"They take care of their skin, but you still have to fight them to put on sunscreen," said Agosto of North Andover.
College students, who are influenced by the forces of marketing and influencers more powerfully than your average girl, are often drawn to Barbie doll-inspired packaging. You're spending $30, $40, $60, or more on brightening serums, refreshing waters, and soothing balms.
“My daughter, who is almost 13, has so much skin care, she could open a Sephora in her bathroom,” said Jamie Adler of Lexington.
Skin care has become a new fad, and as always, there is a lot of money to be made from the affected population being taught that they need to improve their appearance.
You are never too young to grow up. Helena Cornwell, a North Attleboro High School student, spoke passionately about her 8-year-old sister's skin, but not her own.
"He has perfect porcelain skin because he doesn't get too stressed," she said.
“You're 14 and you look the same age as me,” said her mother, Kimberly Cornwell.
“I have wrinkles on my forehead,” Helena answered.
Across the country, children's shopping habits have become so extreme at times — fighting over rare items, trashing testers, and being rude to employees — that online sweepstakes for Sephora employees and older customers has become a pastime.
“These 10-year-olds are crazy, the most brutal ever...,” said TikTok user @_giannalove, who had 3.2 million likes on December 31.
Melissa's 11-year-old Hailey DeLonge has a nighttime routine that would put a Kardashian to shame. "I start with the Glow Recipe Toner, then I use the Byoma Hydrating Serum, then I use the Hydrating Bubble, then I use the Holy Moisturizer Eye Cream, and..." She said, "I forgot, I was going to go." . Use a facial mist. Firstly.
Hayley doesn't worry about her old look, insisting she just does it for fun. “It's like playing with toys, but for big kids.”
But there's also a dark side: There are allegations that skin care companies sell products that may be harmful to children. The criticism became so severe that the beloved Drunk Elephant founder gave an interview to AdAge.
"We're not making any effort to target kids or make money off them or anything like that," Tiffany Masterson told the publication in early January.
Regardless of their intentions, girls use the products. The doctor saw the results.
"They all need exfoliation, but over-exfoliation damages the skin barrier," says internist Rosie Sandhu, MD, founder of Neem Medical Spas in the Boston area.
Additionally, moisturizers designed for older, dry skin will clog baby's pores and lead to breakouts. She added that she "lived" the story in her home with her two daughters, who do skin care.
Six months ago, she noticed redness and irritation under the eyes of her 12-year-old daughter, and said it was caused by a product containing retinol that she was using to remove dark circles. .
“It's a milder version of retinol, but it can burn the skin of a 12-year-old,” says Sandhu.
Girls as young as 12 are concerned about wrinkles, says Quincy dermatologist Victoria Kuhong of DermCare Experts.
She adds that effective skin care can be very "simple." “Stay out of the sun, use sunscreen and moisturizer. But clearly that simple idea isn't convincing enough. I don't know how many times I've been asked about snail slime or fish eggs.
He added that the potential damage does not only occur on the surface. “The attention and energy that young women devote to complex and misleading anti-aging treatments diverts energy and attention from development in other areas.” »
While tweens and teens embrace anti-aging messages from influencers, some mothers who have finally broken free from the madness admire their daughters for spending more than their daughters.
“She got me interested in skin care,” Kimberly Cornwell, a North Attleboro resident, said of the high school student.
No, an anti-aging doomsday ring.
Beth Teitell can be reached at beth.teitell@globe.com. Follow her @bethteitell.