The first time I ever dared to step into a makeup store was on my 13th birthday. I had saved up all my money and was prepared to get the basics: mascara, blush and concealer. My poreless, flawless skin gleamed against the fluorescent lights of the Washington Square Mall Sephora. As I grew up, I started to understand why. 

My mind was in a very fragile and influential state, and all I wanted to do was fit in. Now, at 17, I look at kids just entering their pre-teen years experiencing these exact feelings. To an extent, I feel bad for this upcoming generation; they have all been pressured to live up to a standard many of them can’t even grasp. But the greater half is incredibly displeased any time I see one of them pop up on my For You Page on TikTok.

It has taken me a very long time to meticulously construct what is now, in my opinion, an extensive yet effective skincare routine to treat every one of my issues. I use two cleansers, then two serums and snail mucin to retain hydration. This may seem like a lot to the untrained eye, but in reality, these five daily steps take just five minutes out of my day to complete. For a while, I thought I had conquered the skincare industry. All it took was one TikTok of a kid half my age to blow me out of the water. From my research, here are the most common steps in the skincare routine of a person who isn’t even old enough to experience the frustration of acne. 

To start, they use some sort of essence. The most popular is the Mario Badescu Facial spray. Not only is essence a nonessential step that comes after cleansing and toning, but also the brand Mario Badescu had a class action lawsuit filed against them in 2013 for being accused of using steroids in two of their products. 

Now that they have prepared their face with countless harmful chemicals, the fun has just begun. They continue with micellar water, retinol, toner, bronzer drops, at least three types of moisturizers and, finally, a protective spray to keep the dirty air away from the perfect skin they just doused in eight other steps.

On top of these kids doing their ten-step skincare routine twice daily, the price of it all isn’t any better. As much as I would like to blame these kids for their oblivion, they are only influenced and supported by their families. Consumerism has a chokehold on these young, susceptible kids, as all they want to do is fit in. This may be done on purpose by the brands that are ruling the skincare industry, or it may just be the signs of a new time. Either way, its effects have been very apparent on Generation Alpha and on the new generations to come. 

All in all, maybe my perspective on these kids is rooted in jealousy felt both by 13-year-old me and even 17-year-old me. In all honesty, maybe I was one of these kids long before they came along.