Ayer, who has been practicing for nearly 20 years, says more children than ever are now using cosmetics. Her consultations vary massively, on one end of the spectrum she has parents asking her for the best skincare regime for their young child, to children as young as eight coming into her consultation room with severe reactions to the beauty products they’ve been using. She says parents are often horrified, but they can’t convince their child to stop using so many different products.
“It is quite terrifying,” Dr Ayer says, “This stuff is designed for the anti-ageing market. At best, they don’t need these products. At worst, they contain harmful ingredients that can damage delicate young skin.”
She says she’s seeing an increase in younger clients with acne and contact dermatitis – a type of eczema triggered by contact with a certain substance – due to the various ingredients in these skincare products being used by children.
Many of them contain active ingredients which can have a biological effect on skin cells, therefore changing how the skin functions. One of the most powerful is retinol, which works by speeding up skin cell turnover, which can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. In children, this process is already happening at a high rate, so retinol offers no real benefit and can overstimulate the skin.
This can lead to “retinol burn” where their protective skin barrier gets damaged. Children can end up with soreness, eczema‑like rashes or long‑term sensitivity.
There are many other ingredients in these products which can potentially harm young skin, Ayer warns, and that once a child develops a contact allergy, they may not be able to ever use a product containing that ingredient without a reaction.
She says dermatologists are also seeing an increase in young people with frontal fibrosing alopecia, where the front hairline starts to recede. She says there is a small but growing school of thought which suggests that this could be down to the surge we are seeing in the application of various face creams at such a young age.
The UK cosmetics industry says it recognises that advice and support is needed to make sure that young children are using age appropriate products. The Cosmetics Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA), which represents many skincare companies, has recently released a guide for parents after carrying out a survey where 40% of parents asked – nearly 1,000 – admitted to knowing less about skincare than their child.
Dr Emma Meredith, director-general of the CTPA, says it does not support young people using anti-ageing products or complex and unnecessary routines.
“Our aim is to ensure that products are used appropriately for each age range, helping young people understand how to develop healthy and age-appropriate skin hygiene habits and supporting parents in discussions with their children,” she says.
Ellie-May’s mum, Sophie, says she checks the ingredients in her daughter’s products. Some people have criticised her on social media for letting her daughter unbox creams that contain strong chemicals such as retinol, but, she says, she knows it’s harmful and she won’t “let it anywhere near” her daughter’s skin. She is also careful not to reveal details such as where her daughter goes to school or where they live, and keeps a close eye on replies that are sent to their accounts.