The skincare brands you are categorically not allowed to buy your teens/pre-teens this Christmas
And what you can do and buy instead
I published a version this post about 18 months ago, but this is revised and updated1 for 2025 as this insanity continues.
Things have changed a lot since a teenager’s biggest decision was whether they were Team White Musk or Team Dewberry at the Body Shop2. There’s an increasing trend for younger and younger teens/children wanting to jump on the skincare bandwagon.
It’s all driven by social media nonsense and chances are you have someone in your family who’s clamouring for some mysterious lotion in a bottle.
First things first
Do not give in to their demands
If your children are mithering3 you for expensive products, just say no4.
You are not doing them any favours by conceding.
If you start them using multi-ingredient concentrated products as teenagers (or younger), you’re more likely to harm their skin barriers and put them on the route to a lifetime of skin sensitivity than anything else.
Also, establishing an expensive skincare habit in childhood is a fucking stupid idea. You’re either going to be subsidising this in perpetuity, or they’re going to be struggling financially to continue using these products once they’ve flown the coop.
Drawing a boundary now is the kindest thing you can do for them.
What are they really looking for here?
The vast majority of the time, your child is asking you for something that they’ve seen someone unqualified in skincare promoting on TikTok. A depressing amount of the time, they want it so that they can make a video showing themselves using it, to perpetuate the cycle of pointless consumerism5.
I did a Marketing Bollocks checklist towards the end of this post.
If your kid can’t answer every single one of these questions compellingly and knowledgably, do not buy this product for them.
I’m aware that it‘s very easy for me, as Random Lady On The Internet, to tell you how to parent your kids. But it’s in everyone’s interests that you nip this nonsense in the bud.
If you absolutely must go down the route of buying them skincare that they don’t need:
Check it’s not a risk of being harmful to their young skin (pointers below)
At a minimum, make your child pay for half of the cost of it and be clear that you will never, ever pay for a refill. See how enthusiastic they are when they’re shouldering the cost.
Dermatologist
If your child has eczema/dermatitis/acne/rosacea/any other visible and recurring skin condition and is asking you to start spending £££ on skincare to treat these, take them to a dermatologist first.
NHS waiting lists are terrifying right now, but paying to go private will still be cheaper in the long run than committing to £200 worth of products that may not work and will need replacing every 3 months6
No idea how to find a derm? Start here.
Do not purchase actives for under 18s unless a dermatologist has prescribed/recommended.
Do, though, take your child’s skin conditions seriously. These can be incredibly traumatising and some can cause scarring that may take many years of expensive treatments to remedy in the future if not handled effectively and sensitively when they develop.
Your dermatologist is still better qualified to help you and your child(ren) through this than a 15 year-old skinfluencer7 on TikTok.
Other things that are more effective than spending money on skincare for teenagers
If your child doesn’t have an underlying skin condition, but wants to be let loose in the aisles of Sephora, all of these things are promote their skin health better than expensive, complex products:
Being aware of their skin type, rather than buying whatever The Herd is buying
Establishing a simple, regular routine (more below)
Applying SPF
Not smoking/vaping
Not drinking more than 6 units of alcohol a week
If you have children that are demanding expensive anti-ageing skincare, let them know that if they’re smoking8/vaping/drinking/eating a load of crap, they need to stop doing those things before you’ll fund9 those skincare purchases.
(To manage your expectations: they’re highly unlikely to actually stop.)
Routine
The best skincare routine is the simplest one10:
Morning:
ONLY IF NEEDED: Wash face with a gentle cleanser - keep an eye on this and monitor for any rashes/breakouts/sensitivity, many people do not need to wash their faces in the mornings and can skip straight to
SPF - the most important thing if they genuinely want to prevent the visible signs of skin ageing
It may be tempting to give them a moisturiser with SPF, but they may not need a separate moisturiser and it’s better to give them a product whose primary function is SPF with moisturising properties rather than a moisturiser with SPF added.
Night:
Wash face with a gentle cleanser - this is most important at night; their skin to get clogged if their SPF hasn’t been washed off properly
If they’re wearing make-up, double cleansing with gentle products at night is probably a good idea.
Moisturise - check their moisturiser doesn’t contain an SPF (clogging, again).
Reminder to you and them that there are no guarantees and genes play a greater role in how/how visibly their skin will age than any product can or will
Last thing on routine
If they’re wearing make-up, do not get them into the habit of using makeup wipes to remove it, or micellar water as a stand-alone.
Make-up wipes are for when there is really no other option, basically in the absence of a sink. You wouldn’t let your kid ‘shower’ by dragging a baby wipe across their body on a daily basis. The same principle applies here. Make-up wipes are terrible for the environment, don't clean the face effectively and are not intended for daily use.
Micellar water is fine for removing superficial make-up, but not enough to remove SPF or most mascaras. It can be used for an initial pass, but then needs a foaming cleanser over it to remove residue11.
