Tia and Kalea (10) use adult skin care

SANDEFJORD (Dagbladet): Pink feathers, stars on the walls, stuffed animals in the bed and horse figurines on the shelf adorn the two girls’ rooms in a detached house in Sandefjord.

A faint smell of sweet perfume from soap and skin cream hangs in the air, and on the shelves in both rooms are bottles and jars of make-up and skin care, or skincareas the girls themselves call it.

It is the ten-year-old twin sisters Tia and Kalea Holsethstuen Lie who live here, each in their own room, next to each other.

– This is hydrating moisturiseror moisturiser, says Tia and proudly displays a blue and orange cream container from the skincare brand “Bubble”.

At first glance, the containers may look like children’s toys. Like something you wear during a children’s game with a tea party or Barbie dolls. And in many ways, skin care creams have just become a breeze.

– I became interested in skincare in the autumn when some of the other girls in the class also became interested in it, and we often play with it, says Tia, who is slightly more interested in skincare products than her twin sister.

Playing with skin care

Mother Elisabeth Holsethstuen Lie says that the parents also notice that several of the girls have become preoccupied with skin care and make-up.

– It was not long ago that a message was sent out after a parents’ meeting at the school that the girls cannot take skin care products with them to gym class, because it takes too long.

Tia and Kalea say that it’s not so much about getting “perfect skin”. For them, it’s mostly for fun – something they see on YouTube, they explain.

– It is interesting to see how other people use different things. It’s cool to see how it works, how it’s held and how you put it on, like with “Drunk Elephant”, says Tia.

Controversial skincare trend: – Not illegal

On a small table in the girls’ room, she sets up all the products she owns, close together. In a very aesthetic way, she places them around the mirror according to size and color – ready to pretend she is filming a “skincare routine” video.

The mobile is always with her, and Tia imitates American influencers she looks up to.

– I’ll start with cleanserthen I’ll take it serum and face fog and maybe lip mask and eyelash serum. Finally moisturiser and sunscreen, she explains as she applies cream to her face.

Through influencers and “get ready with me” videos on YouTube, the girls have been introduced to trend brands such as “Drunk Elephant”, “Cosrx”, “Bubble” and “Sol de janeiro”.

Dermatologists sound the alarm

Many people may be able to relate to the excitement of secretly trying on their mother’s lipstick or eye shadow.

Now the new generation of young girls has taken the game one step further. They have their own products, often at an expensive price, which they proudly show to their friends.

On social media, increasingly younger children post skincare and “get ready with me” videos, with complex skin care routines with several steps.

Internationally, several dermatologists are sounding the alarm that more children, under the age of nine, are asking for countless skin care products and anti-wrinkle creams, CNN and BBC write.

Will remove this

In January, New York Magazine also mentioned the Sephora Kids phenomenon, when children flock to the American make-up store Sephora.

The term first originated on TikTok in late 2023, where Sephora employees took to social media in despair and told how children ran amok in the skincare shelves and emptied tubes and jars of face cream.

Dagbladet has previously written about Danish Miabell (10), who herself estimates that she owns around 40 skin care products worth several thousand kroner.

Several parents that Dagbladet has since spoken to say that their teenage girls have recently become very interested in “skincare”.

The twin sisters Tia and Kalea can also say that “almost half” of the girls in the class are interested in skincare products.

Makes strict demands

– Some of the girls in the class watch skincare videos on Snapchat and TikTok, but we and several others in the class are not allowed to use social media yet, only YouTube, says Kalea.

For the twin girls, there is also no freedom when it comes to which products they are allowed to use.

Mor Elisabeth has familiarized herself with the skin care universe and makes strict demands on both content and price.

– They have to spend their own pocket money on the products, but we have also decided that I must approve what they are allowed to buy, says Elisabeth and adds:

– It is because of the active ingredients in the creams. Now they have perfect skin. Why destroy it now? There will come a time when they may need acids and anti-wrinkle creams, but it’s not now.

Tia says that she is allowed to buy some of the products she wants, and they order the favorites from abroad.

– It is because there are no cool things in the stores in Norway. But now “Drunk Elephant” is coming to Norway, says Tia and looks hopefully at her mother.

– Yes, but you won’t get that. We have already talked about this, she replies.

Tia’s greatest wish is for Sephora to come to Norway. Kalea wants a horse most of all, says her mother.

Concerned about development

Dermatologist Reza Sohrabi at Dr. Dropin has previously stated to Dagbladet that there are few products children need to use.

– Children need sunscreen and possibly moisturisers if necessary. Zinc ointment for small wounds. Otherwise, there is absolutely no need to go in for any expensive creams for preventive use or skin routine of any kind, he said.

Sohrabi believes that the trend among children is misleading ideals of beauty, and he is worried about what developments this has.

Ripped off the shelves

– For me, the fact that children are exposed to such completely misleading ideals of beauty is proof of how bad things can go if you are exposed to unfiltered advertising like this, he said.

The dermatologist pointed out that in most cases it may not be of the chemical kind.

– But what do you really tell our children when they have to buy a lot of creams and products at such a young age? Yes, that you are not pretty enough as you are. It will create complexes for many years to come. Follow and talk to the children about trends in social media, he stated.

The new generation

It is estimated that the girls have both creams and make-up worth around NOK 1,500 in total.

Like several girls before them, make-up is also undoubtedly an interest, although skin care is the favourite.

Nevertheless, the girls realize that they are still a little too young to use make-up in everyday life.

– We are not allowed to go out the door with make-up on, says Kalea and looks slyly at her sister.

– I have been caught for wearing make-up when we were going to school, says Tia and laughs.

– It has happened that we had to buy make-up remover before they went to school. It is difficult to see when they are wearing make-up, because they are so good at making it look natural, says mother Elisabeth and adds:

– I wasn’t very good at putting on make-up when I was 10 years old.

The girls say that they sometimes pretend to make “get ready with me” videos, then delete it soon after.

– They don’t have social media, so they don’t post it anywhere. They play with it in the same way that I myself stood in front of the mirror and danced to the Backstreet Boys, says Elisabeth.