Create A Clean Skincare Line For Kids And Tweens [Full Guide]
Creating a skincare line for children and tweens is not as simple as it seems.
With the rise of ‘Sephora kids’, there is huge untapped potential for a new-entry tweens skincare brand.
But with concerns over inappropriate products and harmful ingredients, parents to impress, and heavier restrictions on marketing - success with this demographic requires a clearer strategy and more sensitive approach.
That’s why we’ve created this in-depth guide to creating a skincare line for the younger generation.
Keep reading to learn how to formulate and market clean skincare products that are safe for young skin, appeal to Generation Alpha, and impress their parents enough to purchase.
The Rise Of The Gen Alpha Market For Skincare
While skincare sales are growing across the board in the US, households with Generation Alpha tweens and teens are seeing the largest increase. NielsenIQ reports an approximately 28% increase in skincare spending for these households from 2022-2023, relative to a 13.1% increase among the entire US population as a whole.
Additionally, a 2023 Piper Sandler survey of teens found that skincare purchases increased by 19% year-on-year, while the demographic spent 33% more on beauty products relative to 2022.
A tech-savvy generation, this stronger interest in skincare among children is heavily linked to beauty influencers. Gen Alpha consumes much of the same beauty-based content on platforms like Tiktok and Youtube as their older counterparts.
Children and tweens are even becoming the influencers for their generation. As reported by Mint Lounge, skinfluencers as young as seven are promoting high-end skincare products specifically formulated to slow the signs of aging to a younger and younger audience.
This is raising alarms about appropriate skincare for young tweens and kids, and the ethics of marketing to children.
If you want to market products to kids or tweens, be particularly mindful about:
The selection of products in the range: is each product appropriate for young skin?
The ingredients used in each product: is every ingredient clean and safe for kids and tweens?
Branding and product packaging: is the brand appropriate for children and does it appeal to a younger audience?
How you market your skincare line: is your marketing ethical and in compliance with all relevant laws?
Product Selection Is Key For The Kids And Tweens Market
With USA Today reporting about ‘Sephora kids’ reaching for anti-aging retinol and developing 12-step routines, the public is increasingly concerned about the rise of skincare among Gen Alpha.
As reported in The Guardian, a chain of pharmacies in Sweden is even taking steps to ban the sale of anti-aging products to children under 15 in response.
Brands targeted at children need to focus on the essentials for young skin: sun protection, moisturization, and gentle cleansing.
What Products Are Gen Alpha Consuming?
Without dismissing the worrying viral Tiktok videos warning about young tweens choosing anti-aging products at Sephora, this generation’s main focus (thankfully) is age-appropriate cleansing and moisturizing products. NielsenIQ reports that Gen Alpha is using more cleansers, toners, and treatments relative to the average buyer.
Before you select your product lineup, analyze the big-name competition for the tween skincare market. As reported in GC Magazine, children aged 6-12 favor moisturizing products from ‘fun’ brands (including Bubble and Byoma) specially designed for gently treating young skin. This demographic also buys from K-Beauty brands focused on hydration like Masque Bar and Vitamasques.
The same report notes that the slightly older demographic (13-17), prefer brands that are at times too mature for their age group, including Glow Recipe, Tree Hut, Drunk Elephant, and Sol de Janeiro.
Take inspiration from these brands and create a cleaner skincare range that Gen Alpha’s parents will approve of - one that is safer on the skin, more age-appropriate, and easier to use for the younger demographic.
What Skincare Is Appropriate For The 6-13 Age Demographic?
The aim is to create a simple skincare range designed for young skin that protects, gently cleanses, tones, and moisturizes without damaging the skin barrier.
That does not mean your skincare line has to be boring! There is plenty of room for new hybrid formulas and innovative concepts - as long as your new products are entirely age-appropriate.
Keep in mind that sun protection is the most important skincare product for children.
As explained by Smith et al., sunburns in childhood increase the chances of developing cutaneous melanoma in the future. Despite this, research by Tripp and colleagues notes that an estimated 55% - 72% of children are sunburned annually, and only 25% – 65% of children wear sunscreen on an ‘often’ or ‘always’ basis.
Going Clean: How To Avoid Harmful Ingredients For Tweens
Clean and safe ingredients are essential when you are targeting the younger demographic.
As noted in a 2011 scientific review, the absorption of topical products is not just a function of the product composition, but also the properties of the user’s body and skin barrier. Those with a higher body surface area: body weight ratio (namely children) are more at risk of irritation and other negative responses.
Unsurprisingly, a study from 2015 found that atopic dermatitis (AD) is more common in childhood, and topical skincare can increase the risk of skin sensitization.
Opt For Safer Surfactants
A group of Brazilian scientists highlight that certain ingredients can be especially harmful to infants and children, including the following surfactants:
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)
Ammonium laureth sulfate
These cleansing ingredients can damage the lipid barrier, cause inflammation, and even result in mouth ulcers.
Thankfully, there are clean alternatives for these cleansing products, including:
Coco betaine
Decyl glucoside
Choose Gentler Preservatives
The same 2011 Brazilian study lists many common preservatives like parabens (and some alternatives including methylisothiazolinone) as ingredients of concern for children and infants. Many of these ingredients are linked to neurological defects, contact dermatitis, and skin rashes.
