Most young girls and teens want to look and feel beautiful. With thousands of in-depth tutorials online, attaining beauty seems to be as simple as getting the right products. However, kids who watch skincare and makeup videos online, known as “Sephora Kids,” are now wanting to spend exorbitant amounts of their parents’ money on these promises of ‘beauty.’ They’re ransacking the popular makeup and skincare aisles, trying to get trending, expensive items. But are these products really helping our skin and creating ‘beauty?’
Is Expensive Really Better?
When trying new skincare, I received a set of Meaningful Beauty products, which have retinol and anti-aging ingredients for older skin. Considering the ingredients, I thought this might help with the oil production on my face. However, I didn’t do my research on the ingredients, trusting a well-liked and expensive product. Even after incorporating the Crème de Sérum into my skincare routine, the issues I experienced worsened. My normally dry skin became unmanageably dry and flaky, and the natural protective oils on my face began to rapidly deplete.
Low and behold, the serum was made of up 50+ ingredients, many of which were not good for my skin type.
Brands such as Fenty Beauty, Drunk Elephant, Glow Recipe and Dior are marketed to kids to supposedly fix their facial insecurities in brightly colored, sample-sized products. Ironically, many of these products may not make your skin healthier and may contain ingredients not suitable for kids or even young adults. The good news is that cheap stuff may be better for your face and for your wallet.
Dermatologist Franklyn-Miller’s advice to avoid adverse reactions to skincare products is to create a practice of “skinmalism,” essentially the minimal use of products with minimal ingredients. Skinmalism can have a profoundly positive effect on your skin, and it can also save your wallet.
Many students at Edmond North raved about affordable products with simpler ingredients such as CeraVe products and support the practice of a minimal skincare routine.
Edmond North Senior Rasheeda recommends that young adults should “stick to drugstores, and products without actives. From any brand, stick with basic cleansers, and moisturizes. With regard to makeup, I’d recommend blush, eyeshadow and mascara. All are great and can be found for fair prices at stores like Target. Brands like e.l.f. and ColourPop are also great options.”
Senior Ethan further approves, “The only product that would be fine to use regularly would be moisturizing lotion.”
The products above are far more likely to give you the results you seek when following a routine of skinmalism. Besides- a bottle of Dior Lip Oil costs more than the Burts Bees Lip Shimmer, CeraVe Sunscreen, and La Roche-Posay Cleanser all together!
JUST SAY NO
According to a journal published by Nature.com, “The skin serves as a barrier to prevent the invasion of pathogens. In circumstances where the barrier is broken, skin disease can result.” Dr. Franklyn-Miller indicates that young skin contains a sensitive microbiome that can be easily disturbed by these products. In simpler terms—using these products can affect the production of protective bacteria on your face, causing underdeveloped, oily skin to turn aged and parched.
Edmond North Junior Andrea reflects, “The St. Ives Apricot Cleanser made my acne harsh, itchy, dry and red.” She experienced poor results from not using the right products for her skin type. “It broke me out more, but I was so young and didn’t know what the right products were for me yet.” She saw the cleanser online and began using it, expecting great results and never expecting her acne to get worse. Now, after researching the right products for her, she’s glowing brighter than ever!
Once you incorporate skinmalism into your routine, you can cut out many ingredients that may not be right for your face. Plus, if you’re using less products, your wallet will be better off too. Overall, the practice of skinmalism may be the key to the issue of ‘Sephora Kids.’
