
To some, skin care routines might seem like a harmless – or even healthy – hobby. After all, taking good care of your skin is often branded as “self-care.” Adults who are trying to take good care of themselves, however, aren’t the only ones experimenting with skin care.
In recent years, young girls’ skin care routines have become increasingly elaborate. And according to a recent study, modern skin care trends might actually be harming young girls.
Teen girls are using lots of skin care products.
According to the Northwestern University study, an increasing number of teen girls have skin care routines that go far beyond using a simple cleanser to keep their faces clean. Northwestern Medicine scientists found that on average, content creators ages 7 to 18 use six skin care products. Some teen girls use even more than that, costing them (or their parents) lots of money.
Per the study, which was published June 9, 2025, in Pediatrics, teen girls are spending an average of $168 per month on skin care. If that sounds like a lot, some teens reportedly spend more than $500 on their skin care routines!
Using so many products at once comes with health risks.
The cost is not the only issue. By mixing so many products together, teens might be damaging their skin. Many teen and tween content creators who document their skin care routines on social media are promoting practices that could lead to skin irritation, sun sensitivity, or allergic contact dermatitis, the study found.
In a news release, researcher Dr. Molly Hales, explained that the “high risk of irritation came from both using multiple active ingredients at the same time, such as hydroxy acids, as well as applying the same active ingredient unknowingly over and over again when that active ingredient was found in three, four, five different products.”
Per CNN, Hales added that many of the teens and tweens did not use sunscreen as part of their skin care routines, and instead used products that made their skin more sensitive to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, increasing the risk of skin cancer.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone who shares skin care or health information on TikTok has a background in science. Dermatologist Dr. Sonal Shah, who did not help with the study, told CNN that misinformation on social media can be a major issue – especially for teens.
Beyond the allergic contact dermatitis risk, other issues exist with the teen skin care routine trend.

In addition to coming with health risks, teen skin care routines tend to exacerbate harmful ideas about health and beauty. Hales said teen skin care content on social media seems to be “less about health and more (about) pursuing an idea of beauty that is unrealistic and problematic,” per CNN.
In the news release, the researcher added that these elaborate skin care routines set “a very high standard for these girls.”
“The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society, but the ideal of ‘health’ is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness,” Hales said.
Many parents have expressed concerns about how much time and money their teenagers spend on their skin care routines. The study indicates that it is, indeed, concerning. “It’s problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin,” Hales stated.