Many parents are not thrilled that Shay Mitchell is trying to sell skincare products for young children. The 38-year-old actress and entrepreneur has started promoting Rini, the skincare brand she co-founded, on social media. According to a press release, “Rini” means “children” in Korean, and the brand’s skincare products, including hydrogel masks (offered in hydrating and after-sun formulas), were specifically formulated for kids.
For many people on social media, the products seem totally unnecessary. Shay teased the launch on November 5 with a photo that showed a young girl wearing one of the masks. The post, captioned, “Something gentle, something new — launching tomorrow,” garnered a ton of negative comments. “I’m deeply disappointed,” one person commented. “Why are we projecting beauty standards onto children now?” Another said, “I struggle to find the right words to articulate how disappointing and dystopian this is 💔”
Someone else called the brand launch “irresponsible.” They wrote, “This level of consumerism is crazy. Not trying to bash Shay, but putting beauty standards on toddlers is crazy. Maybe instead let’s encourage kids to be kids!”
On November 6, Shay shared more details about Rini and explained what motivated her to launch the brand. Her intentions seemed innocent enough, but many other parents still struggled to get on board. Shay said the brand was inspired by her daughters, specifically because of “their curiosity, and all the little moments that made me realize how early it starts.” She’s mom to daughters 6-year-old Atlas and 3-year-old Rome.
Shay explained, “From birthday parties and face paint to wanting to do ‘what mommy does’ with her face masks… it was only a matter of time.” Shay also tried to clarify that the brand is not focused on “beauty.” Instead, it’s all about practicing “self-care” and “teaching our kids that taking care of themselves can be fun, gentle, and safe.”
Shay also framed the skincare products for kids as a way to embrace and encourage their curiosity. “Kids are naturally curious and instead of ignoring that, we can embrace it,” she wrote. “With safe, gentle products parents can trust, and sweet moments that bring us closer.”
But many people remained unimpressed. A lot of critics argued that young children simply do not need skincare, and the brand launch came across as an icky attempt to make more money. “Even if the intention is good, kids really don’t need skincare,” one person wrote. “It’s just another business move dressed up as something ‘cute’ or ‘innovative.’ Let them be kids. 🤍✨not mini consumers.”
Another person questioned why kids even need this type of “self-care.” They wrote, “We’re living in capitalism’s final boss level where a child’s unblemished face is just another ‘untapped market.’ Sell a calming face mask so they can relax from… what, exactly? Snack time? Existing?” Referring to it as “predatory capitalism,” someone else urged Shay to “leave children especially girls alone” because “they will spend their entire lives battling a world that constantly measures their worth by how ‘beautiful’ they are.”
Some people, however, seemed to understand where Shay was coming from. “As someone who used to like doing face masks with my mom as a kid because it was just a chill way to bond, this seems adorable,” one of them commented.
