Ifah’s daughter was only seven when she first became interested in her mother’s beauty products. The young girl would observe the older woman applying her skincare and makeup every morning and would ask her mother to apply the products on her too.
“She even learned how to apply them herself – I had to hide my stash so she wouldn’t keep using it,” the 37-year-old technical specialist, who declined to give her full name, said.
One of her friend’s daughters, an eight-year-old, once showed Ifah how she applies makeup and skincare. “She even does GRWMs,” Ifah said, referring to “Get Ready With Me” videos showing creators getting ready for the day.
“I was surprised at how ‘advanced’ she was in her makeup skills at her age.”
These young girls point to a worrying phenomenon known as cosmeticorexia, a blend of the words cosmetic and anorexia.
“Cosmeticorexia is an umbrella term for an unhealthy obsession with achieving ‘flawless’ skin that drives excessive, age-inappropriate, or compulsive use of cosmetics and cosmetic procedures,” said Dr Lynn Chiam, a dermatologist at the Children & Adult Skin Hair Laser Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.
Dr Chiam told CNA Women that this preoccupation is evident among young children, particularly girls, who use skincare products meant for adult skin, despite having no significant skin concerns.
She said this can be seen in the “Sephora kids” phenomenon, where girls, typically aged seven to 14, spend a lot of time in beauty stores browsing and buying skincare or makeup.
WHAT COSMETICOREXIA CAN LOOK LIKE
“The blend of ‘cosmetic’ and ‘anorexia’ is used to signal an obsessive, compulsive nature of a behaviour, and it has physical and psychological consequences,” Dr Chiam said.
It can start with a heightened awareness of beauty products, skincare or even aesthetic procedures, she added.
“Some of my patients include teenagers who are well-versed not only in the newest creams and serums but also in procedures like lasers, energy-based devices, even Botox and other injectables,” she said.
