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Shay Mitchell’s new kid-specific skincare has received major backlash online (Picture: Shay Mitchell/Metro) ‘Wrong on so many levels… I’ll be unfollowing now’. ‘This is incredibly dark. How disappointing.’ ‘Leave our kids alone.’ These are just a few of the comments underneath Shay Mitchell’s recent Instagram post, announcing the launch of her new skincare line Rini, made specifically for kids. ‘This has been three years in the making,’ Shay shared with her 35 million followers. ‘Inspired by my girls, their curiosity, and all the little moments that made me realise how early it starts. From birthday parties and face paint to wanting to do ‘what mommy does’ with her face masks… it was only a matter of time.’ While the actor and business owner swears Rini isn’t about ‘beauty’ but rather about ‘self-care,’ it’s safe to say that the announcement was not received well. More and more we’re seeing children encouraged to layer on skincare and slide their way into the beauty space – from Gen Alpha creators on TikTok sharing their favourite products to big cosmetics brands hiring teenagers to be their makeup ambassadors. So, with this in mind, Metro spoke with parents, dermatologists, and psychologists to try and understand exactly why this launch has upset so many people. Is it truly toxic, or just a reflection of the reality we now live in? Shay credits her young children for inspiring the brand (Picture: Shay Mitchell) Is skincare bad for kids, scientifically speaking? Let’s start with the science of it all. Messy discussions aside, should young children be using skincare of any kind? ‘From a dermatological perspective, the concern is less about the marketing itself and more about what is actually in these products and how they are used,’ dermatologist Dr. Anna Andrienko told Metro. ‘Children and pre-teens have very different skin physiology compared to adults. Their skin barrier is thinner and more sensitive, which means it can be easily disrupted by active ingredients like acids, retinoids or even essential oils that are common in adult skincare.’ Dr Anna pointed to the fact that if young children start using products designed for adults too early, it can sometimes lead to ‘dependency on unnecessary routines’ instead of learning the basics of how to protect healthy skin. In that respect, a product designed for kids might be the lesser of two evils. Currently, the only Rini products being promoted are the brand’s hydrogel masks – hypoallergenic Vitamin E sheets masks that have been ‘consciously crafted in Korea.’ Currently the only products available are the sheet masks (Picture: Shay Mitchell) The South Korean skincare market has been dominating the beauty space over the past few years. In America in particular, K-culture has become inextricably tied to the teenage experience. Data reveals that K‑beauty sales in the US have surged 53% year‑on‑year, with Gen Alpha and Gen Z at the forefront of this push. Shay, who partnered with friend and entrepreneur Esther Song to develop the Rini products, told Elle: ‘My introduction to Korean beauty was through sheet masks and face masks, that’s what Korea is most known for on a global scale, but also that’s just an important prep before anything else. And that’s really important—taking care of your skin first, so masks felt like the right product to launch with.’ Given all that, Dr Anna notes that it is important to remember that ‘not every product marketed toward young girls is automatically harmful.’ ‘Simple, fragrance-free cleansers and moisturisers can be perfectly fine if they are dermatologically tested and designed for sensitive skin. What’s important is education and guidance,’ she explained. It’s a hamster wheel of over-consumption Still, parents are concerned. Sarah Loyd, a British mum of two tween girls, would rather her kids not worry about skincare or beauty products whatsoever – but knows that’s an impossible feat. ‘My girls are beginning to be obsessed with makeup and skincare. It’s a hard one to avoid as all girls around them are in to it – even with no access to social media,’ she told Metro. Comment nowWould you let your kids use skincare?Comment Now A PR consultant day-to-day, Sarah explained that she tries to navigate different brands by using an app that tracks which products are good for the skin – which, as it turns out, leaves her with few options. ‘If there where tween products available that where safe and not super pricey it might help to minimise the amount of damage these girls are doing to their skin,’ she noted. In Sarah’s view, the problem is less about the product itself and more about the constant consumption, ‘we get them hooked young and forever they will follow. It’s the biggest marketing ploy in the world and we all fall for it.’ https://www.instagram.com/p/DQsDKBxklvU/?utm_source=ig_embed ‘They go from playing dress up to taking it very seriously in the tween years and that’s down to peers, outside influences and celebrities. And of course big marketing who want to flog their products,’ the mum of two explained. Others online were less on the fence with their responses. TV presenter and mother, Angela Scanlon, commented to say: ‘This feels beyond grim.’ Sarah Adams, known online as Mom Uncharted, added: ‘I struggle to find the right words to articulate how disappointing and dystopian this is.’ Dr Alison McClymont, a clinical psychologist, said her biggest concern about the launch of Rini is the way in which Shay is effectively trying to monetise a young child’s natural curiosity in makeup. Young children are being exposed to all kinds of aesthetics online (Picture: Shay Mitchell) ‘This is not a comparison to play makeup – that is creative expression,’ she told Metro. ‘The primary motive of a sheet mask is to address skin concerns, which children do not have. ‘If people want to compare it to ‘dressing up as mummy,’ that’s also not accurate as that is a free activity – parents don’t need to spend eight dollars a mask on that. There is nothing wrong with a child’s imaginative play… But this is not that.’ Kids and teenagers taking an interest in skincare and beauty is unavoidable in this day and age. A recent survey from Girl Talk, a British magazine aimed at girls aged seven to 12, found that 26% of their readers below the age of eight use skincare. That figure then jumps to 74% when you get to 11-year-olds. Parents have a right to be upset by this launch, but you could argue that being a mum herself (and having spent a lot of time coping with Hollywood’s horrific beauty standards) Shay might be just the right person to step into this market. Was her vision badly communicated? Yes. Is Rini an inherently toxic concept? I don’t think so.
