Decoding #SkinTok: Help Your Tween Avoid The Hype

It’s after school, and your 12-year-old is watching a video of an influencer performing their 10-step skincare routine. The video features products you never even knew existed, bronzing drops, peptide treatments, pore-perfecting serums and more.

Welcome to #SkinTok, a social media community about the latest skincare trends. This side of TikTok has not only sparked the interest of young women, but its popularity has also made its way into the schoolyard. Now, tween girls are turning to the app for skincare advice, viral routines, and product recommendations.

You may think to yourself: it’s just skincare, what’s the harm? Well, if your tween heads straight to the skincare aisle in Sephora, you may want to take a closer look at the products they’re interested in and the “skinfluencers” they’re following online.

Since beauty trends are constantly changing, it can be hard to keep up with the latest products. This article will break down what you need to know about #SkinTok so you can help your tween develop healthy skincare habits and find a simple routine that’s right for them.

What is #SkinTok and why are tweens drawn to it?

#SkinTok is more than just a few videos posted online about skincare. It’s a whole TikTok community focused on trends and product recommendations. Most videos feature creators describing their routines, showing their favourite products or giving their audiences tips to improve their skin.

Once your kiddo clicks “like” or simply just watches a video until the end, the algorithm is more likely to push out similar content, which means they’ve officially entered #SkinTok.

Even if your tween isn’t on social media, they may be hearing about skincare trends at school or with their friends. Matthew Johnson, the director of education at MediaSmarts, says the interactive and imitative element of these skincare videos is what makes them appealing to young tweens.

“There's also a lot of evidence that the videos give young girls things to talk about with one another,” says Johnson. “But when we look specifically at TikTok as well, there's also the appeal that these are very easy videos to make…And so there's also the element that the girls and young women watching them can see themselves making the same kind of video.”

Popular #SkinTok trends and ingredients tweens are seeing

Vitamin C, retinol, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, the list goes on. Believe it or not, these skincare ingredients may sound familiar to your tween, especially if they’re not on #SkinTok. Here are some popular social media skincare trends that your kid may be curious about or have even tried themselves.

Multi-step routines

If you’re scrolling on #SkinTok, it’s not uncommon to find an influencer with a 10-step skincare routine. This may include cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, oils, overnight masks, and more.

“There's a lot of pressure from both a marketing perspective, pressure from either Instagram or TikTok or social media, as well as peers,” says Dermatelier on Avenue dermatologist, Dr. Kelsey A. Orrell. “Just because something works for one person or someone on Instagram doesn't mean that it's definitely going to work for that specific teen or tween,” she explains.

Active ingredients

One of the most popular trends in the online skincare community is using active ingredients to target common skin concerns. These can include retinoids for anti-aging, vitamin C for brightening, alpha-hydroxy acids for exfoliating, and beta-hydroxy acids for improving skin texture.

Although every kid loves a good science experiment, when it comes to skincare, mixing or using multiple active ingredients can potentially cause more harm than good. “In terms of tween skin, it's not as mature and as robust as more adolescent skin or even adult skin, so it is more sensitive,” says Dr. Orrell. “And using topicals like a retinoid in someone that doesn't need it can cause breakdown of the skin barrier, causing rashes and irritation, among other problems.”

"Glass Skin"

Everyone wants glowy skin, but this K-beauty trend takes it to another level. Originating in South Korea, “glass skin” is all about achieving a smooth complexion and a poreless appearance.

Dr. Orrell says the messaging of this trend can be misleading, especially for tweens. “Real skin has texture. Real skin has pores. No one has perfect, airbrushed-looking skin, and it's not kind of attainable,” she explains.

Why #SkinTok isn't always tween-friendly

Whether you’re looking to reduce your pores or treat your hyperpigmentation, chances are you can find a skincare hack for it on TikTok. However, a lot of these skincare treatments are intended for adult skin, which is why many of the #SkinTok trends aren't recommended for tweens.

“Having multiple steps in your skincare regimen likely means you're using multiple active ingredients. These can include alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs), retinols and other ingredients,” explains Dr. Orrell. “And using these all at once can cause irritant dermatitis, so kind of the breakdown of our skin barrier and allergic contact dermatitis.”

Along with the physical risks of these skincare trends, Dr. Shimi Kang, a psychiatrist at Future Ready Minds, says there are also psychological impacts. “[With] social media trends, especially with young girls, there are links to anxiety, depression, poor body image and lower confidence,” she explains.

