As a Health and Physical Education teacher, I spend my days teaching students about their changing bodies and healthy hygiene habits. Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a dramatic shift in the conversations I have with young girls. Instead of asking about basic skincare and self-care, many are talking about multi-step routines, expensive serums, anti-aging products, and the latest skincare products they’ve seen influencers recommend online.

The skincare trend is one of the biggest trends among young girls right now, and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.

And I say that not with excitement, but with genuine concern.

Many of the products being heavily promoted on social media were never designed for young skin. They contain active ingredients intended for adults dealing with concerns like wrinkles, sun damage, and aging skin. For tweens and young teens, these ingredients can do more harm than good, potentially irritating or damaging the skin’s natural protective barrier.

At Olivia’s Rainbow Rub, we believe skincare should be simple. Olivia and I started this company because of our shared love of lotions, skincare, and natural ingredients. Our philosophy has always been that skin deserves honest ingredients, only what it truly needs and nothing more.

As both a teacher and a mom, I believe that’s a message our kids need now more than ever.

1. Have the conversation before the algorithm does. Talk to your tween or teen about what healthy skincare actually looks like and why. The medical consensus is simple: a gentle cleanser, a basic moisturizer, and sunscreen. Everything else is marketing aimed at their insecurities.

2. Read labels together. 55% of tweens don’t check product labels. Make it a habit — at home, at the store, anywhere. If the first five ingredients are unrecognizable, that’s a conversation worth having.

3. Question the content. Social media influencers typically have affiliate links that they profit from with skincare companies, despite presenting products under the guise of sharing a secret skincare tip. Help your child understand that what looks like a friend’s recommendation is almost always a paid advertisement.

4. Choose gentle, always. For any child without a diagnosed skin condition, gentler is always better. A balm cleanser over a stripping foam. A simple natural moisturizer over an active serum. Less is genuinely more — especially for young skin.

5. If there’s a real concern, see a dermatologist. If your child is struggling with a skin disease like acne, eczema, or psoriasis, an actual treatable medical condition, then you should see a dermatologist. Not follow a TikTok routine. See an actual doctor.

Every day, I see kids navigating a world filled with more information, more pressure, and more marketing than any generation before them.

These are children. Trusting what they’re told is natural. Being targeted by industries that profit from their insecurities is not.

The pressure they feel is real. Social media doesn’t end when the school day ends. It follows them home, into their bedrooms, and onto the screens they carry everywhere.

As a teacher, I try to help my students think critically about what they see online. I encourage them to ask questions, read labels, and think about who benefits from the messages they’re being given.

As a mom and the co-founder of Olivia’s Rainbow Rub, I try to offer something simpler: skincare made with honesty, transparency, and ingredients that support healthy skin rather than trying to “fix” it.

❤️ With love,

The Mom Behind the Rainbow

🌈 Olivia’s Rainbow Rub