Latest news with #MollyHales
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Teenage girls' TikTok skincare regimes offer little to no benefit, research shows
Skincare regimes demonstrated by young influencers on TikTok offer little to no benefit, researchers have found, adding that on the contrary they raise the risk of skin irritations and lifelong allergies in children. The team behind the study say there has been a rise in young girls sharing videos of complex skincare routines with moisturisers, toners, acne treatments and anti-ageing products. In the first study of its kind, researchers analysed such videos on the platform and found the regimes are not only laborious – some girls wake up as early as 4.30am to fit in their routines – but pricey, unnecessary and potentially harmful. 'The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweighs whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,' said Dr Molly Hales, the first author of the research from Northwestern University. Hales added that while social media can be a place for playfulness and self-expression, young girls do not need such regimes. '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,' she said. These products don't increase the health of your skin and they probably worsen your skin integrity over time. Instead, she said a gentle cleanser once or twice a day and the application of sunscreen is sufficient. Writing in the journal Paediatrics, Hales and colleagues report how they created two TikTok accounts, purportedly for 13-year-olds, and accumulated a sample of 100 skincare routines videos filmed by young people. The team found all but one of the 82 creators were girls, and their age ranged from 7-18. 'Almost all content creators had clear, light skin without visible blemishes,' the researchers write, adding the videos 'made frequent reference to aspirational beauty ideals that may be tied to whiteness'. The study reveals the skincare regimes involved six products on average, often from the same brands, with a total average cost of $168 (€147). However, some involved more than a dozen products with a total cost of more than $500 (€437). 'Get Ready With Me' videos were the most common, followed by 'Skin Care Routine' and 'After School' skincare routine videos. The team found many of the ingredients in the featured products, such as citric acid, carry a risk of skin irritation and sun sensitivity – meaning they increase the chance of sunburn and other skin damage. Yet only 26% of the 84 videos showing daytime skincare routines included a sunscreen – something that authors called 'a significant missed opportunity'. Hales added the use of products with multiple active ingredients, or layering products with the same active ingredients, increases the risk of skin irritation. The researchers found that among the 25 top-viewed videos, 76% contained at least one potential contact allergen – often fragrance. The Guardian Read More The best SPFs for your face, as tested by a beauty editor
Newsweek
18 hours ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Viral Beauty Routines Are Damaging Tween and Teen Skin, Study Warns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. "Get ready with me" videos are overflowing on TikTok, drawing millions to watch influencers and the like walk through their skincare routines. But lately, a new wave of content creators is entering the frame: middle schoolers or even children as young as seven layering serums, eye creams and exfoliants onto already delicate, youthful skin. Now, new research has confirmed these types of videos can put teens at risk of lifelong skin allergy. Young teenager recording 'Get Ready With Me' beauty blog from cozy bedroom applying clay facial mask. Young teenager recording 'Get Ready With Me' beauty blog from cozy bedroom applying clay facial mask. Mariia Vitkovska The new peer-reviewed study from Northwestern Medicine, published today on June 9 in Pediatrics, is raising red flags about the popular trend of teen skincare routines shared on social media. The study is the first of its kind to examine the dermatological and psychological risks tied to these viral beauty regimens. Authors found girls between the ages of seven and 18 are applying an average of six different skincare products daily, with some layering more than a dozen. "It's problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin," said corresponding author Dr. Molly Hales, a postdoctoral research fellow and board-certified dermatologist in the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The financial cost is also concerning. The average teen skincare routine costs $168 a month, according to the study, with some reaching upward of $500. Despite the hype, the routines often neglect the basics: only 26 percent of daytime regimens included sunscreen—a critical oversight, especially for developing skin. Yet it's not just money being wasted. The study found that the top-viewed skincare videos featured an average of 11 potentially irritating active ingredients. This cocktail of acids, retinoids and fragrances increases the risk of allergic contact dermatitis—a lifelong skin allergy that can permanently restrict a person's use of certain soaps, shampoos and cosmetics. "That high risk of irritation came from both using multiple active ingredients at the same time, such as hydroxy acids, as well as applying the same active ingredient unknowingly over and over again when that active ingredient was found in three, four, five different products," Hales said. In one analyzed video, a content creator applied 10 separate products in just six minutes. By the end of the clip, her face was visibly red and irritated. "As she's applying the products, she begins to express discomfort and burning, and in the final few minutes, she develops a visible skin reaction," said senior author Dr. Tara Lagu, adjunct lecturer of medicine and medical social sciences at Feinberg and a former Northwestern Medicine hospitalist. The researchers also observed an unsettling pattern in the aesthetics and messaging of these viral videos. "We saw that there was preferential, encoded racial language in some cases that really emphasized lighter, brighter skin," Lagu said. "I think there also were real associations between use of these regimens and consumerism." The videos tend to offer little to no health benefit for the children watching them, researchers concluded. Yet they're virtually impossible for parents or pediatricians to monitor, thanks to the untrusted algorithms that power TikTok's "For You" page. "We're setting a very high standard for these girls," Hales said. "The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society, but the ideal of 'health' is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness. The insidious thing about 'skin care' is that it claims to be about health." Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (grant number 5T32AR060710-11). Other Northwestern authors include Drs Amy Paller and Walter Liszewski, and medical student Sarah Rigali. Newsweek reached out to TikTok via email on 06/06/2025.
