An eight-year-old who wants cleansing oil and face masks for her birthday? It may sound strange, but it is not uncommon. The US cosmetics industry has long since discovered children as a target group.
Anyone who enters the hashtag #skincare, i.e. skin care, on the video platform TikTok doesn’t have to search long: around 18 million videos have already been uploaded to this keyword – including by children and young people.
Britain and Baylaa, aged ten and eight, are two sisters who regularly show off their skincare routines on their mother’s TikTok account. This video in which they explain how they clean their faces before going to bed has been viewed around 45,000 times. They don’t just do this with water, but with various products. Many of them are not exactly cheap.
Children’s skin care online and in doctor’s offices topic
Kristen Cook sees something like this not only on social media, but also in her everyday life as a doctor. In the past year in particular, skin care has been a frequent topic at her practice in Racine, Wisconsin. “I’m amazed at the number of conversations I’ve had with children ages eight to 11 about skin care over the past year.” Parents would come and bring her products and ask, “Is this safe for my child?” The number of conversations about this topic has exploded, Cook said.
Of course, social media plays a big role here. There isn’t a single cosmetics company today that doesn’t have a strong social media presence, says Denish Shah, a marketing professor at Georgia State University. Social media is just so powerful and effective.
It’s rarely about questionable ingredients
This is also shown by the example of influencer Kim Kardashian and her daughter North. The now ten-year-old shared videos about her skin care products on the Internet at the end of 2022. Other children her age are doing the same, for example eight-year-old Maddie, who shows her skincare routine on TikTok, on her mother’s account. She encouraged her daughter to do this when she wanted to start her own skin care routine, says Maddie’s mother Hayley in a video. “The sooner the better.”
Cook agrees in principle – as long as only certain products are used. A gentle cleanser and moisturizer as well as sunscreen were sufficient. Under no circumstances should it contain ingredients such as retinol, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide or vitamin C. These could irritate children’s skin unnecessarily, leading to rashes or even acne. This is rarely an issue on the internet.
Sales of Cosmetics industry grows
Seven-year-old Haven gives a Drunk Elephant serum ten out of ten on TikTok. 50 milliliters of it costs 49 dollars, approximately 45 euros. The brand is one of the most popular online despite the high prices. On its homepage it points out that many of its products are not suitable for children under 13 years of age.
This probably won’t change anything in terms of sales. This year alone, cosmetic companies in the US will earn around $475 million from skin care products for babies and children. The data platform Statista estimates this. This number is expected to grow in the coming years.
Isabell Karras, ARD Washington, tagesschau, March 22, 2024 12:32 p.m