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Teenage Skincare Routines From Social Media Offer Little Benefits And Could Actually Be Harmful

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New research has shown that skincare routines shared on social media by teenagers actually offer little to no benefit, and could instead increase the risk of skin irritations and the development of allergies in young people.

Dr. Molly Hales and her team conducted the research from Northwestern University. The group stated that there has been a rise in young girls specifically watching, sharing, and taking advice from complicated skin care routines that involve a multitude of unnecessary steps for their young and developing skin. 

Kids are using moisturizers, toners, acne treatments, and anti-aging products in routines that are expensive and potentially harmful. Through analyzing multiple videos on TikTok specifically, the team also found that a majority of these routines are complex and require a lot of time, with some videos showing girls waking up as early as 4:30 am to start getting ready.

“The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweighs whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,” Dr. Hales told reporters.

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“The danger is when girls get the message that this is something that they have to do to take care of their skin and to protect their health. These products don’t increase the health of your skin and they probably worsen your skin integrity over time.”

Dr. Hales and her team conducted their research by creating two TikTok accounts that they designed to be like an average 13-year-old’s account. They adjusted their algorithms to gather a sample of 100 skincare routines that were filmed by younger people. 

Of 83 different creators, 82 were girls aged between seven to 18-years-old. “Almost all content creators had clear, light skin without visible blemishes. [The videos] made frequent reference to aspirational beauty ideals that may be tied to whiteness.”

On average, the skincare routines involved six products, were from the same brands, and had a cost of about $168, according to the study. On the more extreme end, some regimens involved more than a dozen products and totaled more than $500.

Dr. Hales stated that it’s recommended that younger people use a gentle cleanser once, maybe twice, a day and then use a sunscreen to protect their skin. 

One of the biggest issues with tweens and teens using excessive amounts of skincare products is that they’re putting active ingredients on their skin that’s not necessary and potentially harmful. The reason they’re using so many of them, however, is because they view the products as trendy and aesthetically pleasing. 

The way influencers are advertising these products emphasizes a message of anti-aging, and is causing teenagers to worry about aging when they’re not even fully developed themselves. 

The study showed that many products contain ingredients like citric acid, which carries a risk for irritation and increased sensitivity to the sun. A lot of the ingredients in skincare products are meant to combat specific skin issues in adults such as hyperpigmentation, acne scarring, sun spots/damage, and more.

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Sunscreen is one of the most important products that everyone can benefit from using. SPF products not only protect the skin from sun damage, but light damage in general, as well as a multitude of issues that people may experience either growing up, or in adulthood. 

However, the team found that only about 26% of the videos they reviewed discussed daytime skincare with the inclusion of sunscreen. 

The more products one uses in their skincare routine, regardless of age, the more likely it is that you’re adding products with the same active ingredients on top of each other, which increases the risk of skin irritation, sensitivity, and vulnerability. 

Among the top 25 videos reviewed in the study, 76% had at least one potential contact allergen, the most common being some sort of fragrance. 

Dr. Tess McPherson, who is a part of the British Association of Dermatologists, was not involved in the study but noted how important it was. She discussed how there has been an increase in young people going to dermatologists for skin irritation.  

“Younger and younger children are seeking skincare products when they don’t need them, they’re not helpful. This is a very concerning statement on society and how we view how skin should look.”

“We’re certainly seeing a huge increase in people wanting something they call perfect or flawless skin, which we know is unachievable [and] unhelpful – it doesn’t make people happy,” she said.

A spokesperson for TikTok told the Guardian: 

“This type of content is common across all media, and the authors admit they did not assess its impact on teen wellbeing. However, they did find actual benefits to teen self-expression, parent-teen bonding, and building a supportive community on TikTok.”

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Experts Weigh In On Children’s Fixation With Anti-Aging And Skin Care 

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The children and young tweens of generation Z are becoming obsessed with their skin care routines, and anti-aging, despite being so young. Generation Alpha, which includes children as young as 10-years-old, are buying expensive skin care products that contain ingredients that could actually damage their skin in the future due to the fact that they simply don’t need anti-aging and other ingredients on their skin. 

The Guardian recently interviewed multiple experts on this concerning trend of children being obsessed with their self-image, specifically regarding their views on aging. 

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“We have seen an increase in teenage girls using skincare … prematurely using anti-ageing products and increasingly valuing beauty and looking young. Access to social media will be a big influence here. TikTok, in particular, has millions of videos dedicated to this topic and we are starting to see the younger generations of influencers coming through: it’s now the children of the Kardashian family sharing skincare routines online,” said Josie O’Brien, health and beauty consumer insights director at consumer analysts Kantar.

“Kantar data tells us that teens are specifically using social media for skincare and makeup recommendations. So they have access to that information, whether it is appropriate or not.

Another factor is the in-store experience. The ability to try samples, products that stand out on the shelf, and nice smells are big deciding factors for young people when choosing skincare. Brands such as Drunk Elephant and Sol de Janeiro are viral among this demographic at the minute, and if you look at the products you can see why they would appeal to younger people,” O’Brien explained. 

“Certain aspects of this are positive and other elements less so. The rise in people wearing sunscreen younger is positive and that awareness will hopefully bode well in adulthood,” said Dr Ross Perry, medical director of Cosmedics skin clinics.

“Why are young people more interested in anti-aging products? A big factor is social media. Everything is pointing towards looking as good as we can. There is that pressure now in marketing, and social media massively influences how we perceive ourselves. If people see perfect skin and perfect routines they are more likely to follow them,” said Dr. Perry.

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“Feminine identity is very much positioned in terms of appearance and looking a certain way and the beauty standards culture and societies put upon us. We know girls and women, as well as gender-diverse people, are particularly affected by this. Historically, there is pressure on women to look a certain way as they are objectified in culture. There is a lot of pressure to manipulate and modify their bodies,” said Phillippa Diedrichs, professor of psychology at the University of the West of England.

“As a result, we see a high rate of self-objectification among women and increasingly young girls. They have internalized this societal pressure and see their bodies as objects to be modified. They spend a lot of time focused on their appearance. That gets distilled down to girls being silly and vain or trivial, but there is a cultural pressure to do it, and they see people who conform to these standards. They are often held up as the most rewarded in society.

Cosmetic procedures are also more accessible financially and in terms of who offers them. For example, Botox is now advertised at the dentist,” Diedrichs stated. 

“Unlike smoking or drinking, skincare is seen as an innocent way of playing with being older. It is not as obvious as makeup. I think brands encourage it, and like the fact it has become a luxury accessory and there are a lot of myths being peddled. People are told they must do certain things to keep their skin healthy and that exposure is good for brands sometimes,” explained Dr Emma Wedgeworth of the British Cosmetic Dermatology Group.

“It’s reflective of our obsession with aging as a society. We are supposed to as a society evolve and become more enlightened but we are failing in terms of how we value older people and maturity.”