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By Stephen Beech
TikTok teen skin-care routines put girls as young as seven at risk of lifelong skin allergies, warns new research.
The first study to examine the potential risks and benefits of teen skin-care routines posted on social media found that when teens on TikTok say “Get ready with me,” it can be more harmful than they might realize.
The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, showed that girls aged seven to 18 are using an average of six different products on their faces, with some using more than a dozen.
The products tend to be marketed heavily to younger consumers and carry a “high risk” of skin irritation and allergy, according to the American study.
Each teen’s daily skin-care regimen costs an average of $168, which the research team estimates typically lasts a month, depending on the size of the products.
But some cost more than $500, according to the findings.
As the summer nears, the researchers pointed out that only one in four daytime skin care regimens (26%) included sunscreen, possibly the most important skin care product for any age range, but particularly for kids.
The top-viewed videos contained an average of 11 “potentially irritating” active ingredients, which the researchers say puts the content creators at risk of developing skin irritation, sun sensitivity and a skin allergy known as allergic contact dermatitis.
Solen Feyissa
Previous evidence has shown that developing such an allergy can limit the types of soaps, shampoos and cosmetics users can apply for the rest of their lives.
Study corresponding author Dr. Molly Hales, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, said: “That high risk of irritation came from both using multiple active ingredients at the same time, such as hydroxy acids, as well as applying the same active ingredient unknowingly over and over again when that active ingredient was found in three, four, five different products.”
One video included in the study showed the content creator applying 10 products on her face in just six minutes.
Study senior author Dr. Tara Lagu, also of Feinberg School of Medicine, said: “As she’s applying the products, she begins to express discomfort and burning, and in the final few minutes, she develops a visible skin reaction.
“We saw that there was preferential, encoded racial language in some cases that really emphasized lighter, brighter skin.
“I think there also were real associations between use of these regimens and consumerism.”
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For the study, Dr. Hales and another researcher each created a new TikTok account, reporting themselves to be 13 years old.
The “For You” tab was used to view relevant content until 100 unique videos were compiled.
They collected demographics of content creators, number and types of products used and total cost of regimens and then created a list of products used and their active and inactive ingredients.
The research team concluded that the videos offer “little to no benefit” for the youngsters they’re targeting.
Dr. Hales said given how the algorithms work, it’s nearly impossible for parents or pediatricians to track exactly what children or adolescents are viewing.
She added, “It’s problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin.
“We’re setting a very high standard for these girls.
“The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society, but the ideal of ‘health’ is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness.
“The insidious thing about ‘skin care’ is that it claims to be about health.”
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