A new study warns that the viral ‘Get Ready With Me’ or ‘After School Skincare’ videos on TikTok are doing more harm than good, especially among young girls.
Researchers from Northwestern University have found that popular skincare routines promoted by young influencers on TikTok offer little to no benefit for the skin. They may, instead, increase the risk of skin irritation, contact allergies, and long-term damage.
In the first study of its kind, researchers created TikTok accounts posing as 13-year-olds and analysed 100 trending skincare videos. They found that influencers, mostly young girls aged 7 to 18, were promoting complex, multi-step skincare regimens that involved products such as toners, acne treatments, moisturisers, and anti-ageing serums. Many of these products are known to cause irritation, allergies, and greater sun sensitivity.
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These routines, often featured in “Get Ready With Me” or “After School Skincare” videos, were found to include an average of six products per session, costing about $168 for one month’s worth of product, according to the study.
Even more concerning is the low use of sunscreen, a basic and essential step in skin protection. Only 26% of the daytime skincare videos included any form of sun protection.
“When you have kids waking up at 5:30 in the morning on a school day to have enough time to layer on these complicated regimens, I think it becomes less about health and more (about) pursuing an idea of beauty that is unrealistic and problematic. The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweigh whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,” said Dr Molly Hales, the first author of the research from Northwestern University.
“The danger is when girls get the message that this is something that they have to do to take care of their skin and to protect their health. These products don’t increase the health of your skin, and they probably worsen your skin integrity over time,” Dr Hales added, CNN reported.
Prof. Tess McPherson of the British Association of Dermatologists, not involved in the study, described the findings as a “wakeup call.”
Experts recommend that teens stick to basic skincare rather than opting for complicated influencer routines. They advise using a gentle cleanser and sunscreen.
