Shay Mitchell Launches Korean Skincare Line For Kids? Is This Really 'Cute'?

Actor Shay Mitchell has launched “Rini”, a skincare and “play” brand for children as young as three years old. The products include hydrogel masks, vitamin serums, after-sun repair creams, and mini skincare tools, all presented as ways for children to explore “creativity,” “confidence,” and “self-care.”

At first, it looks cute, colourful, and harmless, because skincare has become a popular hobby among teenagers and adults. But when the target customer is a preschooler, we need to stop and ask, what message are we sending to children about their bodies, their skin, and their worth?

Children Do Not Need Skincare; They Need Childhood

A three-year-old doesn’t need a “routine.” They need mud, paint, sand, sun, laughter, and unstructured play. Their skin is still developing, and most dermatologists agree that young children should only use very gentle products, like water, mild soap, and sunscreen when needed.

If a child has a skin issue such as eczema, rashes, or barrier problems, they should be seen by a doctor. The solution should be medical care, not beauty products packaged as fun self-care activities.

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The Beauty Industry Has Already Captured Teens, Now It’s Moving to Children

The beauty world used to focus on adults. But, over the last few years, it has shifted to tweens and teens, with viral videos of 10-year-olds buying expensive anti-ageing serums and retinol products. Beauty brands discovered a new young audience, and they tapped into it through social media trends.

The industry has begun reaching even younger children, using colourful packaging, “cute” mini products and the idea of skincare as play to slip into a child’s world.

When beauty is presented as a game, children start to believe their bodies need products to be “better,” long before they even understand what self-care means. It isn’t self-care at all; it’s social conditioning.

The Language Around These Products Is Even More Concerning

Rini’s marketing uses words like confidence, creativity, identity and self-expression, words we usually hear when adults are trying to grow or heal.

Using them to sell face masks and serums to toddlers sends a very different message. It shows that confidence can be bought, that creativity comes from products instead of imagination, and that self-expression is about skincare rather than drawing, dancing, role-play or messy play.

And if a child is told a face mask will make them “feel confident,” what happens on the days they don’t use it? Are we making them insecure about their natural face at just four years old?

Skincare as “Bonding” Is Not the Answer

Some have argued that the brand is meant for “parent-child bonding.” But bonding does not require beauty products. It can come from reading together, building a pillow fort, cooking, colouring, or playing outside.

Bonding that revolves around appearance teaches a child that their value is linked to how they look, and that time with a parent must involve beauty rituals.

Children should learn to love spending time with family without needing to “fix” or “treat” their skin.

Let Kids Be Kids

Real self-care for a child isn’t about serums or face masks. It looks like getting enough sleep, eating healthy food, having time to play, and feeling safe, loved and heard.

It’s the freedom to be silly, curious, messy and imperfect without anyone telling them to “fix” how they look. The world already puts huge pressure on adults to meet unrealistic beauty standards, and bringing that pressure into a child’s life before they even start school is not progress; it’s a business strategy disguised as empowerment. Kids don’t need glow-ups; they need childhood.

They deserve muddy clothes, messy hair, paint on their skin and the confidence to believe they are enough just as they are. Let children enjoy being children before the beauty industry convinces them not to.

Views expressed by the author are their own.