February 17, 2024 • 10 mins
Makeup and skincare influencers are a dime a dozen on social media these days. Normally, they're offering up advice for adults, but tweens are now embracing their advice - to the point where they're buying up skincare products that could actually be doing damage to their fragile, young skin. These "Sephora Kids" have been caught on camera trashing testers in makeup stores, and many adults are wondering what can be done to turn this trend around. Dr. Arianne S. Kourosh, Director of Community Health in the Massachusetts General Hospital Dermatology department, joins Nichole this week to talk about how these products can hurt young skin, the psychological impact of these influencers, and how parents can intervene in a healthy way.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston.This is New England Weekend, where each
week we come together we chat aboutall the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It's sogood to be back with you again this
week. I'm Nicole Davis. Idon't know how often you find yourself scrolling
on apps like Instagram or TikTok thesedays, but I can promise you I
spend far too much time. AndI can also promise you that I've seen
(00:29):
videos way more often about this thanjust once or twice. We're talking about
skincare influencers and makeup influencers showing offtheir pretty packaged pr products, trying them
on, explaining their nine step skincareroutine for day and night with all their
stuff. Look, that's fine,I have no issue with that, and
to be fair, I have actuallylearned a bit about my well lack of
(00:50):
skincare routine by watching these videos.As somebody who's in my late thirties,
I've never really had a routine.It's not a bad thing to start taking
care of my skin, so I'vebought a few serums and creams to try
to do that. The problem hereis that these videos well, they appear
to have worked a little bit toowell, because now members of Generation Alpha,
not even Gen Z. We're talkingyounger kids, think eight, nine,
(01:12):
ten, eleven year olds. They'renow on these social media sites posting
videos of their makeup and skincare halls, especially focused on anti aging products like
retinol, the brand Drunk Elephant.You may or may not have heard of
it. It's especially popular. It'sgot brightly colored packaging these so called skincare
smoothies. Store workers are now postingvideos and photos of children trashing displays.
(01:36):
There's even a video going around ofchildren using darker toned foundation, white kids
using it as blackface, and alocal Sophora. Dermatologists say they're nervous because
there is nothing wrong with tweens tryingout makeup, but some of these products
could really really hurt kids' skin andset their skin up for big problems in
the future. Let's talk about thistrend. Let's go over this. Doctor
(01:59):
Ariyan Karash is the director of CommunityHealth. She's over in the dermatology department
at mass General Hospital in Boston.Doctor Karosh, thank you so much for
joining us. Tell us what you'rehearing about all this well, it seems
the controversy arose around certain brands whowere advertising on social media and working with
(02:19):
influencers on social media and sending themessage that seemed to be directed toward younger
audiences, and a message that hadimplications that gave, you know, teens
and preteens or even younger kids,the impression that they should be concerned with
beauty and aging and therefore go buythese products for these anti aging purposes before
(02:42):
they may have even reached adolescens.And this inappropriate messaging toward kids, you
know, was really the concern,and that it was being amplified by certain
influencers who may have lacked medical orscientific credentials or even awareness of the public
health implication that their messages could behaving on social media. Yeah, of
course kids that age are impressionable,and honestly, with social media these days,
(03:06):
adults are pretty impressionable too, let'sbe honest about it. But it's
one thing for somebody to be influencedper se. If you're an adult and
you can go buy a retinal cream, or you can go buy this or
that or a serum, it's anotherthing when this child's skin is still developing.
Talk to us about the potential issuesthat a child could have with these
(03:27):
products if they're using them right,that's a great question. So as a
dermatologist, I'll first say that there'snothing wrong with teaching kids to take care
of their skin or to have askincare routine, as long as it's appropriate
for their age and skin type.However, conveying the message to kids that
they need anti aging products or exfoliatingproducts, which were the subject of a
(03:47):
lot of the controversy, for example, products that contain retinols or alpha hydroxy
acids, salasilic acid, you know, certain things that can be used for
acne or anti aging and can sometimesbe harsh, you know, and problematic
for people with sensitive skin, evenwho are adults, much less children.
(04:10):
So this was the problem of youknow, advertising to a broad audience and
to an audience that wasn't age appropriate. For example, even adults who have
ezema or dry sensitive skin might haveissues with some of these products, you
know, And if children or preteenshave some sort of acne, they could
see a dermatologist and be given treatmentsthat are effective and safe for their age.
(04:33):
But so that was really the questionof you know, advertising to audiences
that are not appropriate. And thenyou know, there's also this increasing public
health question and research around the possibleharmful effects of certain ingredients in skin care
and personal care products, which areindustries that are largely unregulated by the FDA.
