In the era of "face value economy", the audience of cosmetics is younger, and the consumption of children's makeup has increased significantly year-on-year
This generation of children's exposure to makeup is much earlier than the post-70s and 80s. What should parents do?
■A child's appearance anxiety does not come out of thin air. Only by finding the right switch can we help them pass through the sensitive period of growth smoothly. From focusing on external beauty to focusing on inner beauty, high-quality companionship of parents and home-school co-education are the key to success. The key to resolving children's "appearance anxiety"
■Our reporter Wu Jinjiao
Children's lipstick, children's eye shadow, children's nail polish... Nowadays, many children's makeup products are increasingly sought after by young parents and children.
Entering the era of "face value economy", the cosmetics audience is showing a trend of younger age.
Statistics show that at least 50 million children in China use cosmetics every year, and in 2020, the consumption of children's makeup in my country will increase by 300% year-on-year.
From January 1 this year, the "Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Children's Cosmetics" has been officially implemented. This is the first regulatory document in my country that specifically targets children's cosmetics.
In addition to strengthening the supervision of children's cosmetics, many scholars also pointed out that children's use of cosmetics is more worthy of attention.
Rather than worrying about whether children can make up frequently and the benefits of makeup to children, it is better to deeply analyze the underlying reasons behind the appearance: children’s love for beauty is by no means a bad thing, and it can be an excellent opportunity for parents to introduce aesthetic education; The pursuit of beauty comes from "appearance anxiety", which is another matter.
It should be noted that children's appearance anxiety does not come out of thin air. Only by finding the right switch can we help them pass the sensitive period of growth smoothly. From focusing on external beauty to focusing on inner beauty, parents' high-quality companionship and home-school co-education can help them pass through the sensitive period of growth smoothly. It is the key to resolving children's "appearance anxiety".
Is Children's Makeup Cosmetics or Toys?
Today, on social networking sites, children's makeup is becoming more and more beautiful.
Natural and fresh "photo makeup", fairy-like "stage makeup", and creative oil painting makeup for children... Different makeup looks are suitable for different occasions, attracting many young parents to frequently leave messages for consultation and even inquiries. Some also directly expressed their desire to "make an appointment" for their children.
Following children, a complete and beautiful economic industrial chain is being formed.
"The market for children's makeup is indeed quite broad." Associate Professor Zhang Qianjie, director of the Department of Cosmetics, International Cosmetics College, Shanghai University of Applied Sciences, mentioned in an interview that according to the seventh census data, there are about 250 million children aged 0-14 in my country, accounting for the country's total. 17.95% of the population.
With the rise of children's clothing industry and fashion industry, children's entertainment life has become more and more abundant, and talent activities such as children's performances and catwalks have emerged one after another. These have provided many consumption scenarios and consumption driving forces for the development of the children's makeup market.
So, is children's makeup a cosmetic or a toy?
When the reporter checked multiple e-commerce platforms, he found that the price of children's beauty products ranged from a dozen yuan to a few hundred yuan.
On the product introduction page, some merchants also marked "non-toxic, natural skin care, no preservatives" and so on.
But it is worth mentioning that many platforms classify children's makeup in the category of "toys".
At the end of last year, the State Food and Drug Administration made it clear in its reply to the Shandong Provincial Food and Drug Administration's "Request for Instructions on the Qualitative Issues of "Children's Color Cosmetics" Products, "If the product's label, instructions, appearance, etc. indicate that the product conforms to cosmetics. By definition, whether it is sold alone or together with other products such as toys, the product is a cosmetic and should be managed as a cosmetic in accordance with the law.”
Obviously, there are still a considerable number of products on the market that have not been registered or filed in accordance with the requirements of children's cosmetics.
"We found in our research that some children's make-up are under the banner of children's make-up toys, and do not contain full ingredient labels, so the quality is difficult to guarantee." Zhang Qianjie explained that children's skin cuticle is thinner and more sensitive than adults.
