PRESS RELEASE: Skincare Gone Crazy – the disturbing escalation in tween obsession with unnecessary skincare routines as luxury brands start targeting newborns.

Leading dermatologists and psychiatrists are seeing a concerning increase in parents presenting with their tweens to clinics with skin and psychological issues associated with an obsession on the latest skincare products.

Skinfluencers are fueling tweens unhealthy demand for luxury skincare, while international brands such as Dior have begun to target babies in what experts have labelled a disturbing escalation in the recent phenomena.

Skin Health Institute Consultant Dermatologist Dr Mei Tam says skincare brands are profiting from this trend by targeting increasingly younger customers.

“Dior is now putting together a package, so when the baby’s born, you give them a $210 package with baby perfume, wash and lotion. These babies come out already smelling beautifully of baby, they don’t need additional perfumes to add to the problem. When you have young skin that is sensitive with not a great barrier to start with at first, and you’re applying all these allergens and chemicals, you are risking them getting sensitised and creating problems”.

Dr Tam is joined by a distinguished panel of experts including Medical and Cosmetic Dermatologist Katherine Armour and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Siu-Ying Kwok on the respected Spot Diagnosis Podcast, produced by the Skin Health Institute.

The latest episode, Skincare Gone Crazy, delves into the growing obsession with skincare among today’s youth and its potential physical and psychological repercussions, providing parents and practitioners with valuable insights and the latest information from top clinicians.

Together, they dissect the reasons behind the youth’s fixation on perfect skin, the dangers of using advanced skincare products at a young age, and the psychological motivations driving this quest for ‘perfection.’

Dr Katherine Armour examines the reasons behind this emerging phenomenon and highlights a significant increase in parents bringing their tweens to her clinic. She discusses the harmful effects she has observed from the use of potent skincare ingredients on young skin.

“I think the phenomenon has emerged because all of these ‘Get Ready With Me’ videos and the shelving and signage in Sephora and Mecca are very aspirational for young people. The real concern is that a lot of the products that tweens and teens are purchasing, particularly in the area of skincare, it is not designed for their skin. Every single time you apply a different product, it’s going to contain your active ingredients, it’s going to contain preservatives, and often, unfortunately, a whole ream of fragrances. All of those are potential causes of A, irritancy, and B, potential allergy.”

Dr Siu-Ying Kwok explores the underlying reasons behind Gen Alpha’s quest for flawless skin, including societal pressures and the influence of social media, offering guidance to parents on how to navigate this challenging situation.

“We are aware that obviously, early adolescence is just the beginning of developing a sense of self and identity, and this is the perfect age group where these influencers can have quite a detrimental impact on self-identity because obviously, the foundations are starting to be made at this point. (For parents) striking that balance between parenting and then managing the young people’s self-expression and experimenting with exploring their self-identity. It’s about using the right things and being exposed to the right things at the right time appropriate for the developmental stage”.

Skincare Gone Crazy covers the facts, offers practical advice on safe skincare practices, debunks myths, and shares meaningful guidance on navigating this constantly evolving landscape.

Skincare Gone Crazy will be available for streaming on Apple and Spotify on from 9am on Wednesday 26 June.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Jasmine Crouch
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Skin Health Institute Phone | 0415 278 634
Email | [email protected]

About Spot Diagnosis Podcast:

The Spot Diagnosis Podcast is developed by the Skin Health Institute and examines the skin complaints commonly encountered by general practitioners. The series provides evidence-based, up-to-date medical education & information aimed at upskilling medical practitioners in treating skin complaints, to improve the skin health of our communities

About Skin Health Institute:
The Skin Health Institute is a not-for-profit centre of excellence in skin health that delivers highly specialised clinical treatment, education and research for skin diseases, skin cancers and melanoma.

About Dr Mei Tam, Dermatologist
Dr Tam works as a consultant dermatologist at St. Vincent’s Hospital and has run a contact dermatitis clinic at the Skin Health Institute for over 20 years. She also practices in private general dermatology practice in Melbourne. She has been a Fellow of the Australasian College of Dermatologists since 1998 and has served in numerous leadership positions including as the President and Medical Director of Skin Health Institute, Honorary Treasurer of College of Dermatologists (Victorian Faculty) and Coordinator of Dermatology Rural Outreach.

About Dr Katherine Armour, Dermatologist and Founder of Bespoke Skin Technology:
Dr Katherine Armour is a Melbourne based medical and cosmetic dermatologist. Her subspeciality interests include biologic treatments to treat inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, urticaria, and atopic dermatitis; immunobullous diseases; and prevention and treatment of skin aging through the use of cosmeceuticals and energy-based devices. She has posts at the Skin Health Institute, the Alfred Hospital and The Dermatology Institute of Victoria where she attends biologics, photobiology, and general dermatology clinics. Katherine is a member of the Australasian Psoriasis Collaboration, the International Psoriasis Council, and sits on numerous advisory boards in the field of biologics. Katherine is also on the board of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Dermatologists and is a part of the Editorial Committee of Opinions and Progress in Cosmetic Dermatology.

About Dr Siu-Ying Kwok, Psychiatrist
Dr Siu-Ying Kwok is a consultant psychiatrist with experience working in both the public and private sectors. Dr Kwok graduated from Monash University and holds a Masters in Psychiatry from The University of Melbourne. She completed her specialist training in psychiatry at NorthWestern Mental Health and Monash Health in Melbourne. She provides treatment across a range of disorders in general adult psychiatry with a particular clinical interest in youth mental health, perinatal psychiatry and eating disorders.