Fun products that are safe for tween skin

Skincare can be simple and still be fun. Part of the appeal of #SkinTok is likely the same reason little kids want to play with their parents' makeup. It's aspirational and makes them feel grown up.

So while a three-step routine of sensible products might be best for your tween, they may still be jonesing for something more exciting. A clear lip gloss, gentle toner or un-medicated star-shaped pimple patches might just do the trick.

As with all skincare products, discontinue use if any of these irritate your child's skin.

Avatara Juicy Water Mellow lip jelly; Bubble Bounce Back toner; Starface pimple patches

How to talk to your tween about skincare and social media

If your tween is coming to you and asking to buy all of these skincare products, Dr. Orrell says this can be a great opportunity to have a conversation about what is actually healthy for their skin.

Johnson adds that it’s normal for your tween to be interested in this type of skincare and beauty routine content, especially as they become curious about entering the adult world. Before saying “no” to skincare completely, try to validate their feelings, understand where they’re coming from, and then introduce your concerns.

Ask them questions to start the conversation:

• Have you heard about #SkinTok on social media or with your friends?
• What makes you interested in skincare?
• How does doing your skincare routine make you feel?

Johnson also suggests parents think about the messages they are portraying to their tweens about their own body image. “It's really important, particularly for mothers of girls and young women, to make sure that you're sending good messages around your relationship to your own body and, in this case, your own skin,” he says. “Conversations between girls and their mothers have the biggest impact on body image and self-perception.”

Navigating the hype: Helping tweens critically evaluate #SkinTok content

Along with teaching your tween to have a healthy skincare routine, it's also a good idea to encourage them to be critical of the videos they are watching online. Here are some ways you can help your tween decode #SkinTok and other beauty videos on social media.

Recognizing influencers as advertising

Johnson suggests talking to your kids about some of the tricks influencers use to promote products in their content. For example, when an influencer starts a video a few seconds early or shows behind-the-scenes content, Johnson says this can make them seem more open and credible.

“Now it's not enough for kids to know that [influencers] may be being paid. That by itself, doesn't necessarily make influencers any less persuasive,” he says. “But helping them, for instance, to recognize that being paid may affect the honesty, the credibility of their recommendations, can be effective.”

Educating about misinformation

Encourage your tweens to be skeptical of content they see online, especially when it comes to influencers. “If that influencer is another young person or celebrity, [your tween will] have a really, even harder time with removing themselves from those feeds and that topic, because the teenage brain is driven to want to connect with peers,” explains Dr. Kang.

She suggests asking your tween open-ended questions to gauge their understanding and then providing appropriate information on the different topics that they might be viewing. “In that list would be things like misinformation, false advertising, AI-generated imagery [and] the impact on anxiety, body image, and depression.”

Understanding that social media doesn't reflect reality

Help your tween understand that what they see on social media is carefully selected and curated. Johnson says it’s also important to reinforce the message that everyone they see online is going through similar struggles.

“Again, it's not enough for kids to know that this content may be filtered or photoshopped or curated,” explains Johnson. “They also have to know that everyone else is going through the same struggle to present themselves in an ideal way that they are.”

When to consult a dermatologist

Dr. Orrell says having a conversation about what a healthy skincare routine looks like is a good starting point for parents. “There should be conversations going around discussing skin health and the importance of using something like a gentle cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen daily,” she explains.

If your tween has specific skincare concerns, Dr. Orrell suggests they visit a dermatologist or paediatrician “anytime they have an issue that's not going away and they're bothered by it.”

Some signs can include:

• Persistent acne
• Dry skin and irritation
• Eczema or rashes

The bottom line

The next time your tween asks to buy skincare, or you notice them watching a #SkinTok video online, see it as an opportunity to talk to them about healthy skincare habits.  “Different kids are going to see different ads or feeds on Instagram or TikTok or whatever it might be, and really understanding why they're trying to achieve that, and not being scared to kind of ask the advice of a dermatologist or ask for that referral is important,” says Dr. Orrell.

“It’s again, a great opportunity to discuss healthy skincare routines, which is [all about] simplicity and making sure you wear that sunscreen daily.”

Experts

• Dr. Kelsey A. Orrell is a board-certified dermatologist at Dermatelier on Avenue.
• Matthew Johnson is the Director of Education at MediaSmarts, Canada's leading non-profit center for digital media literacy.
• Dr. Shimi Kang is a psychiatrist at Future Ready Minds and author of The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids Growing Up in a Digital World.