Teenage girls’ TikTok skincare regimes offer little to no benefit, research shows
Skincare regimes demonstrated by young influencers on TikTok offer little to no benefit, researchers have found, saying that on the contrary they raise the risk of skin irritations and lifelong allergies in children.The team behind the study say there has been a rise in young girls sharing videos of complex skincare routines with moisturisers, toners, acne treatments and anti-ageing products.In the first study of its kind, researchers analysed such videos on the platform and found the regimes are not only laborious – some girls wake up as early as 4.30am to fit in their routines – but pricey, unnecessary and potentially harmful.“The risks associated with using these products, especially in young girls, far outweighs whatever marginal benefit you may get from using the active ingredients,” said Dr Molly Hales, the first author of the research from Northwestern University.
Hales added that while social mediacould be a place for playfulness and self-expression, young girls did not need such regimes.“The danger is when girls get the message that this is something that they have to do to take care of their skin and to protect their health,” she said.“These products don’t increase the health of your skin and they probably worsen your skin integrity over time.”She said a gentle cleanser once or twice a day and the application of sunscreen was sufficient.Writing in the journal Paediatrics, Hales and colleagues report how they created two TikTok accounts, purportedly for 13-year-olds and, and accumulated a sample of 100 skincare routines videos filmed by young people.
The team found all but one of the 82 creators were girls, and their age ranged from seven to 18 years old.“Almost all content creators had clear, light skin without visible blemishes,” the researchers write, adding the videos “made frequent reference to aspirational beauty ideals that may be tied to whiteness”.The study reveals the skincare regimes involved six products on average, often from the same brands, with a total average cost of $168 (£124).However, some involved more than a dozen products with a total cost of more than $500 (£369).“Get Ready With Me” videos were the most common, followed by “Skin Care Routine” and “After School” skincare routine videos.
The team found many of the ingredients in the featured products, such as citric acid, carry a risk of skin irritation and sun sensitivity – meaning they increase the chance of sunburn and other skin damage,Yet only 26% of the 84 videos showing daytime skincare routines included a sunscreen – something that authors called “a significant missed opportunity”,Hales said the use of products with multiple active ingredients, or layering products with the same active ingredients, increased the risk of skin irritation,The researchers found that among the 25 top-viewed videos, 76% contained at least one potential contact allergen – often fragrance,Dr Tess McPherson of the British Association of Dermatologists, who was not involved in the work, said the study was important, backing up anecdotal reports of an increase in young people attending clinics with skin irritation.
“We’re certainly seeing a huge increase in people wanting something they call perfect or flawless skin, which we know is unachievable [and] unhelpful – it doesn’t make people happy,” she said.McPherson said she was aware of young people asking for birthday money to put towards expensive skincare products, many of which were being targeted at young girls through appealing packaging.As well as the risks highlighted by the study, McPherson said the skincare videos contributed to an increase in stigma around conditions such as acne and eczema as well as a fear of ageing, a message she said was reinforced by women embracing Botox and fillers.“Younger and younger children are seeking skincare products when they don’t need them, they’re not helpful,” she said.“This is a very concerning statement on society and how we view how skin should look.
”A TikTok spokesperson said: “This type of content is common across all media, and the authors admit they did not assess its impact on teen wellbeing.However, they did find actual benefits to teen self-expression, parent-teen bonding, and building a supportive community on TikTok.” This article was amended on 9 June 2025 to correct Dr Tess McPherson’s honorific; a previous version referred to her as “Prof Tess McPherson”.