(04:55):
For example, certain ingredients that havebeen found in some products in the
US are actually not allowed in Europeout of concern that they could descript hormones
affecting the endocrine system. And thiskind of disruption of hormones is currently being
studied and there's more research that needsto be done on it. However,
you know, it is a concernthat while these products are being investigated,
(05:18):
we need to be concerned about childrenbeing exposed to them before they even reach
adolescents. And also, nowadays thereare many skincare products that people can easily
order online or on social media thatare actually made in other countries and might
contain toxins or ingredients that would noteven be allowed in the US. And
so you know, this is aproblem, you know, in terms of
(05:40):
research into the ingredients that we areas dermatologists and people in public health are
concerned about, and we really wantto be mindful of what we are putting
on our skin, especially when itcomes to kids whose bodies are still developing.
And then there's also the public healthquestion of the psychological effects, so
there's the question of whether thing isharmful to the skin or the body of
(06:01):
a child. However, we alsowant to be mindful of the messages that
kids are being sent because you know, their minds, their self image,
and their values are also developing.So even the most conscientious parents who do
their best to be great role modelsto their children now have to worry about
the messages their kids are getting frominfluencers on social media who are getting paid
(06:21):
by skincare companies. A lot ofthese influencers might not even use the products
themselves. So you know, youbrought up a really good point in the
fact that self esteem is huge forkids at that age tweens and teens,
so on and so forth, Andespecially if you say, go to school
and all these kids you know areusing drunk elephant making their whatever the smoothies
or whatever they call it, orusing the Dior lipoils or this or the
(06:43):
exfoliating products, even though you mightnot need it, you might think that
this if you're influenced in a wayby your peers as well. These skincare
products are what you need to bethe best you you can be. Yes,
that's a really great point. Andas a dermisologist, I've really had
a front row seat to this epidemicof people at younger ages becoming more and
(07:08):
more self conscious about their appearance andfeeling that they have to take, you
know, in some cases, drasticmeasures. I remember a twenty one year
old patient coming in to my clinicand consulting me about having fat surgically removed
from her cheeks so that she couldlook quote more contourd like me or like
the Kardashians. And I had toexplain that I was more than a decade
(07:28):
older than her, and that Itoo had baby fat in my cheeks when
I was her age where it's supposedto be at her age, and to
alter that would remove the look ofyouth that she should not be in such
a hurry to lose. And soI try to reassure my patients, patients
like her, to enjoy the stageof life that they're in and try to
optimize that rather than dramatically alter theirappearance. And I think you know another
(07:53):
message, you know, for thesepeople on social media and the influencers who
may be impacting these children. Isthat children and preteens are watching us more
than we realize. They mimic theattitudes and behaviors on social media of their
you know, and their role modelsmight be people that their parents might have
never met or might not even endoorsor accounts these days that might actually be
(08:16):
fake, you know. And thatthese influencers you know are also often paid
by companies. So nowadays it maynot be enough for parents to just be
good role models themselves. They mayhave to be aware of who or what
might be influencing their children online,and that they may need to be more
proactive and educating their kids about themedia they consume. What should parents know
(08:37):
about these products that their children mightwant them to get, And what do
you think is a good alternative tomaybe replace that with? And say,
look, you know, this isn'texactly the best for your skin. I
know this medically right now, eventhough it seems cool and you want to
be part of it, but let'stry this instead. What would you suggest.
(08:58):
That's a great question, and Ithink that your idea of offering alternatives
is really an important part of thesolution. So I encourage patients to read
ingredients and to bring them into thedoctor, whether that's a dermatologist or the
child's pediatrician, and talk about ingredients. And so this is a case where
doctors and parents can work together toeducate kids and create a healthy, age
(09:20):
appropriate skincare routine for them, sothat kids will already have a regimen and
not feel that they need advice fromsomeone on social media. For example,
some of my pediatric patients do skincarewith their parents every day like a family
ritual, for example, when thewhole family puts on sunscreen together in the
morning or does a cleanser and moisturizerregimen at night, and the kids have
(09:43):
their own designated products. So inthis way, skincare becomes a habit and
they learn to do it with theirparents and not some influencer on social media.
