|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
People tend to remember their first forays—the book that made them fall in love with reading, the song that compelled them to become a lifelong fan of their favourite artist, the film that spurred them to purchase a ticket for a second showing. For many budding beauty enthusiasts, this pivotal moment takes place in the Sephora store. It’s only to be expected—compared to the pristine, oft intimidating luxury beauty counters, Sephora is like a theme park, offering endless possibilities and promising something for everyone.
Beginning your voyage into the world of beauty at Sephora as a preteen is such a common coming-of-age experience that it initially seems bizarre that ‘Sephora kids’ is even a subject of discourse. Wide-eyed preteens wandering around Sephora are a common occurrence; they are part of the carnival-esque ecosystem of the stores, along with the bright lights, loud music, and bubbly beauty advisors. However, while adolescent beauty enthusiasts a decade ago busied themselves swatching brow pomade and glittery eyeshadow at the Anastasia Beverly Hills counter, the ‘Sephora kids’ of today are invading the skincare aisles and sharing TikToks of their product reviews, extensive hauls and lengthy regimens.
In the age of self-care, skincare has become the top priority for consumers around the world, and it is only natural for preteens to be interested in the fastest-growing beauty category in the past decade. But as children exploring spaces conceived for adults, ‘Sephora kids’ would benefit from a gentle guiding hand. Make-up, the second fastest-growing beauty category, maintains long-established boundaries with young age—both implicit and explicit. While tinted lip balms and glosses are quintessential staples of girlhood, it has always been understood that ‘full glam’ looks were reserved for special occasions—graduations, dance recitals, birthday parties—with many schools outright forbidding students from wearing make-up to class. Additionally, the effects of make-up on adolescent mental and physical wellness has also been the subject of extensive research and discussion.
The same cannot be said of advanced skincare routines and complex products, which are relatively foreign to even the majority of adults. Skincare experts have expressed concern on the subject, and Drunk Elephant, a ‘Sephora kids’ cult favourite beloved by Kardashian preteens North West and Penelope Disick, released a statement on Instagram last December advising its younger fans to avoid its more potent ingredients. Nonetheless, the discourse would benefit from a more comprehensive perspective, so we have sought the insight of Dr Shauna Tan, aesthetic doctor at The Covette Clinic, on the effects of advanced skincare routines on adolescent health—from the mental and to the physical.
View this post on Instagram
What are your thoughts on children and pre-teens, who are not affected by skin conditions, adopting advanced skincare regimens?
In my opinion, I think it is acceptable and even encouraged for all children in the peripubertal age group to have a skincare routine consisting of a gentle cleanser, moisturiser and sunscreen. I would go so far as to say it is suitable for specific active ingredients to be introduced in certain teens struggling with skin changes during puberty. However, I think it is crucial to have the right advice from a healthcare professional before introducing these additions to your child’s routine to prevent excessive irritation and damage to the skin barrier, which can cause more harm than good. For instance, a teen boy struggling with excessive oil production and closed comedones for instance, I think it is suitable for him to be started on a salicylic acid product to be incorporated once or twice a week to keep his oil production balanced.
Unfortunately teenage or childhood bullying in Singapore is very real, and augmented in this digital age. With the right knowledge and tools to navigate through these pubertal changes, we can actually help to instill confidence and make puberty a much more enjoyable and positive experience.
What I don’t appreciate in this day and age is children and pre teens getting started on anti-aging specific routines at the alarming young age of 10 to 15 years. It is probably due to a lot of misinformation on social media that has become so accessible to their age group. For context, skin aging only starts from 27 to 29 years of age! So seeing teens starting on eye creams or retinol for fine lines is inappropriate to say the least.
In what ways could adopting a complex skincare routine influence a child or preteen’s body image and confidence?
