Tweens reveal their 40-minute, $200 skincare routines as doctors warn some products could hurt kids

Jeanette Settembre
·5 min read

They’re deep into skincare.

Teens and tweens are increasingly obsessed with caring for their complexions. Kim Kardashians’ 9-year-old daughter North West posted herself getting an elaborate facial last month on her TikTok account, while other young girls with no relation to the Kardashians are spending hundreds of dollars on pricey products and complicated, multi-step regimens. Parents and doctors are struggling to determine what’s harmless fun and what’s potentially harmful.

Many others will be wondering why young girls even feel they need to go through such a regimen at a tender age.

“She babysits and we pay her in Sephora dollars,” Ira Savetsky, 40, a plastic surgeon on the Upper East Side told The Post of his 11-year-old daughter Stella’s passion for pore care.

Last Saturday, he took her shopping so she could make a “Get Ready With Me” TikTok video, a popular format on the platform.

“I’ve  never stepped foot in a Sephora until a few months ago,” he said. “I tell her, ‘you don’t need this product or that product,’ she listens to me … part of the time.”

Teens and tweens are increasingly obsessed with caring for their complexions. “She babysits and we pay her in Sephora dollars,” Ira Savetsky, a plastic surgeon on the Upper East Side told The Post of his 11-year-old daughter Stella’s passion for skincare. Tamara Beckwith
Teens and tweens are increasingly obsessed with caring for their complexions. “She babysits and we pay her in Sephora dollars,” Ira Savetsky, a plastic surgeon on the Upper East Side told The Post of his 11-year-old daughter Stella’s passion for skincare. Tamara Beckwith
Stella Savetsky, 11, spends 40 minutes each morning before school on her eight-step skincare routine. It starts with a hydrating gentle cleanser from La Roche-Posay ($16.99). Tamara Beckwith
Stella Savetsky, 11, spends 40 minutes each morning before school on her eight-step skincare routine. It starts with a hydrating gentle cleanser from La Roche-Posay ($16.99). Tamara Beckwith
Next, the fifth grader applies a toner from Glow Recipe ($35), then a hyaluronic acid serum from the Ordinary ($9). Tamara Beckwith
Next, the fifth grader applies a toner from Glow Recipe ($35), then a hyaluronic acid serum from the Ordinary ($9). Tamara Beckwith

Stella spends 40 minutes each morning before school on her eight-step skincare routine. It starts with a hydrating gentle cleanser from La Roche-Posay ($16.99), next is a toner from Glow Recipe ($35), then a hyaluronic acid serum from the Ordinary ($9).

“I have really dry skin and it feels really gentle on my face,” the fifth grader told The Post of the La Roche-Posay cleanser adding, “People on TikTok were using it. My friends were using it.”

Other products in her routine might include Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops ($38); Drunk Elephant Bronzing drops said to mimic “the benefits of vitamin D” ($38); Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops ($35); SuperGoop sunscreen ($38) and Tower 28 Sos facial spray ($12).

Other products in her routine might include Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops ($38); Drunk Elephant Bronzing drops said to mimic “the benefits of vitamin D” ($38); Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops ($35); and SuperGoop sunscreen ($38). Here, she applies a serum. Tamara Beckwith
Other products in her routine might include Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Illuminating Drops ($38); Drunk Elephant Bronzing drops said to mimic “the benefits of vitamin D” ($38); Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops ($35); and SuperGoop sunscreen ($38). Here, she applies a serum. Tamara Beckwith
Savetsky stores some of her serums in a mini skincare fridge (left). Tamara Beckwith
Savetsky stores some of her serums in a mini skincare fridge (left). Tamara Beckwith

“I like to make a skincare smoothie,” she said. “It makes my skin glowy.”

Then she adds the Tower 28 Sos facial spray ($12) for a dewy glow. Tamara Beckwith
Then she adds the Tower 28 Sos facial spray ($12) for a dewy glow. Tamara Beckwith

Social media is, of course, driving the trend.

“It didn’t start off with me using all of these popular brands. My whole entire “For You” page on TikTok was filled with all of these products,” Stella said, noting that her friends at school have a “Fifth Grade Girls” group chat where friends will exchange skincare tips and products.

Cameron Cohen, a 13-year-old Long Island eighth grader, is so devoted to her skin that she even has a mini fridge in her room to properly store the serums, night creams and eye masks that make up her eight-step routine.

“I’ll test [products] on my hand [at Sephora] or try stuff on at a friend’s house,” Cameron Cohen, 13, told The Post. Dennis A. Clark
“I’ll test [products] on my hand [at Sephora] or try stuff on at a friend’s house,” Cameron Cohen, 13, told The Post. Dennis A. Clark
Cohen is so devoted to her skin that she also has a mini fridge in her room to properly store the serums, night creams and eye masks that make up her eight-step routine. Dennis A. Clark
Cohen is so devoted to her skin that she also has a mini fridge in her room to properly store the serums, night creams and eye masks that make up her eight-step routine. Dennis A. Clark

“I get influenced by TikTok most of the time – but I have insanely sensitive skin so I research and search to see what’s safe,” she said. “I’ll test [products] on my hand [at Sephora] or try stuff on at a friend’s house.”

Her mother, Melissa Cohen, 44, owner of summer program advisory The Camp Connection, makes a point of reviewing all of her daughter’s products after she had an allergic reaction to a face mask that was later recalled a few years ago

“Some things are great, but you have to be careful. I really do try to make sure I’m watching everything she buys and puts on [her face],” Melissa told The Post. “I don’t even know how much I’ve spent [on her skincare] — it’s probably an insane fortune. For every gift she asks for Sephora gift cards. That’s what she uses her money on. She’s best friends with the manager at Sephora.”

Cameron knows to avoid retinols — “they can mess up your skin if you use them at an early age,” she told The Post. Dermatologist Lauren Levy told The Post tweens don’t need lactic acids, Vitamin C or glycolic acids at their age. Dennis A. Clark
Cameron knows to avoid retinols — “they can mess up your skin if you use them at an early age,” she told The Post. Dermatologist Lauren Levy told The Post tweens don’t need lactic acids, Vitamin C or glycolic acids at their age. Dennis A. Clark

Cameron knows to avoid retinols — “they can mess up your skin if you use them at an early age” — and has influencers she looks to for product recommendations.

“I trust Alix Earle — she also has sensitive skin,” she said.

Dermatologists say extensive routines aren’t really necessary for young skin and that some stronger treatments, especially those associated with anti-aging, are best avoided.

Cameron’s mother, Melissa Cohen (left), makes a point of reviewing all of her daughter’s products after she had an allergic reaction to a face mask that was later recalled a few years ago. Dennis A. Clark
Cameron’s mother, Melissa Cohen (left), makes a point of reviewing all of her daughter’s products after she had an allergic reaction to a face mask that was later recalled a few years ago. Dennis A. Clark

“They don’t need lactic acids, they don’t really need Vitamin C at this age and they don’t need glycolic acids. Their skin is sensitive and they don’t need to exfoliate and tear their barrier,” Lauren Levy, a certified dermatologist told The Post. “A fragrance-free moisturizer, and a daily sunscreen – preferably a mineral sunscreen, is all they need.”

But Ira and other parents are pragmatic about all the Sephora trips.

“It is overkill,” he said. “But there are worse obsessions to have.”