurfacing serum
Again the acids… this product combined with peel pads is overkill, even in adults!
Why on earth are they telling young tweens to resurface their skin?
Their skin is perfect and flawless at this age!!
If you don’t believe me, try doing a Google search yourself. This article made me so upset. And I wouldn’t recommend ANY of these products because they are all bad & harmful for tween skin.
Another article from Glamour magazine’s “experts” and I wouldn’t buy any of these products.
An interesting fact about dermatologists…
We look to Dermatologists for skincare advice, however, they get very little training in skin care products and ingredients.
Because they’re a doctor, we trust their advice and knowledge, but you really have to understand the education system. Dermatologists are ideal when there are major skin issues because THAT is their expertise. However, they are not the ideal solution when it comes to skincare, because they don’t get the same amount of training on ingredients and products as Estheticians do.
Estheticians, on the other hand, get hundreds of hours of skincare and ingredient training. Plus we work with products on a daily basis.
Who would you want to look to for skincare advice?
What am I going to do about it?
I apologize if I sound mean, but learning about this topic makes me furious!
When I got my esthetician license 20 years ago, I wanted to help women have great skin. Social media has made my job extremely difficult because I constantly have to fix clients’ skin at younger ages because these influencers are telling consumers what products to use and how to “take care of their skin”.
This information tends to be incorrect as you are noticing with the product pictures above.
I am in the process of creating a skincare line to help tweens, teens and adult clients have simple and effective products to use without damaging their skin.
I do believe that teaching our kids to take care of their skin from a young age does set them up for healthy skin as they age.
However, the amount of products these kids are using is scary and I feel that I need to speak up about it.
It is my moral obligation to help you as moms understand what our girls are learning and how we can help them make smart skincare purchases and take better care of their skin.
TikTok is never going away, but educating your daughters and sons about good skin and not just buying them the next hottest item is how you can start helping them.
I will have some samples to try in the next month or two. If you’re interested, you can email me: samantha@skindeepil.com
My mission is to continue to educate moms about their kids’ skin because we need to work together. We need to stand up to the influencers who get paid to sell these harmful products to your kids. We need to stop listening to social media and find those experts who truly care about you and your kids’s skin.
Please share any questions or comments below
XO
Samantha
See you next week with another blog!