WPP chief Mark Read to step down as ad agency battles AI
The boss of WPP, Mark Read, has announced he will step down, as the advertising agency, which was once the largest in the world, struggles against the rise of artificial intelligence and with its shares at their lowest level in about five years.Read will leave WPP after more than 30 years, with just under seven spent in the top job. He will stay on as chief executive until the end of the year while the board starts to look for his successor.WPP’s share price has shed about half of its value under his leadership, as the company has struggled against the rise of AI tech that helps companies to automate the creation of adverts.The chair of WPP, the former BT boss Philip Jansen, said Read “played a central role in transforming the company into a world leader in marketing services”
Farage is like a tribune for the working class, says former Bank of England economist
Nigel Farage is the closest to a “tribune for the working class”, the former Bank of England chief economist has said, in a stark warning for Keir Starmer’s Labour party.Andy Haldane said the surge in support for Reform UK in the opinion polls suggested there had been “something of a moral rupture” between the government and many voters, which he said should spur Starmer to take action with a “radical reset” of its growth plans.Haldane said Labour’s misfiring growth strategy and decisions on winter fuel payments and the two-child benefit limit had opened the door to Farage by fuelling a sense that mainstream politicians promise change but fail to deliver.Asked whether Reform was the new party of the working class, Haldane said: “I do not know. [But] as things stand today, and doing no more than echoing what is in the polls … that is what the larger part of the working classes think – which matters rather more than what I think
Bidders demand Thames Water granted immunity over environmental crimes
Lenders vying to take over Thames Water have demanded that the struggling company and its management be granted immunity from prosecution for serious environmental crimes as a condition of acquiring it, the Guardian can reveal.Creditors want the environment secretary, Steve Reed, to grant the water company extraordinary clemency from a series of strict rules covering everything from sewage spills to failure to upgrade its water treatment works.The demands, if successful, would render the Environment Agency (EA) largely powerless to take enforcement action against Britain’s biggest water company for some of the most serious criminal breaches of its licences and permits.Thames Water has been a serial offender in recent years, paying tens of millions of pounds in fines and penalties, with multiple convictions for dumping raw sewage into rivers and streams and dozens more investigations under way.The fate of the heavily indebted utility was thrown into further doubt this week when the US private equity firm KKR quit an auction to buy it, citing concerns about politicisation and the poor state of its assets
Trump bill set to add trillions to US debt pile – can America stop it climbing?
Economists are concerned, politicians are angry – but the national debt keeps growing, no matter who’s in chargeIn this febrile political era, few issues command stronger bipartisan support than the need for fiscal responsibility. Barack Obama and Donald Trump committed to curtail the US national debt on their respective roads to the White House.And yet, no matter the party, Americans have been able to count on one thing above most: the national debt will keep climbing.And here we are again. With Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” threatening to add once more to the US’s huge debts, several Republican senators are threatening to block his current spending plans, with Rand Paul of Kentucky among those highly critical
UK banks to experiment with Nvidia AI in ‘supercharged sandbox’ scheme
The UK’s financial regulator is to allow banks and other City firms to experiment with the US chipmaker Nvidia’s leading AI products to “speed up innovation” and fulfil government orders to boost UK growth.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it was launching a “supercharged sandbox” that would give successful applicants the chance to experiment safely with cutting-edge AI under the watchdog’s supervision, allowing them to use Nvidia’s accelerated computing products.The regulator is not dictating what those experiments might be, but some firms have previously suggested that AI could be used to identify and intercept authorised push payment fraud, in which victims are tricked into sending money to criminals’ bank accounts, or help identify stock market manipulation.The FCA’s chief data, intelligence and information officer, Jessica Rusu, said: “This collaboration will help those that want to test AI ideas but who lack the capabilities to do so. We’ll help firms harness AI to benefit our markets and consumers, while supporting economic growth
Tariff-hit firms should review bonuses or risk backlash, US lawyers warn
Businesses hit by tariffs should start reviewing their bonus policies and how deeply they may need to cut executive payouts if they hope to avoid a public backlash, lawyers have said.Partners at the Silicon Valley law firm Cooley said that while pay was probably the last thing on bosses’ minds as they scramble to adapt to Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies, pay committees should start assessing their options soon.“Many will encounter rising material costs and reduced profit margins, particularly given the significant pressure on the supply chain,” a memo by its top lawyers said.“Taken together with the recent stock market volatility, companies (both public and private) will need to address the impact of these challenges on their business and, importantly, consider the effects on director and executive compensation programs.”Cooley – whose clients have included Netflix, Apple, Meta, and Twitter before its takeover by Elon Musk and rebrand as X – said that without a proper review of pay policies, companies may end up handing big bonuses to bosses while the rest of the workforce suffers from cost cuts and job losses
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