The colorants, powdery raw materials, flavors, preservatives and other ingredients in make-up will stimulate the delicate skin of children, and long-term use is prone to adverse reactions such as allergies.
Therefore, it is not recommended for children to use make-up unless necessary.
For children who have performance needs, parents should buy regular children's makeup products.
From the love of beauty to the anxiety of appearance, who can untie this "knot"?
Knowing that functional makeup products are not suitable for children, why are there so many people from children to parents who are willing to pay for them?
A parent said frankly in an interview, "The child models and child actors on TV all wear beautiful makeup, and even the camera has its own beauty and makeup. I don't want my children to be rustic." There are also parents. Said that it is normal for children to have the pursuit of beauty, curiosity and desire to explore, as long as it does not endanger their health, it is acceptable for children to wear makeup occasionally.
"The parenting concept of this generation is changing." Zhang Qianjie said, especially when the post-90s become parents, the consumer psychology of this generation also objectively affects the development of the children's makeup market.
For example, parents of the younger generation are happy to infiltrate social and entertainment elements into their consumption behavior.
"Beautiful photos" and "high likes" are important reasons why many parents who are willing to "show off their babies" buy related makeup products for their children.
From the perspective of the general environment: first, influenced by mothers’ daily makeup behavior, this generation of children is exposed to makeup much earlier than the post-70s and post-80s; second, the “touch screen generation” is affected by the economy of appearance. also inevitable.
Duan Jinyun, a professor at the School of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at East China Normal University, found that in the era of short videos, teenagers' desire to be liked and noticed will further strengthen their use of makeup.
However, experts also appealed that it is worth noting that a small number of teenagers have fallen into deformed aesthetics due to excessive pursuit of "beauty".
Many people have begun to reflect. In the era of "beauty economy", even many adults have anxiety about appearance. When the wind of "beauty economy" blows to children, can children who are not yet mature can bear it?
From the love of beauty to the anxiety of appearance, who can untie this "knot" for children?
The aesthetic education barrier is moved forward, and the home and school work together to improve children's aesthetic ability
"The threshold of aesthetic education must be moved forward!" According to the analysis of some psychological experts, most of the teenagers who have "appearance anxiety" have some biased cognitions about what beauty is.
For example, they tend to think that "if you look good, you will be liked by others", "if you look good, you will be happy in life", "if you are not good-looking, you will be looked down on by others" and so on.
Yu Qinfang, director of the Family Education Research and Guidance Center of the General Education Institute of the Shanghai Academy of Education Sciences, believes that children's excessive "appearance anxiety" may be related to a single evaluation from the outside world.
For example, lack of self-confidence in academics, excessive attention from parents, etc., may have an impact.
Therefore, parents must view their children's growth more comprehensively, and families and schools must also rationally treat the phenomenon of children's love of beauty, which is a necessary part of their growth process.
Zhang Qi, director of the Youth Mental Health Education Research and Training Center of East China Normal University and associate professor of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, said that in the early childhood, children have not yet formed the concept of "beauty".
Whether it is a deformed aesthetic concept or excessive "appearance anxiety", the cause cannot be traced back to one thing: the influence of the parents in the family environment.
As psychologist Winnicott wrote in "Mind Lessons for Moms": "Your children also expect you to truly know what you want and believe in, and they will benefit from your strong beliefs. , and also establish your own standards more or less on top of yours."
In Zhang Qi's view, the role of parents as role models is very important.
Rather than banning children from touching make-up across the board, it is better to start from oneself, to link beauty, money, social status and values less, to pass on some positive concepts to children, and to provide more high-quality companionship and interaction.
Compared with heavy makeup and other external decorations, you might as well take your children to various art galleries to see exhibitions, teach them to appreciate the beauty with true connotation, and improve their aesthetic ability.
From the school's point of view, aesthetic education is not simply to open one or two more courses, but to explore more diverse forms of education, introduce more and better resources, and let children pay more attention to "inner beauty". Enhance and nurture.