Because of influencers Children are using anti-ageing products - with consequences

The influence of "skinfluencers" on social media means that younger and younger children are using adult skincare products. Experts warn of health risks.

There are many skinfluencers on social media. These are influencers who show their daily skincare routine and present products that can be used to combat problem areas on the face.

As is so often the case with internet trends, children and young people imitate them. This leads to girls of primary school age showing their beauty routine on TikTok and Instagram: Cleansing their face, dabbing on serum and massaging in an anti-ageing cream. Products that are neither necessary nor suitable for their age group.

Brand management professor Karsten Kilian from the Würzburg-Scheinfurt University of Applied Sciences tells the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper that this is particularly pronounced in the USA. But even in Germany and Switzerland, younger and younger girls are using these products, "which they don't need and which weren't made for them," says the expert.

Children want beauty products instead of sweets

As a result, a new kind of "whining zone" has developed in drugstores, where children are now demanding beauty products instead of sweets.

Consumer advocate Kerstin Etzenbach-Effers is particularly critical of ingredients such as retinol, fruit acid and vitamin C. These could cause skin irritation, inflammation and eczema in children.

The reason: compared to adults, children have a weaker skin barrier and a still developing immune system. "This makes their skin more susceptible to external irritants, environmental factors and allergens," Etzenbach-Effers told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. Some anti-ageing creams also contain UV filters, which are suspected of damaging the hormone system.

Anti-ageing care can make skin worse

The rule for children is therefore: less is more. Children's skin doesn't need any care at all unless it has a skin disease, says dermatologist Christoph Lieblich. "In the case of adolescents with acne, a rich anti-ageing skin care product would actually encourage the pimples."

Christiane Bayerl, dermatologist and editor of the specialist journal "Aktuelle Dermatologie", agrees: "Anti-ageing products are completely unnecessary, but not dangerous for children's skin." During puberty, too much care and poor make-up removal can cause blemished skin.

However, there are other risks in addition to the deterioration in skin appearance. Marketing expert Kilian explains: "The focus on outward appearance can lead to a distorted self-image, a lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem."

Traditional role models in particular, such as the stereotypical portrayal of girls and women, are promoted as a result, says Kilian.

"It creates a false idea of beauty"

Kilian also finds it problematic that children and young people buy the products, spend all their pocket money on cosmetics and spend more and more time on skincare and make-up. "This creates a false idea of beauty," he says. And to some extent also of what is natural.

People with skin blemishes or other minor imperfections are rarely seen on social media, as heavy make-up, image editing and optimal lighting ensure flawless images. Dermatologist Liebich explains that this leads to people perceiving their own spots as a serious problem.

Young people listen more to tips from TikTok

The dermatologist also notes that teenagers despair when an acne product doesn't work so well in the interview. Young patients often place more trust in information from TikTok than in the advice of a specialist.

Bayerl finds instructions on the internet for mixing your own face creams particularly problematic. "Nothing happens once you use them fresh," the dermatologist tells the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper. The creams are also not preserved and can quickly become colonized with germs.

But is there a solution to this problem? "Children need to be taught that they are just right the way they are, that they don't need cosmetic products to be beautiful," says consumer advocate Etzenbach-Effers.