Sali Hughes on beauty: will social media bans for teens mean the return of grownup skincare?

Soon it will be harder for the beauty industry to aggressively market at children, hopefully spelling the end of gimmicky, ineffective kiddie makeup This summer’s announcement that under-16s will soon be banned from some social media platforms and, more recently, that 16- and 17-year-olds will face a digital curfew, strikes me as a good and sensible decision. It also has unignorable benefits for beauty consumers who are old enough to vote, as opposed to those receiving pocket money – with whom brands are inexplicably obsessed. A social media ban makes it harder – though not impossible – for the beauty industry to market aggressively and cynically at children, which might mean gimmicky, ineffectual kiddie makeup and skincare will stop occupying a disproportionate share of marketing spend and retail space. Will it be the end for “lip oils” in 36 shades of pink? Top of my own extinction wish list is pH colour-adjusting anything: the raft of makeup designed to adapt to the wearer’s own body chemistry to create a “personalised” shade of Pepto-Bismol pink that looks horrible in comparison to any lipstick, gloss or blusher that declares its true colour from the off. Speaking of blushers,

Aug 19, 2026 → Aug 19, 2026