Having the appropriate skincare routine to keep the skin healthy and acne free can definitely improve a child’s confidence. It takes a different turn when children become preoccupied with active ingredients and try out product after product. This may actually damage the skin barrier (the epithelial layer) and result in less protection against environmental pollutants. As such, they may become more prone to skin irritation and acne. Which then sets them on the hunt again for another product or ingredient to resolve this problem. This vicious cycle will lead to dejection and disappointment, which really affects their confidence. Many of them end up developing a very negative relationship with their skin and body, which takes years to repair.
View this post on Instagram
Do you see this phenomenon as part of a new trend in beauty, in the same vein as teenagers adopting anti-ageing routines and the rise of preventative botox?
I agree that more people are aware of anti-aging routines and starting much younger. As a rule of thumb, I think it is worthwhile to start anti-aging in one’s late 20s, which is when the skin aging process actually begins. Anything before that is just about keeping your skin healthy and clean. A good cleanser, a sunscreen and some hydrating products are really all you need. I would not recommend an anti-aging regime to anyone in their teens!
We do see younger patients sometimes in their teens coming in asking for botox. Most of whom are influenced by TikTok videos or other information on the internet. However, safety and efficacy of neurotoxin in patients below 18 years have not been established and thus we do not inject neurotoxin for anyone below 18 years of age. Depending on the indication, we may decide to start neurotoxin injections in one’s early 20s if there are already signs of deeper dynamic wrinkles forming (wrinkles that are present during facial expression) or if it is causing pain or discomfort from teeth clenching or grinding.
Further, there is simply not enough evidence to show that starting neurotoxin early at 20 versus 40 years of age for example provides a significant difference in results. Another risk of starting too young is that botox actually causes muscle atrophy in time—where the muscle gets thinner and thinner. So overly frequent injections or too young a start can actually cause you to lose volume and give the opposite effect of an older appearance. The crux is to start neurotoxin treatments before those dynamic wrinkles become static wrinkles (wrinkles that are present even at rest), which differs amongst individuals.
How do you think that beauty standards, particularly trends like glass skin or ‘clean girl makeup’, play into this?
I think these new beauty trends may inadvertently put more pressure on young teens to have perfect or flawless skin, which is incredibly difficult to achieve during puberty. This pushes them to explore or consider other products or treatments that can possibly help them to reach that goal. While I love a glowy dewy look myself, I think the onus lies on the content creators and media perpetuating these trends online to share real skin and the process to get there. It is so important not to discourage teens and breed negative skin image or even destroy their self confidence.
View this post on Instagram
What advice—skincare or otherwise—would you give to the parent of a child or preteen who is very passionate about skincare?
I think it is useful to see it in a positive light. Instead of just placing judgment or dismissing your child, find out what it is they are interested in and why they are keen to explore.
Some of my preteen patients are definitely inspired or encouraged by K-pop artists and their routines for instance. Nothing wrong with that, however I encourage parents to maybe find out which particular products they are interested in and learn along with them. If it is a safe, hydrating product with no other active ingredients, it can be something you can both try together as a fun spa night! Using this as an opportunity to bond more with your child can make it more fulfilling. However, if the products they are interested in are strong or contain harsh active ingredients, then perhaps those can be held off to a later time. If you ever find yourself in a bind and not able to explain why certain products are not suitable, speak to a dermatologist or an aesthetics physician you trust and have them explain to your child on your behalf.
While not necessary, for children that are really interested in skincare and want to try things out a few safe ingredients to try out are ceramides, squalene, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. Most importantly, whichever product your child tries out, go slow and introduce it gradually. I tend to recommend a patch test on a part of the skin that is not on the face, to see if the child is sensitive or allergic to the product. I’ll then introduce it once a week, then twice a week and increase as appropriate. I will also recommend introducing one product at a time instead of multiple new additions. This allows us to identify which product works or has a negative effect on the child’s skin.
On the other end of things, if your child hates skincare but desperately needs it—for instance, caring for acne prone skin. Try to make the process as enjoyable as possible and affirm them with every little improvement. It is useful to cultivate healthy good skincare habits like regular sunscreen in the morning, acne topical creams and gels at night. Once they are used to doing it, it truly becomes more like brushing your teeth and less of a chore.
