Search for the hashtag “skin” in Tiktok Returns More than 35 million videos, but most follow the same formula. “Get ready,” a beautiful Coos influencer before walking viewers through his routine, which often involves several steps and a lot of products. These videos are wildly popular, but new research suggests that they may do more damage than good.
In the first study of the risks and benefits of social media skin routines – published today in the newspaper Pediatrics– Researchers from Northwestern University analyzed Tiktok’s creators’ regimes at the age of seven to 18 years. The findings have revealed that these girls use an average of six different products on their faces, and some use more than a dozen. The typical routine costs around $ 168 a month and includes 11 different active ingredients, which are chemicals designed to treat specific skin care such as acne or aging.
The creators of these videos chase perfect skin, and they also want to help you find it. But the reality is that laying these many active ingredients at the same time increase the risk of developing skin anger, solar sensitivity and skin allergy known as Contact DermatitisAccording to the researchers. Previous studies have shown That developing this allergy can limit the types of soaps, shampoos and cosmetics that you can use for the rest of your life.
“That high risk of anger came from both use of multiple active ingredients at the same time, such as hydroxy acids, as well as applying the same Active ingredient Unconsciously again and again when that active ingredient was found in three, four, five different products, ” said Chief Author Molly Hales, postdoctoral research companion and dermatologist at Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwest University, according to a university statement.
For this study, Hales and colleague each created a new Tiktok account and reported themselves to be 13 years old. They collected a sample of 100 unique skin videos, later documented the demographies of the creators; the number and types of products used; and the total cost of each mode. Everyone, except one of the 82 creators, were girls with a clear, light, unbridled skin, according to the study. The researchers then created a list of the active and inactive ingredients of each product and identified, which most likely caused contact dermatitis.
The 100 videos featured 260 separate products. Among the 25 top-seen videos, 76% contained at least one possible contact allergen-type smell. But the most common ingredients were chemical ex-leaflets called alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). The above videos contained three AHAs by on average, with some with up to seven of these ex -flyers. The most popular active ingredient, citrus acid, has been found in 29% of all products.
AHAs can cause skin anger and increase solar sensitivity, according to the Food and drug management. Because of this, it is important to use these ingredients moderately and follow them by SPF to prevent sunburn and reduce the risk of developing skin cancer. Even so, only 26% of videos on day -to -day skin routines included solar protection.
“The overall low rate of sun -brown use in the videos represents a significant missed opportunity, especially for the youngest creators and users who still do not need acne treatments, opposite ingredients, or even current emolients, but would benefit from dedicated sun protection,” the authors state. In one video, 10-year-old with red hair and fair, fresh skin-which is Markers From melanoma risk – Apply eight different products, none of them contained SPF.
Gizmodo extended to Tiktok for a comment, but the company did not respond before the release. Tiktok spokesman told The guardian, “This type of content is common in all media, and the authors acknowledge that they did not evaluate its impact on adolescent welfare. However, they have found effective benefits to adolescent self-expression, parent-adolescent binding and construction of a supportive community on Tiktok.”
However, the researchers have concluded that these videos “offer little or no benefit for the pediatric populations they seek.” The modes are too complicated, expensive, expensive and increase the exposure of children to anger, allergy and solar damage, they say.
What’s more, the proliferation of skin content increased the stigma around acne, eczema, aging and other skin conditions, Tess McPherson of the British Association of Dermatologists – who was not involved in the study – told the guard.
“Younger and younger children are looking for skin products when they don’t need them, they don’t help,” she said. “This is very concerned with a statement about society and as we see how skin should look like.”
