How Young Is Too Young For Anti-Ageing Skincare?

Anti-ageing treatments have found a new audience - and some of them haven't even hit puberty.

- Balvinder Sandhu

In the United States, there have been reports of a “tween takeover” at Sephora, with young girls swarming the stores for products from brands like Drunk Elephant, Sol de Janeiro, Glow Recipe and Summer Fridays. Search Tiktok, and you’ll find videos of the brand’s employees, fellow shoppers and commentators talking about this craze.

It’s no surprise when you consider the ubiquity of young celebrities and social media influencers promoting age-reversing products and “tweakments” (non-surgical cosmetic treatments). Last year, 14-year-old American Carson Bradley received attention for posting her involved skincare routine on Tiktok, which included applying retinol, taking apple cider vinegar pills, and putting on a face mask for 10 minutes daily.

“Here are some things I do to slow down the ageing process,” she narrates in her video, also revealing that she started this skincare routine at the age of 12.

Carson is among the growing number of “baby beauty influencers” that are taking to the Internet to update their legions of followers about their makeup and skincare routines, with celebrity children such as North West and Penelope Disick (both offspring of the Kardashian clan) aged 10 and 11, respectively, paving the way.

With the oldest among the Gen Z population hitting 27 this year, this cohort is already thinking about ways to avoid fine lines and wrinkles. According to statistics from consumer Intelligence Company NielsenIQ, 61 percent of Gen Zs shop luxury beauty, higher than Gen X and boomers. This population is also spending more than their millennial counterparts in terms of skincare and haircare.