For long-lasting safe products, opt for cleaner preservatives, including:
Ethylhexylglycerin
Sodium benzoate
At Genie Supply, we specialize in vegan, cruelty-free, and safe-for-skin clean skincare. We formulate without any animal products, petroleum derivatives, or over 2,000+ other ingredients that are harmful to young skin. Learn more about our commitment to clean and safe beauty in our full guide here.
Allergies Are More Common In Children
Food allergies are more common in children than in adults, impacting approximately 8% of the child population (according to Sampson and colleagues).
In a 2020 study, 39.1% of skincare products marketed to children listed at least one allergen. Of these allergens, 41.7% were almonds, which is particularly worrying given the seriousness of nut allergies.
Surprisingly, products that contained allergens were both more expensive on average and more likely to be labeled as ‘natural’ or ‘ecological’.
Avoid ingredients that trigger common allergies and always add warnings to your cosmetic labels. Learn more about labeling to the FDA’s standards in our full guide.
Creating A Skincare Line For Kids/Tweens
Now that you have a clear idea of the types of products you want to formulate, and the kind of ingredients to exclude, it’s time to source your skincare. There are two options available to your brand:
Launch Budget-Friendly Preformulated Products
Preformulated products are not unique, however, they are a more budget-friendly option and also help speed up the product development phase.
Preformulated sourcing options include:
Bulk: buying large volumes of preformulated product in unbranded drums and sourcing your packaging and filling elsewhere
Private label: adding your own branding to a lab’s existing formula. This includes turnkey production from the formula to the customized packaging and filling
Custom product creation: a semi-customized method that involves adding a limited number of customizations to a suppliers’s existing base formula
Extra quality-control steps are important when marketing preformulated products to children and tweens:
Vet each potential preformulated formula to ensure it’s clean and gentle enough for young skin
Look at the full ingredients list for each product and confirm that every addition to the formula is safe in a kids/tweens skincare line
Book a professional consultation with the manufacturer and their team of chemists to discuss which of their preformulated products are suitable for this demographic
Seek the opinion of a professional dermatologist on each ingredient in a product before you add it to your skincare range
At Genie Supply, we offer a wide range of clean, vegan, and cruelty-free preformulated skincare products, many of which are suitable for younger skin. Read through each ingredient list and order samples directly from our website here.
Stand Out From The Competition With Custom Formulating
Although the preformulated route is less expensive and faster, custom formulating your products is the most effective method to create a skincare line for kids or tweens.
Custom formulating involves working with a team of professional chemists in a beauty lab to create unique skincare from scratch.
This method provides 100% control over every ingredient in the formula - meaning it’s incredibly easy to ensure your product is clean and gentle enough for young skin.
It’s also the best way to create products that stand out in the market. Competition for the kids/tweens market is growing - it’s not enough to launch a simple moisturizer, toner, and cleanser range that looks and performs like every other brand.
Releasing some new product concepts, creative hybrid formats, or adding innovative ingredients sets your brand apart from the rest.
At Genie Supply, we specialize in clean beauty, new-to-market concepts and product formats, hybrid skincare, and novel chemical research. Plus, we offer up to 200% of your formulating fees back as manufacturing credits over time. Learn more about our custom formulating services here.
Marketing To Generation Alpha
Developing Your Packaging
When it comes to packaging and branding aimed at Generation Alpha, we can learn a lot by looking at the success of other brands with this age demographic.
The buzz on social media around the ‘Sephora kids’ phenomenon highlighted the success that Drunk Elephant are having with young tweens. Why is a brand that is so clearly aimed at an older demographic succeeding with Generation Alpha?
It’s simple: branding.
Take a walk around the stands at Sephora… What do you notice about Drunk Elephant's display? In addition to a strong use of vivid colors, the brand cleverly names its products (check out its bundle set ‘Itty Bitty Midi Committee’), and adds its little elephant mascot logo on each product. Tween favorites Bubble and Byoma also make use of bright striking colors.
Contrast their approach with the value-for-money simple skincare brands CeraVe and Cetaphil - their clinical packaging style builds trust with adults, but it’s perceived as boring by the youngest generation.
Legal Restrictions On Marketing To Children
In addition to carefully developing your packaging design, you also need to consider all legal restrictions when marketing products to children:
For example, the EU’s Digital Service Act, which came into effect in February 2024, prohibits targeted advertising to minors based on the use of personal data
In The US, The FTC highlights the importance of complying with truth-in-advertising standards when marketing to children
At Genie Supply, we provide full turnkey production starting with the product formula through to customized packaging and filling. Using our dieline templates, collaborate with your graphic designer to create kid-friendly packaging, and we’ll bring your dream designs to life. Learn more about our customized packaging and screenprinting services in our full guide.
In sum, the three key steps to successful skincare for Generation Alpha are:
Creating age-appropriate innovative products
Choosing safe and clean ingredients
Developing vibrant fun branding and legally compliant marketing
Ready to develop a clean skincare line for children or tweens? Whether you want to start from scratch or choose from a range of preformulated products, Genie Supply would love to work with your brand! Get in touch via email: customerservice@geniesupply.com or call: (812)329-1105 for more information.