Pediatric Skin Care Regimens on TikTok

A recent trend in video-based online content features girls as young as 7 years demonstrating multistep skin care regimens, which may be affecting pediatric skin care practices. We aimed to conduct a systematic analysis of TikTok videos featuring skin care regimens with content creators aged 18 years or younger.

Two investigators each created a new TikTok account, reporting themselves to be 13 years old. The "For You" tab was used to view relevant content until 100 unique videos were compiled. We collected demographics of content creators, number and types of products used, and total cost of regimens. We created a list of products used and their active and inactive ingredients. The Pediatric Baseline Series used in patch testing was used to identify ingredients with elevated risk of inducing allergic contact dermatitis.

Content creator ages ranged from 7 to 18 years. Each video reviewed had an average of 1.1 million views. Regimens featured an average of 6 products, costing an average of $168/regimen. Only one-quarter of videos (26.2%) included sunscreen. The top 25 most-viewed videos contained an average of 11 and a maximum of 21 potentially irritating active ingredients. Twenty of the inactive ingredients are included in the Pediatric Baseline Series.

Skin care regimens on TikTok are costly, infrequently include sunscreen, and often involve exposure to ingredients that carry a risk of irritation, allergic contact dermatitis, and sun sensitivity. They offer little to no benefit for the pediatric populations they are targeting.