We’ve been more than a little concerned by the recent trend for teenagers – and even younger – using highly active skincare. Driven by tutorials and viral products on social media, we’re seeing queues of (mostly) girls at beauty counters spending their pocket money on products designed for skin that’s nothing like theirs – including retinoids and exfoliating acids.
“I’m on a mission to stop this worrying trend for children using high performance, grown-up skincare. If those of us in the industry don’t step in to help – it’s only going to get worse,” explains our Founder Sarah, who sparked the discussion on Instagram.
Something Sarah feels passionately about, she recently invited a group of 11 year old girls and their parents from Pai’s local school into our factory for a workshop. Why 11? Scientists believe that the skin’s protective barrier isn’t fully formed until the age of 12. So any products used before then carry the highest risk of harming the young and vulnerable skin.
Step inside skin school at Pai
After a quick tour of our labs and in-house production facility, Sarah gave the girls and their parents a lesson on skin physiology so they’ll have an understanding of what’s going on below the surface, and why older skin naturally needs certain products that their own young skin doesn’t.
She also advised them on what a teen skincare routine should look like, and which products are safe and suitable for them as they enter their teenage years. Sarah finished up their workshop with a deep dive into the ingredients they should absolutely avoid until their twenties – and the endless reasons why.
It was such a pleasure to have these brilliant young people visit Pai – they had really thoughtful questions for our Founder and were genuinely interested in how the skin works and what products are really designed to do.
But truthfully, nothing prepared us for the questions and language they already had around retinoids, peptides, Vitamin C, pore strips, double cleansing, AHAs, Gua Sha and sheet masks.
Navigating the next steps
It’s not enough for us to tackle this area of misinformation alone. All skincare brands and retailers need to take responsibility for what we say and who we sell to, and we hope the wider industry reacts responsibly to help quell the appetite for actives in young and impressionable audiences.
The importance of non parental advice
In our experience, tweens and teens are more likely to listen to advice from a neutral, unfamiliar source than a parent – even if said parent is a skincare aficionado.
If you have any questions about your child’s routine or are yourself entering adolescence and want to find a skincare routine that will help your skin thrive – not flare-up – book a free skin consultation with our expert skin coaches who will guide you every step of the way.
There’s no obligation to purchase afterwards and you can schedule your video call here.