Sheet masks Babe, these are soooo 2010. There’s been a backlash against sheet masks since around 2019, both from an environmental and efficacy standpoint. I get that they’re ‘fun’, but they’re no good.
Brands that can satisfy their consumer urges without bankrupting you
Simple
This brand’s MO has always been to be cheap and unfussy. This is perfect for your teen.
Superdrug
Safe options are the Solait SPF and Vitamin E ranges.
Everything else risks being too concentrated or spendy for their requirements
Byoma
Their packaging is cute, the products are solid and the entire ethos of the brand is to respect the skin barrier. Yes!
La Roche Posay
It’s not a skincare post unless I wang on about LRP at some point.
Now, most of their stuff is too concentrated for average teen skin, or I’d struggle to justify the expense vs the cheaper options above, but this cleanser is gentle and the 400ml should last them most of the year, which makes it an insane bargain.
Their SPFs are also world beating.
Biore
As night follows day. It’s another LRP/Biore doubleheader.
For your teen, the UK formulation of The Greatest Non-Tinted Facial SPF Of All Time12 is more than fine.
Their gentle moisturiser is also fantastic for younger skin. The rest of their skincare is likely too concentrated.
Absolutely not (unless recommended to them by a derm)
Glycolic acid
Salicylic acid (aka BHA)
The Ordinary, Inkey
These brands contain actives in concentrations that aren’t meant for young skins
The ranges are often tricky for adults to navigate, I wouldn’t unleash your kids on them
Bubbles
This brand seems to have been created specifically to be marketed aggressively to kids
A majority of their facial products are too strong for teenage skins. Don’t take my word for it, their website used tell you the same thing, (evidence below)13
At first glance, it doesn’t look too expensive, but their packaging sizes are very small, so the price per ml is astronomical, in some cases
Drunk Elephant (where a lot of this began)
I specifically called them out as a brand that adults shouldn’t be wasting their money on last year, so definitely do not waste any cash buying this for kids
I feel the same about Glossier (I know, I know, they’ve made the brand super appealing to your kid. Blame them, not me.)
Sincerely Yours. Created by a 15 year-old influencer and her dad. Rather than lining their pockets, buy products from firms that have been established in skincare for decades. Mercifully currently only available in the US. Notable for its ‘affordability’ claims, because no product is over $30. How have we let this happen14?
Sol De Janeiro This stuff is criminally overpriced. The formulation and quality also took a dive after L’Occitane bought it in 2021. And you’re not buying a piece of Brazil here, this brand is US-founded and manufactured. Any Palmers product will give you the same/better results for about a fiver.
Anything from Lancome, Estee Lauder, Clinique, YSL, Chanel, Creme de la Mer, Augustinus Bader etc etc etc
The luxe skin brands are generally monstrously over-priced for adults who have more complex skin concerns. No way these should be in the bathroom cabinet of a teenager.
Teenagers don’t need eye cream. Adults probably don’t need eye cream15.
NB Be *careful* with Cetaphil and CeraVe unless derm recommended, they’re not an absolute no, but they can overwhelm younger skin, so check for redness or irritation if your child starts using.
Final reminder
I’m going to end as I began:
If you start children using multi-ingredient concentrated products as teenagers (or younger), you’re more likely to harm their skin barriers and put them on the route to a lifetime of skin sensitivity than anything else.
But I’m their cool aunt/uncle/godparent/ whatever who buys them treats
With love: if your sense of self depends on a 13-year-old’s validation, maybe rethink your life choices. And, to reiterate: many of these products risk being actively harmful to your young protégé.
But… I was organised and I’ve already bought it
Good thing shops have generous return policies at this time of year. Take it back. Spend the money on a dermatologist consultation instead, if relevant.
I know that I’m at risk of being Scrooge McDuck here, but it’s honestly not in your child’s best interests to get on this merry-go-round.
I spend a reasonable amount of time trying to persuade those of you with fully developed frontal lobes that you’re overpaying for skincare that you probably don’t even need. Please don’t encourage this form of consumerism in your kids. Buy them a manicure maybe. Just no gel polish.
Until the next time! x
A reformulation, if you will
#teamwhitemusk
I LOVE skincare, but flogging a £50 moisturiser to an 11 year old with perfect skin is some End Of Days shit
Maths
Not my word, don’t blame me
Weed counts
At most 50% of
This is also true for adults
There’s already a link to a post about double cleansing in this post, but here it is again
Probably
Link here UPDATE - these sneaky fucks have removed this question from their FAQs, but I screengrabbed it last year.
No, really, HOW?
I would never normally link to a skincare manufacturer as a source, but Paula is legendary and if a skincare manufacturer is telling you you may not need a product, you should probably listen.
This is such a great piece! My beautiful teen nieces buying into all of this trash.