Key Takeaways:
When I called my mom to ask her if I’d ever shown interest in her beauty routine as a child (an early 00’s baby), she laughed before answering. “You? No,” she sighed, reflecting on my mischievous childhood, “You and your sisters were too busy drawing on the walls with lipstick to care what it was for.”
Her response played on my mind as I reflected on Shay Mitchell’s—actor, entrepreneur, and founder of Béis and Onda—latest venture, Rini, a skincare line designed for children as young as four. Marketed as a “gentle introduction to self-care,” the brand invites parents to share sheet masks and moisturizers with their kids in a “just like mommy does” fashion—an idea that's equal parts endearing and unsettling.
Inspired by K-beauty, Rini translates from the Korean slang for “kiddo.” Developed alongside co-founder Esther Song, the brand was built on their daughters' curiosity about their parents’ skincare rituals. The brand's debut lineup includes sheet masks, cleansers, and moisturizers ($5.99-$6.99) designed for “mini-me moments.”
Backlash Baby
Mitchell and Song’s intention with Rini was allegedly a safe, playful entry point into skincare rituals rather than a vehicle for early beauty indoctrination. But many are not convinced—in the BeautyMatter office, we were left questioning whether the launch was, in fact, satire. Social media was certainly not buying it. Critics quickly questioned the ethics of marketing sheet masks to preschoolers, calling the move a symptom of beauty culture’s accelerating reach into childhood.
Entertainment lawyer and TikTok content creator @sanabanaanaa posted a video sharing her concern. “Just when you thought the news couldn’t get any worse, Shay Mitchell has announced she’s launching a skincare line for children,” she exclaimed, “because why should your body dysmorphia start in your teens when it could start as early as birth?”
Other industry commentators had their say. Writer Wynter Mitchell posted a story response to the launch that read “let kids be kids, don’t do this…they don’t need a complex or status symbol about one more thing, the planet is dying.” Meanwhile, Instagram beauty critique account @diet_prada highlighted that the brands products contain mineral based mica, linking this to an NBC News article that addressed the alleged over 10,000 children in Madagascar mining mica for everyday American products.
The backlash taps into the industry-wide anxiety surrounding the accelerating “adultification” of younger demographics. From tween beauty influencers to parents hosting Sephora birthday parties, the rise of Gen Alpha as an emerging beauty consumer has exposed a tension between creativity and commercialization. Brands that once celebrated self-expression are increasingly being asked to confront when that expression should begin. In short, when does self-care become consumer conditioning?
The tension unfolds against a shift in the retail landscape. Claire's, the once go-to destination for childhood beauty experimentation, friendship bracelets, and sparkly lip gloss, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, shutting several stores across the UK and US. The decline feels symbolic: The era of glitter innocence is giving way to something sleeker and more aspirational. Today, “kids' beauty” is less about play and more about polish, and as Mitchell and Song have banked on … being just like mommy.
Care or Capitalism?
On that note, can mommy even afford to buy her four-year-old skincare? Later in the video, after stating that she believed children were off-limits for beauty marketing, Sana suggested that the brand reflects that we are now in “late-stage capitalist hell.” She went on to reflect on the pressure parents will feel when their children beg for such products at the store. The comments on Sana’s video, as well as several other posts, agreed. “Such a money grab,” one read. “[Mitchell] is sooo tone deaf,” another wrote, “Most working class mums don’t have the time to be lounging in a face mask, let alone afford one for their pre-pubescent child … wtaf.”
Positive Perspectives
Still, on the other side of the coin, not everyone sees Rini as a dystopian money-maker. Some have welcomed the brand's gentle positioning, framing it as a healthier alternative to the unregulated viral skincare trends sweeping social media. It only takes one look at the turbulent year Drunk Elephant has had to see how quickly a skincare mogul can turn into one of the most controversial names in the industry.
In Sana’s comment section, another user spoke to the clear demands from pre-teens who have a strong fascination in skincare. “What’s wrong with being intentional about a product that can actually cater to their sensitive skin … regardless of this launch, they are going skincare shopping in the problematic skincare aisles.”
Many supporters argued that Rini meets a need for “age-appropriate, dermatologist-approved” products, particularly for children who already engage in routines. Others see the brand as part of a broader wellness movement emphasizing mindfulness and routine, not perfection. Mitchell pushed the idea on her Instagram that the launch was about ritual, not results, affirming that the line's playful, pastel aesthetic is more nurturing than aspirational.
Furthering her defense, Mitchell focused on Rini’s ingredients, reflecting on trying to find a face mask for her daughter. “The ingredients in these [other brand] masks are crazy … they actually shouldn’t be used for kids at all.” Instead, Rini face masks are formulated in Korea with natural, nonirritating ingredients, infused with vitamin B12 and aloe, according to the brand’s marketing materials.
Industry Involvement
Rini is both a risk and a reflection of reality. Its packaging and messaging borrow from the adult self-care vernacular—soft pastels, affirmations, and the language of “wellness bonding”—but reframed for parent-child co-use. It’s an approach that mirrors how wellness has evolved as an intergenerational lifestyle rather than a purely adult pursuit.
For retailers and investors, this transition underscores both opportunity and unease. The Gen Alpha demographic comprises digitally fluent, brand-aware households with measurable purchasing power—recent data from Listrak found that Gen Z and Gen Alpha account for 40% of skincare sales at large retailers like Ulta Beauty. Yet the cultural stakes are high, particularly as parents, policymakers, and psychologists voice concern over the effects of marketing beauty ideals to impressionable audiences.
Whether Rini succeeds or not, its launch marks an inflection point. As beauty culture grows younger and more sophisticated, the industry faces a defining challenge: how to nurture curiosity and care without monetizing innocence. Children mimic what they see, and beauty rituals have become a form of social currency. The question isn’t whether this market exists; it's whether brands can enter it responsibly.
As of press time, Rini declined to comment
