A generation ago, childhood skincare consisted of little more than soap, a flannel and perhaps a dab of sun cream before a day at the beach.
Today, children as young as eight or nine can often be found discussing serums, retinol, skin barriers and exfoliating acids with a confidence that would impress many adults. Social media feeds are filled with videos of pre-teens showcasing elaborate skincare routines, sometimes involving a dozen or more products. What was once considered self-care has, in some cases, become something altogether different.
Experts have begun using the term "Cosmeticorexia" to describe an unhealthy preoccupation with beauty products and skincare routines among children and teenagers. While not a medical diagnosis, the term captures a growing concern: are children becoming convinced that their perfectly healthy skin requires constant intervention?
The Business of Insecurity
The beauty industry has always sold aspiration, but today's children are growing up in a world where beauty advice is no longer aimed solely at adults.
Algorithms do not distinguish between a forty-year-old woman concerned about ageing and a ten-year-old scrolling through the same content. Children are exposed to influencers discussing anti-ageing ingredients, pore size, wrinkles and skin texture long before these issues are relevant to them.
Many of the products being promoted contain active ingredients such as retinol, glycolic acid and salicylic acid. These ingredients have legitimate uses for adults, but they are often unnecessary for young skin and can sometimes lead to irritation, dryness and disruption of the skin's natural protective barrier.
Ironically, some children are creating skin concerns by trying to prevent skin concerns that do not yet exist.
When Less Really Is More
Dermatologists frequently point out that children's skin is remarkably good at looking after itself.
Young skin naturally renews itself quickly. It contains abundant collagen, strong elasticity and a healthy moisture balance. In most cases, a gentle cleanser, basic moisturiser when needed and suitable sun protection are entirely sufficient.
The modern skincare trend often encourages the opposite approach. More products. More steps. More ingredients. More routines.
Yet healthy skin has never been about complexity.
The Childhood We Risk Losing
Perhaps the greatest concern is not the products themselves but what they represent.
Many parents recall spending childhood outdoors, climbing trees, riding bicycles, building dens or collecting shells on the beach. Appearance rarely dominated daily life.
Today, some children are learning to scrutinise themselves before they have had the chance simply to be children.
When a nine-year-old worries about pores, or a twelve-year-old believes she needs anti-ageing products, something has shifted in our culture. The conversation is no longer just about skincare. It is about confidence, self-worth and the messages young people absorb every day.
There is a danger that childhood becomes another stage of life to optimise rather than enjoy.
Returning to Simplicity
The answer is not to demonise skincare. Looking after our skin is important, and developing healthy habits can be positive.
The challenge is ensuring that these habits remain appropriate for age and genuinely support wellbeing rather than fuel insecurity.
Perhaps the most powerful message we can give young people is that healthy skin does not have to be perfect. It does not need ten products. It does not need to be filtered. And it certainly does not need to be fixed before there is anything wrong with it.
For many children, the best skincare routine may be surprisingly simple: fresh air, nutritious food, plenty of sleep, daily sun protection and a childhood spent doing the things children have always done best.
Because childhood is not a skincare routine.
And maybe it never should be.