Too much, too young? Pre-teen skincare

With the rise in children using adult skincare routines well-publicised lately, child-friendly skincare remains a hot, somewhat controversial, topic.

After all, how you treat your skin when you are young is perfectly capable of coming back to bite you on the behind a little later in life. As Lush Co-Founder and Product Inventor Helen Ambrosen says, “Let’s teach our children the idea of good skin and encourage them to use gentle products to give the best effects that will last for a lifetime.”

Psst! The products recommended in this article are proven non-irritating during use and have been assessed by our in-house toxicologist as safe for young skin.

Gently does it

Children’s skin is delicate and, let’s be honest, often lovely. It’s not being mucked around by hormones or showing the effects of late nights, city pollution or too much time spent in the sun. Many children can breeze through childhood without worrying about how their complexion looks and feels – and how nice is that?

That being said, many young people are invested in looking after their skin. They might be interested in a routine they see older family members using, or what their peers are experimenting with. Thanks to social media, they are also able to see marketing content selling adult products more easily than ever before. Unfortunately, the cosmetics industry today is filled with strong actives and acids that were once only available from a professional. It is worrying that these products are now widely available for adults, let alone for children – but that’s another issue. Children have a less mature skin barrier than adults and a lower body mass, which makes them more susceptible to irritation and allergy if they use strong products being marketed to adults. This could have a lasting impact on their complexion (and even their lifestyle if they develop an allergy).

So, do children need to use skincare products at all? If your skin (or your child’s) is functioning perfectly well as it is without difficulties, then no, you probably don’t need a skincare routine. Young people experiencing difficulties with their skin are best off seeing a dermatologist who can find age-appropriate products for them.  

Minimal routine, maximum benefits

Having said that, some skincare good practice is recommended. Gently cleaning your skin to remove sunscreen and any dirt or skin squames is also a good idea. Safe, gentle oils like almond and coconut are often up to this task so you don’t need to splurge on a cleanser aimed at adults. Helen advises, “Put a few drops onto a flannel and dip in warm water and pat on to the skin gently to cleanse and relax the face or body. Or just plain water – that can be enough!”

Should more be required, we would suggest starting with our Ultrabland facial cleanser: a deeply cleansing but very gentle blend of almond oil, rose water, honey and beeswax. A little goes a long way with this one! Warm a dab between clean hands and apply with gentle upward actions to the face. Remove with warm water and cotton wool (or a clean flannel for a little exfoliation) to melt away dirt and leave your skin feeling fresh and soft.

With a growing number of pre-teens wearing makeup, this should be removed thoroughly but carefully to cleanse the skin without irritation. It will come as no surprise that we recommend Ultrabland for this task! Makeup products and tools can also be impressive reservoirs of skin-upsetting bacteria if not cleaned frequently. So, handling products with clean hands, washing make-up tools with soap and water, and not sharing products with your friends (however tempting) sets up healthy habits for life.

If the skin needs a little hydration, try Self-Preserving Skin Drink facial moisturiser, a nourishing blend of sesame and organic cold-pressed evening primrose oil; or Self-Preserving Celestial, our gentlest moisturiser, made with vanilla water and almond oil. These benign moisturisers will introduce a little moisture into pre-teen skin without overwhelming it.

So, there’s no need to splurge on a 10-step routine for pre-teen skin. A simple repertoire of proven non-irritating products such as these will gently care for the skin and help to establish good skincare habits. It’ll also save you pocket money.

Pre-teen recommendations (ages 9-12)

Young skin usually needs very little: water to cleanse with a few drops of almond or coconut oil to hydrate. Should your skin be starting to need a little extra we recommend the following:

To cleanse:

Ultrabland facial cleanser: A delicate oil-based cleanser for keeping the skin lovely for life. Thoroughly effective but incredibly gentle, it’s the ideal cleanser for sensitive skin.

To moisturise:

Self-preserving Skin Drink: Sesame, avocado and almond oils meet organic cocoa butter to help stem the loss of water and nutrients from the skin leaving your complexion feeling soft.

OR

Self-preserving Celestial facial moisturisers: A simple, soothing blend of almond oil, vanilla water and almond milk carefully shields delicate skin from all that life (and you) throw at it.