When my nine-year-old niece fell off the monkey bars and hurt herself recently, I tried to cheer her up with what I know all pre-teen girls want: I opened the Sephora app and told her to choose something she’d like. Immediately, her little bruised face lit up at the chance.

I’m not the first person to worry about the obsession Gen Alpha (those born after 2010) has with premium skincare.

Does using adult skincare too early come with risks?Credit: Nathan Perri

Recently, one friend reported their 11-year-old niece was working on repairing her skin barrier, while a teacher pal confessed to feeling intimidated when her students asked whether she was using the correct vitamin C serum for her skin type.

One mother I spoke to admitted to initially being disturbed by her daughter’s encyclopedic knowledge of Korean beauty brands. But recalling her own memories of experimenting with skincare, she concluded it’s innocent fun. Another said they got on board with their child taking 40 minutes of “me time” in the bathroom each night because their multi-step skincare routine had reduced fights about wearing sunscreen.

But this new clutch of prepubescent aestheticians are as complex as the potions they smooth on their baby-soft cheeks.

Initially, I........

© Brisbane Times