Late last year, a popular brand launched a children's skincare line, and in January, one of the largest cosmetics retailers announced the availability of skincare products for children and teens.
Over the past few years, the target audience for cosmetic products has declined, with children now a key focus for cosmetics companies, a growing business valued at $390 million by 2024, according to Statista. Egypt ranked seventh among countries with the highest use of children's skincare products.
Food allergies and eczema
Children between the ages of 1 and 4 years represent about a quarter of those with atopic dermatitis (eczema), according to the World Eczema Report 2022.
Children are commonly diagnosed with dermatitis and allergies at an early age, and the child often diagnoses himself with both conditions, indicating the possibility of suffering from allergic rhinitis and asthma.
The cause may be genetic or result from over-care. Researchers from the Department of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University have linked maternal use of baby skincare products to eczema in children under the age of 6.
Researchers did not identify any specific ingredients responsible for the children's injuries, but they warned against frequent use of moisturizers because they can damage the skin barrier.
The damage doesn't stop with chronic eczema; it can also extend to the possibility of exposure to food allergens through the skin, simply by coming into contact with allergen-inducing ingredients, especially in the first months. Most natural baby skin products contain food products, such as goat's milk, cow's milk, almonds, oats, coconut, and peanuts. Researchers from the Department of Paediatric Allergy at King's College London have linked skin inflammation and a weakened barrier to eczema.
Researchers described eczema as the first step in the body's development of food allergies. Children who suffered from mild eczema before the age of one were three times more likely to develop a food allergy than others, while if the eczema became severe, the risk increased to six times.
Infants' exposure to allergens at an early age was limited to breast milk and environmental exposure, until researchers from American and British medical schools examined children between the ages of five and seven whose mothers had applied a cream containing Arachis oil, extracted from peanuts and an ingredient in popular diaper rash creams, to their skin during the first seven months of life.
Researchers found that exposure of a child's skin to peanut residue triggered an allergic response in his body's cells, increasing the risk of being diagnosed with a peanut allergy later in life by 90%.
Previous findings raised concerns about children's skincare products, so in 2020, researchers at the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine decided to review the labels of 276 children's products to check for allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat, soy, oats, peanuts, and sesame.
Researchers found 156 allergens in 40% of baby skin products. The percentage of allergens was higher in products advertised as "natural" or "organic" and more expensive than other safe products.
Beware of pre-puberty products
Last February, the British Association of Dermatologists' Twitter account warned teenage girls against using skincare products, as they could harm their skin.
However, while skincare companies are to blame for not specifying a target age group, we are now faced with advertisements for skin creams and lotions aimed at children as young as 3 years old.
Skincare companies have increasingly targeted the 3-12 age group for skin lightening, skin tone unification, and scar removal, as well as for moisturizing, perfuming, bathing, and hair care.
Girls were drawn to this trend, and mothers were reassured by its colorful packaging. Over the past two years, Arab companies have contributed to providing products for this category at affordable prices.
These products have not been tested on children, and skincare products are not subject to regulation unless an allergic reaction occurs immediately after use. However, the BBC website has identified active ingredients intended for adults only in products for children under 12 years of age, such as exfoliating acids that stimulate skin sensitivity and eczema.
The report quoted the British Association of Dermatologists' warning against using skincare products on children under the age of 8, as they may cause irreversible skin problems.
How to strengthen your baby's skin barrier?
- The British Skin Foundation advises against applying moisturizers to a child's body during their first year, limiting their exposure to soap, and only washing their body with filtered water once every few days.
- Researchers from the University of Oslo recommend using petroleum oils when cleansing infants' bodies to protect them from dryness and eczema.
- A child's body should only encounter food allergens, such as nuts, milk, and eggs, through the digestive tract. Skin exposure to these substances confuses the immune system, which perceives the food as a threat and overreacts by triggering an allergic response to the food.
- Do not use talcum powder on your baby. Simply apply a thick layer of unscented zinc cream daily when you notice dry skin.
- Cradle cap, like acne, usually goes away on its own, and there's no need to buy products to combat it.
- Before the age of 8, your child doesn't need a complicated skincare routine, and you can just focus on the basics: a soap-free, pH-neutral cleanser and sunscreen.
- Babies smell beautiful and soothing by nature, but baby perfumes can cause skin allergies and respiratory problems, and the same danger applies to scented baby wipes.
- Choose a sunscreen for your child that contains zinc, even if it leaves a white layer on his face.
Finally, don't pass on your obsession with glowing skin to your children, because the thinness obsession of the 90s has caused generations of mental illness, just as the beauty obsession has caused it among the TikTok generation.
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