Parenting in Sussex: The skincare obsession of tween and teen girls and the joy of meeting an old friend

If the amount of tweens and teens running around the skincare department in Boots in Brighton last Saturday afternoon is anything to go by, I’d say they must have. With bells on.

My daughter, like many others her age, has been getting increasingly curious about creams, face masks, lip products and more. Thanks, in no small measure, to the increasing prevalence of young YouTubers and so-called social media influencers putting out content about the ‘must have’ beauty brands.

It’s quite the hot topic in the playground, so I’m told, with many break-time hours devoted to coveting hydration mists and serums. It’s all such a stark difference to the only beauty products I ever really cared about at a similar age – Impulse body sprays in various fragrances and a Miss Selfridge lipstick in such a pale colour that my mum said it made me look like a corpse and begged me not to wear it.

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My face probably wasn’t even moisturised until I got to my late teens and, even then, it was with whatever was the cheapest lotion I could get my hands on. There was no polypeptide cream for me!

And while I knew my 11 year old was interested in this growing sector – a sobering recent Sky News article suggested there’s been a 21 per cent rise in 11-16 year olds using anti-aging cream in the past two years – seeing her in her element among countless lotions and potions during our recent shopping trip was even more eye-opening.

Keen not to damage her young (and beautiful, flawless skin that absolutely does not need retinol), I haven’t let her buy anything that contains active ingredients or anything that sounds too harsh. But it’s hard, because so much of what is on the market distinctly seems to be marketed towards young girls. And so much of it is, arguably, unsuitable for their sensitive young skin.

The fact my primary-school-age child was getting excited over ranges like Laneige, Sol de Janeiro, Drunk Elephant and even Dior, all of which are considered premium products with price tags to match, was concerning enough. The fact that many parents are spending the big bucks to let their children have them is probably worse.

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As with so many things, peer pressure is a real bummer. You don’t want your child to feel left out, but you don’t want to encourage a fascination with £36 moisturisers called Bum Bum Cream.

I’m almost ashamed to admit I caved. A bit. I became part of the problem and I let her use her birthday money to buy an eye-wateringly priced sleeping lip mask. At £21, it was about 18 times the price of the Vaseline pot I bought for my own lips (on offer for £1.21 – bargain). But it was seemingly the least-bad of all the things she looked at so longingly. It was her money, it was a treat, and she was so happy.

She thanked me for letting her get it. She knew it was a big deal. And, I hope, there was a lesson in compromise in it somewhere. Just go easy on me, as I’ll no doubt be conflicted about this for a while!

In other news, I was back in Brighton (Hove, actually) to meet old Sussex World colleague and friend James Butler last week. We met for a lovely dinner to catch up, and had a good few laughs. Nothing better than meeting someone you haven’t seen in a couple of years and being able to chat for hours. Let’s not leave it so long next time, James!