In a survey by Sweden’s SVT, some beauty salons report that already 20–40 percent of customers are under 13 years old.
In Sweden, health problems caused by children’s use of skin care products too early have been noticed, says the public broadcasting company SVT.
SVT conducted a survey of nine stores of the Lyko beauty care chain. Some of them report that 20–40 percent of customers are under 13 years old.
– If something is trending on Tiktok, it shows up as demand in stores, says Lyko’s business director Erica Wredberg for SVT.
According to Wredberg, children are interested in facial sprays, serums and snail slime products.
SVT’s children’s news Lilla Aktuellt asked 10-12 year olds about the use of skin care products and got 300 answers. Why they use skin care products, the children answered, among other things, like this:
– To get better skin, because it’s trendy and nice.
– It is nice. I see what many people are doing on Tiktok and Instagram and I get curious.
“Parents’ responsibility”
Trendy skin care can lead to allergies, rashes and infections, experts warn.
– The child’s skin is thin and not fully developed. That’s why they shouldn’t use anti-age products intended for exfoliation or aging skin, says the skin therapist Helena Lindén.
For example, the skin care clinic in Gävle treats children up to 10 years old who already follow a seven-step skin care routine, i.e. they use seven skin care products in the morning and at night according to their parents’ example.
– We will see that chronic skin diseases among young people will increase, says the dermatologist Anita Eshragi.
Stores cannot bear responsibility for which products children should avoid, says Lykon Wredberg.
– Parents are responsible for children’s purchases. After that, we can help and support you. We follow existing rules and restrictions, but we cannot prevent purchases, says Wredberg.