Shay Mitchell’s Kid Skin Care Line Isn’t That Deep. Neither Was Your Childhood Beauty Obsession.
As someone who reported extensively on the skin care craze among children and tweens last year, I’d like to preface this story by agreeing with a major point from critics. Of course, skin care for children is not necessary. It was never a question of if skin care was necessary, but rather if children who are interested in skin care can experiment with products responsibly and safely—and maybe do so without parents having to spend $72 on a Drunk Elephant moisturizer.
Child interest in skin care and makeup is not new behavior. Most Glamour staffers recall receiving eye shadow and lipstick palettes from kids’ stores like Claire’s as gifts or stealing a jar of face cream from their mother’s medicine cabinet. Type in “play makeup for kids” on Amazon and you’ll have hundreds of results.
In an interview with Elle, Shay Mitchell cited a similar experience with her two daughters as the inspiration behind the brand. “My girls would always see me with [masks on], especially when getting prepared for any makeup to follow,” she told the publication. “They would just come into the bathroom and look at me in the mirror and be like, Can I use that? What’s that? I’ll even pass them some deodorant—with a lid on, of course—just so they feel like they can be a part of my routine. I also want them to know that skin care, for me, is about creating healthy habits and about having that self-care time—that’s important.”
As media psychologist Don Grant, PhD, previously told Glamour, this behavior is part of a long history of girls wanting to play at being older.
“Forever in history, from the time girls were little, they were given what? Dolls,” he says. “What is a doll? A doll is to be a mommy. We also know that little girls have always loved to play dress-up, and they love to play with mommy’s makeup. This is not new to try to mature a little faster and test things out.”
“Play” is the key word here. My first reaction to Rini, before seeing any of the backlash, was that it was similar to the play makeup I used as a child; the aforementioned Claire’s palettes made with god-knows-what ingredients that I happily smeared onto my entire face and body.
What has been sorely missed in the discourse around Rini is that it’s play skin care. The word “play” is even mentioned twice in the brand’s mission statement: “Rini is where skin care meets play, a world where kids can dream, transform, and explore with dermatologist-tested products parents trust,” Mitchell wrote, alongside cofounders Esther Song and Matte Babel. “Our mission is simple: to nurture healthy habits, spark confidence, and make thoughtfully crafted daily care essentials and play products accessible to every family.”
