Drunk Elephant recently started rebranding to focus on 21-and-over consumers. The clean beauty brand is a favourite amongst Gen Alpha, those born between 2010 and 2025. Its Please Enjoy Responsibly campaign steers the brand in a new direction, away from Sephora kids to sophisticated adults who care about their skin health. Dr Bradley Wagemaker, medical director and product formulator at Lamelle Research Laboratories, explains why brands like Drunk Elephant and Shay Mitchell’s K-beauty for kids are troublesome.
Too young
Recent global research and media reports have confirmed what many parents have feared: Generation Alpha is engaging with skincare far earlier than previous generations.
Children as young as eight are increasingly experimenting with elaborate routines, often influenced by social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
In some markets, younger kids start using skincare up to five years earlier than Gen Z did, with a growing interest in products originally designed for adult concerns like anti-ageing and exfoliation.
In South Africa, the skincare market continues to expand, with segments for “children’s skincare” growing as parents increasingly recognise the need to protect delicate young skin in high-UV environments.
While experts agree that sun protection, not adult actives, is the only skincare truly necessary for children, it remains one of the least emphasised elements in youth skincare trends.
Despite evidence that children receive up to 80 % of their lifetime sun exposure before age 18, and that a single blistering childhood sunburn can more than double the risk of melanoma later in life, many young users of elaborate routines still omit broad-spectrum SPF entirely.
Yet, optimal sun safety practices are low; in one multiracial study, only 17% of parents used ideal sun protection for their children, indicating widespread underuse and misperception of UV risk.
This gap between what children need and what they are being marketed and socialised to adopt stands in stark contrast to the increasing numbers of young people demanding products with potent actives and exfoliating acids traditionally intended for mature skin.
Even childhood celebrations are changing, with children requesting skincare parties that showcase and compare active ingredients, hardly the essentials of sunscreen and protection.
Skin concerns
Conversations on leading skincare and wellness podcasts reflect this clash between intention and impact.
Dermatologists and industry insiders have voiced deep concerns over kids mimicking adult routines without understanding skin physiology.
On the Skin to It podcast, dermatologists discuss how popular routines laden with harsh ingredients such as retinol and alpha-hydroxy acids can compromise the resilient but delicate skin barrier of children, leading to irritation, allergic contact dermatitis, and lifelong sensitivity.
Parents on parenting and beauty podcasts echo similar concerns, warning that too many products, even if marketed as “gentle”, can overwhelm young skin.
These narratives also highlight a psychological dimension, the pressure put on children to conform to beauty standards promoted online, sometimes tied to unrealistic expectations and self-image issues from an early age.
Lifelong damage
While comprehensive global statistics specific to treatment outcomes in Gen Alpha are still emerging, both clinicians and dermatologists are reporting increasing incidences of skin irritations, allergic reactions, and even chemical burns related to inappropriate product use.
Multiple studies have found that skincare routines popular on social media often contain high levels of potentially irritating active ingredients and allergens.
Dermatologists have documented spikes in contact dermatitis, breakouts, and even chemical burns in children using products with exfoliating acids and retinoids without medical supervision.
Allergists note that early exposure to fragrance and harsh actives can predispose children to lifelong sensitivities that limit their options for personal care products later in life.
There are anecdotal cases, shared by professionals and consumers alike, of children ending up with blisters and persistent irritation after playing “beauty experiments” with adult serums and peels in stores or at home.
These accounts, while not yet fully quantified in clinical data, paint a vivid picture of the potential for lasting harm when barrier function is disrupted in young skin.
The global beauty industry is estimated to be worth well over $164bn, with Gen Alpha representing a growing share of that contribution as young consumers and their parents buy more products and routines earlier.
In South Africa and abroad, brands are increasingly targeting younger demographics, either by repackaging adult products with more appealing marketing or creating “kid-friendly” lines.
Yet, the question remains: is capturing the Gen Alpha market worth the potential harm?
Critics argue that the financial opportunity has led some brands to blur the line between wellness and profit, sometimes at the expense of safety and honesty.
