Adult Skincare Products are Not Safe for Kids. Here’s Why.

Is it ok for kids, preteens and teens to use adult skincare products?

No. It’s not safe for kids to use adult skincare products. But thanks to TikTok “skinfluencer” trends everywhere (#schoolgrwm, for one), kids are getting the wrong messages about what it means to keep skin healthy. Many preteens and children as young as 6 years old (!) have been using skincare products with strong, active ingredients.

The office of the Attorney General in Connecticut is urging parents to exercise caution, and even sent a letter to a major beauty retailer regarding their promotion and marketing of products to kids. Connecticut Children's Physician-in-Chief, Juan C. Salazar, MD, MPH, FAAP, stands in solidarity with this level of advocacy for children and offers 4 major considerations for parents when it comes to skincare safety.

1. The use of adult skincare products is a critical public health issue affecting children.

This practice of kids having an elaborate skincare routine is not only unnecessary, but potentially harmful. Many of these routines call for products designed only for adult skin, such as anti-aging creams and other serums with potent ingredients.

>Related: Attorney General Tong Cautions Parents Regarding Anti-Aging Skincare Products Marketed to Kids on Social Media

2. Children’s skin is much more sensitive than adult skin.

This is a known fact that many are alarmingly choosing to ignore. Using adult skincare products can harm the young population and cause:

Irritation
Redness
Breakouts
Other longer-term damage, especially disruption of the natural skin barrier as children mature

3. A skincare routine is ok, but keep it simple.

This skinfluencer trend highlights the importance of what growing kids’ skin needs—and what it doesn’t need. For curious preteens, pediatric healthcare professionals recommend:

A gentle cleanser
Daily sunscreen to protect skin
A lightweight, oil-free moisturizer

If acne is at play, certain products can be helpful, but it’s crucial to ask your child’s doctor what is safe, and what isn’t. There’s a lot on the market—and it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to try it all.

4. Which skincare products should children stay away from?

Products with retinol, high-strength AHAs, other acids and “active ingredients” are not meant for young, developing skin.

Parents, it’s time to put the parental controls on skincare just as you would for any gaming or social media platform. By working together with your child, you can help prevent unnecessary harm and ensure that they grow up with the healthiest skin possible.

Juan C. Salazar, MD, MPH, FAAP

Juan Carlos Salazar, MD, MPH, is Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at Connecticut Children’s.

In addition to serving in these roles, Dr. Salazar has led the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at Connecticut Children’s and has been nationally and internationally recognized for both his outstanding clinical care and his innovative research work. Dr. Salazar has received several National Institutes of Health grants to study the human innate immune response to Borrelia burgdorferi and Treponema pallidum, the causative agents of Lyme disease and syphilis respectively. He is currently funded by the NIH to develop a first of its kind syphilis vaccine. The NIH funded U-19 project includes investigators in China, Malawi, Colombia and the US. Most recently his team received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to study the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and the multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19. He has published over 100 peer reviewed articles and book chapters and has served in multiple scientific review panels at the NIH.

Dr. Salazar also directs the Pediatric and Youth HIV program at the Medical Center. His team has promoted and facilitated regional STD and HIV-prevention programs for at-risk high school youth. Dr. Salazar is the current recipient of Ryan White Care Act federal funding to coordinate and provide statewide HIV treatment and prevention services for women, infants, children and youth. He has conducted several NIH and pharmaceutical industry sponsored pediatric and adolescent HIV clinical trials and long-term follow-up studies.

He received his medical degree from the Universidad Javeriana, in Bogota, Colombia, and his MPH from the University of Minnesota. He completed a residency in Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut Health Center, where he also served as chief resident, and a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Adult Skincare Products are Not Safe for Kids. Here’s Why.

Is it ok for kids, preteens and teens to use adult skincare products?

Want more articles like this from pediatric experts you trust?

1. The use of adult skincare products is a critical public health issue affecting children.

2. Children’s skin is much more sensitive than adult skin.

3. A skincare routine is ok, but keep it simple.

4. Which skincare products should children stay away from?

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