And I also encourage parents that wecan take a lesson from the playbook
of these skincare product companies who makepackaging fund for kids, in that they
(10:03):
can put fragrance free, hypoallergenic productsthat are recommended by the dermatologists into brightly
colored jars or containers so that thesehealthier products will also look more fun for
the kids. Phenomenal well, doctorKarash, this is great information. Thank
you for your time and your expertiseon this subject. Absolutely anytime. Thank
you. Have a safe and healthyholiday weekend. Please join me again next
(10:26):
week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio
From WBZ News Radio in Boston.This is New England Weekend, where each
week we come together we chat aboutall the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It's sogood to be back with you again this
week. I'm Nicole Davis. Idon't know how often you find yourself scrolling
on apps like Instagram or TikTok thesedays, but I can promise you I
spend far too much time. AndI can also promise you that I've seen
(00:29):
videos way more often about this thanjust once or twice. We're talking about
skincare influencers and makeup influencers showing offtheir pretty packaged pr products, trying them
on, explaining their nine step skincareroutine for day and night with all their
stuff. Look, that's fine,I have no issue with that, and
to be fair, I have actuallylearned a bit about my well lack of
(00:50):
skincare routine by watching these videos.As somebody who's in my late thirties,
I've never really had a routine.It's not a bad thing to start taking
care of my skin, so I'vebought a few serums and creams to try
to do that. The problem hereis that these videos well, they appear
to have worked a little bit toowell, because now members of Generation Alpha,
not even Gen Z. We're talkingyounger kids, think eight, nine,
(01:12):
ten, eleven year olds. They'renow on these social media sites posting
videos of their makeup and skincare halls, especially focused on anti aging products like
retinol, the brand Drunk Elephant.You may or may not have heard of
it. It's especially popular. It'sgot brightly colored packaging these so called skincare
smoothies. Store workers are now postingvideos and photos of children trashing displays.
(01:36):
There's even a video going around ofchildren using darker toned foundation, white kids
using it as blackface, and alocal Sophora. Dermatologists say they're nervous because
there is nothing wrong with tweens tryingout makeup, but some of these products
could really really hurt kids' skin andset their skin up for big problems in
the future. Let's talk about thistrend. Let's go over this. Doctor
(01:59):
Ariyan Karash is the director of CommunityHealth. She's over in the dermatology department
at mass General Hospital in Boston.Doctor Karosh, thank you so much for
joining us. Tell us what you'rehearing about all this well, it seems
the controversy arose around certain brands whowere advertising on social media and working with
(02:19):
influencers on social media and sending themessage that seemed to be directed toward younger
audiences, and a message that hadimplications that gave, you know, teens
and preteens or even younger kids,the impression that they should be concerned with
beauty and aging and therefore go buythese products for these anti aging purposes before
(02:42):
they may have even reached adolescens.And this inappropriate messaging toward kids, you
know, was really the concern,and that it was being amplified by certain
influencers who may have lacked medical orscientific credentials or even awareness of the public
health implication that their messages could behaving on social media. Yeah, of
course kids that age are impressionable,and honestly, with social media these days,
(03:06):
adults are pretty impressionable too, let'sbe honest about it. But it's
one thing for somebody to be influencedper se. If you're an adult and
you can go buy a retinal cream, or you can go buy this or
that or a serum, it's anotherthing when this child's skin is still developing.
Talk to us about the potential issuesthat a child could have with these
(03:27):
products if they're using them right,that's a great question. So as a
dermatologist, I'll first say that there'snothing wrong with teaching kids to take care
of their skin or to have askincare routine, as long as it's appropriate
for their age and skin type.However, conveying the message to kids that
they need anti aging products or exfoliatingproducts, which were the subject of a
(03:47):
lot of the controversy, for example, products that contain retinols or alpha hydroxy
acids, salasilic acid, you know, certain things that can be used for
acne or anti aging and can sometimesbe harsh, you know, and problematic
for people with sensitive skin, evenwho are adults, much less children.
(04:10):
So this was the problem of youknow, advertising to a broad audience and
to an audience that wasn't age appropriate. For example, even adults who have
ezema or dry sensitive skin might haveissues with some of these products, you
know, And if children or preteenshave some sort of acne, they could
see a dermatologist and be given treatmentsthat are effective and safe for their age.
(04:33):
But so that was really the questionof you know, advertising to audiences
that are not appropriate. And thenyou know, there's also this increasing public
health question and research around the possibleharmful effects of certain ingredients in skin care
and personal care products, which areindustries that are largely unregulated by the FDA.
