There’s this phenomenon of 10 year olds going into these big beauty retailers, like Sephora and Mecca, and buying really expensive (but gorgeous) and quite active skincare. And as a founder of a skincare company myself, I feel like I need to talk about it. 

I’m not going to slag them off because I know that if I was 10 years old and I had access to social media I would 359% be doing the same thing. I would do whatever my favourite influencer or celebrity told me to do. I wanted to be more grown up than I was at that age. So nothing about this is a surprise to me. 

But what I do want to touch on, is how important it is, if you have a teen or tween in your world, to help them actually get it right. We have an opportunity here to encourage this idea of looking after your skin. Not because it’s trendy. Not because the bottles are cute. But because it can create self-confidence and build really strong skincare habits that they’ll take with them for decades and decades. (It’s never too young to start good skin habits. And that can be as simple as SPF.) 

Teens and tweens now have access to so much information. But there’s so much confusion because of that. Simplicity is critical, otherwise they’ll get overwhelmed, or use things that are completely unnecessary and quite harmful for their skin. 

Retinoids, acids, expensive peptides…save them in your back pocket for later. Tweens and teens don’t need them! At 10, 11, 12, you’re not treating anything. They don’t have pigmentation. They don’t have fine lines. They have beautiful young skin. All you need to do is ensure they are keeping it hydrated and protected from the sun. 

It shouldn’t sting, or feel bitey, or make their skin angry and inflamed. 

It should feel nurturing, and nice, and make their skin feel calm. 

With that in mind! Here are two helpful Go-To routines I baked earlier (which you can shop in full, right here):

Tween

8-12 years old

Pre-pubescent skin 

Cleanse: Our super hydrating, cute smelling, soothing and calming gel cleanse, Juicy Gel. 

Nourish: If they’ve been out in the elements, or just want a bit more hydration, try Face Hero. 

Protect: Finish with SPF - we make one (Nifty Fifty) - but you can bring your own.*

*It doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be an SPF. 

Extras! If you want to flesh out their routine so they feel a touch more glamorous, you could add a lip balm and a sheet mask (all that’s going to do is hydrate).

Teen 

12-14 years old

(Generally) hormonal, acnegenic, shiny skin 

Cleanse: Opt for something clearing, like Properly Clean, with its salicylic acid. 

Treat: Clarifying Exfoliator is a really great, gentle product to balance the skin and reduce breakouts.* 

Nourish: Look for light, mattifying creams like Very Lightweight Moisturiser that sit nicely on the skin. 

Mask: The Removalist’s calming clay formula, used 1-2 nights a week, is going to draw out impurities. 

Protect: SPF, everyday. It becomes even more important when you start introducing acids (BHAs). 

*Fine for twice a day use, but this very much depends on their skin sensitivity. So please start slow. 

If you have someone this young in your life, and you want to help them be a part of this world and encourage and enthuse it without burning several layers of their skin off. We got you.