I know how hard it can be to set your teenager up with the ideal skincare routine. You want to get them started with good habits and preserve the health of their skin so their future self will thank you. How many skincare editors have thanked their mothers for passing on a love of sunscreen?

The teens and tweens of this generation are probably the most educated when it comes to skincare and beauty of any generation. I had a Clinique make-up counter as my first attempt at any kind of routine. This generation has daily Youtube how-to make up videos and shelfies to learn anything they could want. They are also incredibly ingredient conscious and altruistic when it comes to their environmental footprint.

When you add in typical skincare concerns like teenage acne, it's quite the set of criteria to build a clean, vegan and cruelty free but also effective yet simple skincare routine. Woof. However, I bet a lot of parents would kill to have a similar skincare routine. Believe it or not, there is room for you as a parent to make suggestions that your discerning teenager will appreciate and maybe even a couple of items you can share with them. Yay! A true win for all.

Sunscreen

If you can influence one skincare habit for your kid, this is the ultimate one. Repeat after me- suncare is skincare and is the most important step of them all. I have a feeling most teenagers are actually getting more on board with using a daily sunscreen. They want one that is good for their bodies and the planet (i.e. a reef safe sunscreen) so a mineral option will be top of mind.

We just launched our Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum SPF 35, which may be a little pricey so I’lll let you ponder the ROI on that. It’s kind of gorgeous to apply so if anything buy it for yourself and defend it from vanity thieves. Our soon to launch reformulation of Every Morning Sun Whip SPF 30 takes the ease of application of its predecessor but removes some ingredients that we just do not need any more and will be an all-mineral. Any teenager, girl or boy, can slap this one on daily with minimal blending. It can double as their hydration step too and will not exacerbate acne. This one will also be ideal for husbands who prefer the slap dash method of sunscreen application and can blend into stubble (but not beards). Check back with us in late April of 2020 for when this one will launch.

Acne

If your teenager has any signs of acne scarring, I'd recommend seeing a dermatologist as soon as possible. Acne scarring involves permanent changes in the texture of skin and is one of the hardest to treat involving expensive and sometimes painful laser treatments or injectable fillers down the road.

If your teenager has mild to moderate acne that they would like to treat, then I recommend something like our Exfoliant Reveal with 8% glycolic acid. It applies like a gel so is ideal for night time and only a thin layer is required. It’s gentle enough that it won’t be irritating but is great for preventing pore congestion and exfoliating the top layer of skin. Our Retin+Erase and Bakuchiol Building Blocks are great from an active ingredient point of view since they contain Vitamin A derivatives but I find they might be too rich for those with teenager acne. Save those options for the correction part of your routine.

I'm a big fan of salicylic acid, a popular BHA- something simple with a 1-2% concentration like. Neutrogena used to have a great one with 7 ingredients but I have not been able to find it in years. In light of that, I'd recommend ones like the CosRx Blackhead Power Liquid. Alternatively, keep your cleanser simple while focusing on other corrective measures with acid free cleansers like our O+Lait Oil to Milk Melting Cleanser.

As the daughter of dermatologist, I became a big fan of trimming my own 'pimple patches' from DuoDERM dressings. Little did I know that I was on to something and now hydrocolloid patches for acne are ready made and easy to use! I'm a big fan for larger, red comedones that are tempting to pick. Pop one of these on and it helps remove the temptation.

I don't think teenagers need a ton of other products but everyone needs hydration. Contrary to popular opinion, I'm not a huge fan of plant based oils for acneic skin, I especially do not like rosehip oil for it. I therefore would avoid any simple face oils or emulsions that contain them.

I love our H20 Hydration for its simplicity in terms of the inactives. It's the perfect texture as it is lightweight. Resveratrol is great for all skin types but has good clinical data to show it helps improve acne. I'm conscientious of the fact that it might be a bit pricey but again it would be a good product to share. You could also think about adding in something with Niacinamide to help remove the redness and calm inflamed skin:

Mineral Make-Up

Thank goodness the strobing and mud-cheeks of a couple years ago have passed as a trend. I love that skin is shining through and the less is more is on trend. Having said that, it can be tough if you are having issues with acne. I'm not a make-up artist but I have cover matched people before using Jane Iredale Mineral Make-Up and I will vouch for what it can do for skin. I love good quality mineral make-up because it is lightweight and breathable. You can build to the level of coverage that you need and it reflects light nicely. It's also forgiving so you do not have issues with streaking or not blending. I don't know how much love Jane Iredale gets from the younger generation- it might not be as trendy as Glossier but it's the gold standard of foundations in my books. I know with the COVID-19 crisis looming and many still staying at home, people have paired down their make-up essentials considerably. I’ve been loving the Contour Kit in Warm from Jane Iredale. It has a baked bronzer that is free of glitter for the hollows of your cheeks and orbital crease. It just warms your complexion and removes any sallow tones. The blush is the perfect spring coral for a pop of colour and the highlighter is shine free so not as overt as other options. I pair it with the Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forever Pink. It’s so pretty and perfect for you or your teenager with a hint of sheen. We bundled the two together in our Five Minute Face essentials so you can pick both up. I will add our Sun Lip Sun Whip from Ava Isa in Strawberry Zinnia for a buildable but wearable boost of red with an SPF. That product is not launched yet but hopefully will be available in the summer- just in time for graduation and teacher gifts!

So there you have it! A couple of tidbits for the discerning mom with the ever evolving teenager. What do you think? Anything you would add? What is the likelihood of your teenager incorporating any of this? All right, off I go back to my 4 year old who already rolls her eyes at me but concedes that I am at least a 'skincare professional' and thus has some earthly value (the attitude starts young).

How to Buy Skincare for a Teenager