From lotions and serums to bold scents and brightly colored packaging, skin care products now have a huge customer base among teenagers.
Companies generated more than $9 billion in sales in the past year alone, and social media is helping them reach pre-teens.
“Teens have real economic influence. They receive money as gifts. They work. There are teens who are influencers,” said Sonya, a professor at American University.・Mr. Greer said.
A video of Kim Kardashian's daughter North using beauty products received millions of views from young consumers.
“There's a huge industry of influencers that has developed specifically focused on tweens and teens,” Greer says. “A lot of times it's kids that are the same age. They might be kids of celebrities. When I connect a product to someone who I want to be like, I think, 'If I use that product, I can be like that too.' You can say, “I can become like that.” ”
The marketing professor said companies are particularly targeting young people who can spend money.
Nearly one in three teens say they use YouTube or TikTok several times a day, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. Almost one in five people say they use it all the time, which is helping to drive demand.
“We know that teenagers in particular struggle with identity issues and 'who am I?' questions. They are also highly influenced by peer pressure.” Greer said. “So companies will look at their past actions and identify ways to target markets based on these types of issues.”
Greer advised having healthy conversations with kids about skin care and changing the way we talk about aging.
Sephora and Ulta Beauty have become havens for young people. Ulta told NBC News that it does not “aggressively” promote skin care for adolescents.
“As guests shop for younger skin types, education about ingredients and products that focus on their specific skin care needs is more important than ever,” the company said in part.
So how do we teach teenagers to be critical?
“I don't think I'll be too judgmental because I have so many other triggers and my friends are doing it and my favorite influencers are doing it,” Greer said. “So it's an uphill battle to really counter this.”
The Federal Trade Commission has regulations that marketers must follow when promoting products to young audiences. However, this is a large company that shows no signs of slowing down. According to estimates, the global skin care market could reach $167 billion in sales by 2030.
