Eleanor Douglas-Meyers
Social media has introduced tweens and teens to overflowing beauty cabinets, complicated 10-step routines and ingredients such as retinol and exfoliating acids before many of them need more than a good face wash. Woolies Beauty Walmer Park shares the essentials:
According to the experts, teaching your teenager (regardless of gender) to care for their skin is not necessarily a bad thing. The secret is knowing when to begin and keeping the routine simple.
We spoke to members of the beauty team at Woolworths Walmer Park about what young skin genuinely needs. Their advice was refreshingly straightforward: begin with a very mild cleanser, follow with a moisturiser and make sun protection a priority.
When should teens begin using skincare?
There is no single age at which every child needs to start a skincare routine. A good time to introduce the basics is when puberty begins bringing noticeable changes, such as increased oiliness, blocked pores or the occasional breakout.
During the tween and teenage years, hormones are already doing quite enough. Oil production may increase, the skin can become more sensitive and pimples may appear seemingly overnight.
This does not mean your teenager suddenly needs a bathroom shelf filled with products. The aim should not be perfect, poreless skin. It should simply be to keep the skin clean, comfortable, moisturised and protected.
Start with a gentle cleanser
A mild cleanser helps remove sweat, excess oil, sunscreen and everyday grime without stripping the skin’s natural protective barrier.
Young skin does not need harsh scrubs, cleansing brushes or products that leave it feeling “squeaky clean”. In fact, skin that feels tight or uncomfortable after washing may be a sign that the cleanser is too harsh.
Gentle options available from Woolworths include:
- WBeauty CLEANSE Gentle Foam Cleanser, formulated to gently cleanse, soften and hydrate normal to dry skin.
- WBeauty CLEANSE Soothing Milk Cleanser, a softer cleansing option for skin that is dry or easily irritated.
- Woolworths Milk Gel Cleanser, which is formulated with mild ingredients to gently cleanse and soothe young skin.
- My Clarins RE-MOVE Purifying Cleansing Gel, a refreshing cleanser created for youthful skin that helps remove impurities.
To begin, cleansing once in the evening may be enough. Teens experiencing increased oiliness may also cleanse in the morning, but washing too frequently can lead to dryness and irritation.
What about My Clarins?
The My Clarins range, which is featured in our accompanying photograph, was developed with youthful skin in mind. The collection includes products such as the RE-MOVE Purifying Cleansing Gel and RE-BOOST hydrating creams.
Its colourful packaging and uncomplicated approach can make skincare feel appealing to younger consumers. However, as with any range, products should still be selected according to the individual teenager’s skin type and introduced gradually.
The fact that a product is marketed towards youthful skin does not mean every item will suit every teenager. Sensitive, dry, oily and acne-prone skin may all have different needs.
Moisturise, even if the skin is oily
One of the biggest skincare misconceptions is that oily or blemish-prone skin does not need moisturiser. Young skin still requires hydration, and aggressively trying to dry it out can cause irritation.
Look for a lightweight moisturiser that feels comfortable and does not leave the skin heavily coated. One option available at Woolworths is the WBeauty HAPPY FLORA Microbiome Balancing Face Cream, a lightweight product designed to hydrate and soothe sensitive skin.
The My Clarins RE-BOOST range also includes moisturising options developed for different youthful skin needs, including a refreshing hydrating cream and a mattifying cream.
Make SPF part of the routine
Sun protection is one of the most valuable skincare habits a young person can learn. A broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher should be applied every morning, including on days that are cloudy or mostly spent indoors near windows.
Choosing a moisturiser containing a high SPF can make a teenager’s morning routine easier, although a separate facial sunscreen is equally suitable.
Options available from Woolworths include:
- WBeauty Hydrating Day Cream SPF 30 with Vitamin E and Ceramides
- Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ SPF 50, which is fragrance-free, allergy-tested and suitable for sensitive and blemish-prone skin.
As products and availability may change, parents can also ask the Woolworths beauty team to recommend a suitable option for their teenager’s skin type.
The K-beauty lesson I learnt the hard way
As a K-beauty fanatic, I assumed that introducing my son to Korean skincare would be the gentlest and easiest option.
K-beauty is often associated with soothing formulas, hydration and caring for the skin barrier, so I believed it would naturally suit younger skin. I quickly discovered that “K-beauty” does not automatically mean mild.
It is a vast category, and many popular products contain active ingredients such as exfoliating acids, vitamin C and niacinamide. These ingredients are not inherently bad, and many can be beneficial when used correctly. The problem comes when products are unsuitable for the person’s skin or when too many actives are introduced at once.
In our case, instead of helping my son’s skin, the routine was followed by a breakout.
The experience taught me not to choose skincare based solely on trends, beautiful packaging or where it comes from. Read the ingredients, introduce one product at a time and pay attention to how your teenager’s skin responds.
What should young skin avoid?
Unless recommended by a dermatologist, tweens and younger teens generally do not need anti-ageing products or complicated routines filled with active ingredients.
Be cautious with:
- Retinol and anti-ageing treatments
- Strong AHA or BHA exfoliants
- Peeling solutions
- Harsh physical scrubs
- Several serums layered together
- Heavily fragranced products
- Products intended to completely dry out oily skin
If an older teen is struggling with acne, ingredients such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide may be helpful when introduced carefully. Persistent, painful or scarring acne should be assessed by a dermatologist rather than treated by adding more and more over-the-counter products.
A simple routine for beginners
A teenager’s first skincare routine can be as uncomplicated as this:
Morning: Gently rinse or cleanse the face, apply moisturiser if needed and finish with SPF 30 or higher.
Evening: Cleanse gently and apply a lightweight moisturiser.
That is it. No seven serums, no anti-ageing creams and no lengthy routine required.
Skincare can be a lovely form of self-care and a useful lesson in personal hygiene. We simply need to remind young people that changing skin is a normal part of growing up and does not need to be “fixed”.
At an age when hormones, school pressures and growing bodies are already creating enough confusion, skincare should be one of the simple things.
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