A Gentle Starter Routine for Teens

Skincare marketed to teenagers has become a genuine concern for parents. In the US, a state regulator investigated Sephora after potent anti-ageing actives were marketed to under-13s through social media, and UK coverage has raised the same worry here — sometimes called "Sephora kids" or "cosmeticorexia": children as young as 10 or 11 building elaborate, expensive routines around ingredients meant for mature skin.

We think that's the wrong direction, so our approach is deliberately the opposite: simple, basic, and nothing a dermatologist wouldn't be comfortable with a teenager using.

What we mean by "teen-safe"

Every product in our Teen-Safe Skincare collection is a genuine basic — a cleanser, a calming toner, a lightweight moisturiser, sun protection, or a simple spot patch. We've deliberately left out anything from our range with retinol or retinal, chemical exfoliating acids (AHA/BHA/PHA), or concentrated treatment-strength serums and ampoules — those belong later, if and when an adult dermatologist recommends them, not in a teenager's everyday routine.

A simple starter routine

If your teenager is just getting started, they don't need ten steps. Four does the job:

1. Cleanse — a gentle, low-pH cleanser morning and night.
2. Tone — a calming, alcohol-free toner to hydrate, not exfoliate.
3. Moisturise — a lightweight, fragrance-light cream.
4. Protect — SPF every morning, all year round; the single most useful step for skin of any age.

For breakouts, a hydrocolloid spot patch is the gentlest, most dermatologist-aligned option — no active ingredients to overdo, just physical protection while a blemish heals.

This sits alongside our wider approach to sourcing and honesty about what's actually in the bottle — see our Authenticity Promise.