(04:55):
For example, certain ingredients that havebeen found in some products in the
US are actually not allowed in Europeout of concern that they could descript hormones
affecting the endocrine system. And thiskind of disruption of hormones is currently being
studied and there's more research that needsto be done on it. However,
you know, it is a concernthat while these products are being investigated,
(05:18):
we need to be concerned about childrenbeing exposed to them before they even reach
adolescents. And also, nowadays thereare many skincare products that people can easily
order online or on social media thatare actually made in other countries and might
contain toxins or ingredients that would noteven be allowed in the US. And
so you know, this is aproblem, you know, in terms of
(05:40):
research into the ingredients that we areas dermatologists and people in public health are
concerned about, and we really wantto be mindful of what we are putting
on our skin, especially when itcomes to kids whose bodies are still developing.
And then there's also the public healthquestion of the psychological effects, so
there's the question of whether thing isharmful to the skin or the body of
(06:01):
a child. However, we alsowant to be mindful of the messages that
kids are being sent because you know, their minds, their self image,
and their values are also developing.So even the most conscientious parents who do
their best to be great role modelsto their children now have to worry about
the messages their kids are getting frominfluencers on social media who are getting paid
(06:21):
by skincare companies. A lot ofthese influencers might not even use the products
themselves. So you know, youbrought up a really good point in the
fact that self esteem is huge forkids at that age tweens and teens,
so on and so forth, Andespecially if you say, go to school
and all these kids you know areusing drunk elephant making their whatever the smoothies
or whatever they call it, orusing the Dior lipoils or this or the
(06:43):
exfoliating products, even though you mightnot need it, you might think that
this if you're influenced in a wayby your peers as well. These skincare
products are what you need to bethe best you you can be. Yes,
that's a really great point. Andas a dermisologist, I've really had
a front row seat to this epidemicof people at younger ages becoming more and
(07:08):
more self conscious about their appearance andfeeling that they have to take, you
know, in some cases, drasticmeasures. I remember a twenty one year
old patient coming in to my clinicand consulting me about having fat surgically removed
from her cheeks so that she couldlook quote more contourd like me or like
the Kardashians. And I had toexplain that I was more than a decade
(07:28):
older than her, and that Itoo had baby fat in my cheeks when
I was her age where it's supposedto be at her age, and to
alter that would remove the look ofyouth that she should not be in such
a hurry to lose. And soI try to reassure my patients, patients
like her, to enjoy the stageof life that they're in and try to
optimize that rather than dramatically alter theirappearance. And I think you know another
(07:53):
message, you know, for thesepeople on social media and the influencers who
may be impacting these children. Isthat children and preteens are watching us more
than we realize. They mimic theattitudes and behaviors on social media of their
you know, and their role modelsmight be people that their parents might have
never met or might not even endoorsor accounts these days that might actually be
(08:16):
fake, you know. And thatthese influencers you know are also often paid
by companies. So nowadays it maynot be enough for parents to just be
good role models themselves. They mayhave to be aware of who or what
might be influencing their children online,and that they may need to be more
proactive and educating their kids about themedia they consume. What should parents know
(08:37):
about these products that their children mightwant them to get, And what do
you think is a good alternative tomaybe replace that with? And say,
look, you know, this isn'texactly the best for your skin. I
know this medically right now, eventhough it seems cool and you want to
be part of it, but let'stry this instead. What would you suggest.
(08:58):
That's a great question, and Ithink that your idea of offering alternatives
is really an important part of thesolution. So I encourage patients to read
ingredients and to bring them into thedoctor, whether that's a dermatologist or the
child's pediatrician, and talk about ingredients. And so this is a case where
doctors and parents can work together toeducate kids and create a healthy, age
(09:20):
appropriate skincare routine for them, sothat kids will already have a regimen and
not feel that they need advice fromsomeone on social media. For example,
some of my pediatric patients do skincarewith their parents every day like a family
ritual, for example, when thewhole family puts on sunscreen together in the
morning or does a cleanser and moisturizerregimen at night, and the kids have
(09:43):
their own designated products. So inthis way, skincare becomes a habit and
they learn to do it with theirparents and not some influencer on social media.
And I also encourage parents that wecan take a lesson from the playbook
of these skincare product companies who makepackaging fund for kids, in that they
(10:03):
can put fragrance free, hypoallergenic productsthat are recommended by the dermatologists into brightly
colored jars or containers so that thesehealthier products will also look more fun for
the kids. Phenomenal well, doctorKarash, this is great information. Thank
you for your time and your expertiseon this subject. Absolutely anytime. Thank
you. Have a safe and healthyholiday weekend. Please join me again next
(10:26):
week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio
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