- An alarming trend is emerging: 8-year-olds are adopting complex anti ageing skincare routines influenced by influencers, including retinols and harmful exfoliating acids.
- The Skincare industry is now shamelessly targeting children.
Remember when you were a kid, and your mum used to slap a bit of Nivea on your face before you left the house for school? You watched her doing the same to her own face in front of the mirror in the mornings. Or that massive blue tub of Astral cream that never, ever ran out, and every member of your family used?
Life was simple back then; it did the job. You weren’t sure what job exactly, but you weren’t even thinking about how you looked back then because, guess what? You were a kid. Besides, you were too busy harbouring those most daring dreams- enjoying life, climbing trees, thinking about which textbooks to pack for school the next day, and eagerly tuning in to catch your favourite TV show.
Recently, the British Association for Dermatology shed light on the burgeoning phenomenon of 8-year-old girls adopting elaborate Skincare regimens, replete with exorbitantly priced anti-aging products- all inspired by influencers on TikTok. The board asserted:
‘Children are becoming obsessed with anti-ageing’, demanding their parents to buy them retinols and harmful acids to use on their faces. This trend could leave them with irreversible skin problems’. They warned.
We are truly living in the upside down world, like we stepped into a chilling episode of Black Mirror. How have 8-year-olds even become cognisant of anti-aging practices and exfoliating acids? Layering Retinols and over priced moisturisers from Drunk Elephant, all because their favourite influencers are seemingly doing so.
I’m envisioning many of these young souls in their 20s, sobbing fit their mortally wounded inner child, grieving the marriage every Romcom had ever promised them. Their actions of the past, returning to haunt them like Marley’s ghost, as they realise they spent their formative years being consumed by their outer shell, obsessing over the granular details to stave off the ageing process.
The skincare industry, which garnered a whopping US$153.30 billion in 2022, has taken a concerning turn. A recent BBC report exposes how skincare companies have shamelessly begun targeting children, utilising colourful and enticing packaging, including potentially harmful acids for children’s skin.
Muslims must equip themselves with knowledge of what’s happening to young people, mothers (and fathers I hasten to add). Allow me to explain. The other day, as I was browsing in Sephora, I noticed a man and a little girl, presumably his daughter, I hope his daughter. She held a piece of paper listing several skincare products. I couldn’t help but wonder about the little girl’s circumstances. Had her mother passed away? I pondered the conversation they might have had before entering the store, the little girl somehow convincing her father to splash some serious cash because this is what 10 year old girls need to be doing apparently.
Gabriel said, “Inform me about the Hour.” He (the Prophet) said, “About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner.” So, he said, “Well, inform me about its signs.” He said, “They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress…”
Sahih Muslim (8)
Imam al-Nawawi states that most scholars said this means the widespread of slavery and children born from slave women with their master and these children will in turn become the slave women’s masters. (Al-Minhaj Syarh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim 1/158)
Witnessing the gradual erosion of innocence in children serves as a stark reminder of the relevance of this hadith. It’s akin to observing a two-year-old adeptly operating an Apple phone and further fortifies the array of prophecies that have been fulfilled and are clearly on the trajectory of being fulfilled.
Exploring the Impact of the Skincare Industry on Adult Consumers
A male member of my family recently told me how he washes his face in the shower “with a bit of shampoo, anything I can get my hands on really! It’s the same thing isn’t it? Why make life complicated?” he added. I let his words hang in the air, given the fact that he looks like he stepped out of a Mens Health magazine without even trying. The crux of the matter is this, I’m not saying we ought to be washing our faces with shampoo- it’s important to present the best version of ourselves and care for the bodies entrusted to us by Allah swt. However, there are copious blogs and videos online disseminating ever changing advice on how to achieve perfect skin, which in turn is a nonsensical waste of time when turned to excessively. It’s important to clarify, however, that we mustn’t belittle those who are grappling with serious concerns such as acne etc. Olay may have told us to ‘Love the skin we are in’ but this doesn’t mean we ought to obsess over it.
At some point in our lives, we’ve all been guilty of zombie scrolling through absolute nonsense on TikTok, including K-beauty videos. However, many little girls are fascinated by the impeccable glass skin that many affeminite K-pop stars have, willing to replicate many drastic measures that have been taken by them.
Additionally, there is a growing fascination with the skincare rituals observed by South Koreans, paralleling the remarkable success of Korean beauty products which have defied sales expectations. Revered for their meticulous approaches to sun protection, they frequently retreat from sunlight entirely during the summer season.
Allah azza wa jal has gifted us with a mind, body, and soul, each deserving of our care and attention. It is essential to dedicate time to nurturing these aspects of our being. By cultivating our minds through learning and critical thinking, maintaining and taking care of our bodies and appearance, enriching and beautifying our souls through worship, dikr, seeking knowledge and tadabbur. As Muslims, we strive for holistic well-being. Moreover, it’s crucial to remember: what good is a drop-dead gorgeous face if it conceals a diseased, pitch-black, and ugly heart? True beauty resides in the purity of our hearts and the nobility of our actions and striving for a beautiful relationship with our creator. This should form the cornerstone of our existence as Muslims. Young Muslim girls must be instilled with this knowledge from a tender age.
