What do tweens and young teens actually need from skincare?

In 2025, researchers writing in Pediatrics watched 100 TikTok skincare videos served to accounts registered as 13-year-olds and took the routines in them apart: how many actives, what they cost, and whether sunscreen made it in (Northwestern University release, 4 Jun 2025). Three of their numbers come up below.

That is the backdrop to most of the questions people ask about starting skincare. Office Hours takes real ones, asked in public, and answers them plainly. Each question below is quoted as it was asked, with where it was asked in the sources.

"Do tweens need a skincare routine?"

Asked as the headline of a Mayo Clinic Minute, 27 Feb 2024.

A small one, yes. A long one, no. Mayo Clinic pediatric dermatologist Dr. Dawn Davis put it this way: "The best things that all children can do for their skin mirrors that of adults." Her list is a mild cleanser and water, a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic moisturizer, and sunscreen with a physical blocker such as zinc oxide. What she warns against is the complicated routine and the anti-aging product, because many contain acids and chemicals that can irritate young skin.

The American Academy of Dermatology's family guide (28 Oct 2025) lands in the same place. For tweens: a gentle, non-abrasive cleanser (once in the evening can be enough for dry or sensitive skin), a fragrance-free moisturizer, and a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every day. Retinol, vitamin C and exfoliating acids are on its avoid list, because they target wrinkles, sun damage and uneven tone that tweens typically don't have, and they can cause redness, burning or peeling.

The answer is 11: the routines in the study averaged 11 potentially irritating active ingredients, against a dermatologists' list for tweens that has none. The age chart sets out what is reasonable at 10, 13, 16 and 18.

"What skincare do you recommend for 13 year old?"

Asked as the title of a thread on the Sephora Community forum.

The AAD's advice for teens is short: "Stick with gentle cleansers, lightweight moisturizers, and broad-spectrum sunscreen." For teens with oily or breakout-prone skin, the same guide says salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide may be added, and because both can dry the skin, a gentle moisturizer should be used daily. It also says that before starting a retinoid, a teen should see a board-certified dermatologist.

So the pattern at 13 is three or four steps and, at most, one active. Ours looks like this, with prices checked in our store on 18 Oct 2026:

smooth sali is the active in that list. A salicylic acid toner, serum or medicated patch on top of it would be a second one, which is salicylic acid safe for a 13-year-old explains. If there are no breakouts yet, there is no job for an active, and a plain gentle cleanser does step one. How to build a skincare routine for a teenager covers each step, and what a teen routine should actually cost puts the study's other number in context: the typical routine in those videos cost $168 a month.

"Do I still need moisturizer if I have oily skin?"

Asked as the headline of an Allure Philippines article, 23 Apr 2026.

Yes. The AAD's oily skin guidance (last updated 3 Sep 2024) says it directly: "Although you have oily skin, it is still important to apply moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated." The same page explains why stripping backfires: "using a face wash that is too harsh can irritate your skin and trigger increased oil production." It suggests looking for moisturizers labeled oil free and noncomedogenic.

The three dermatologists Allure Philippines interviewed made the same point from the other side: oil is not water, oily skin can still be dehydrated, and skipping moisturizer can push skin to make more oil. They also said moisturizers are rarely the main cause of breakouts, and pointed oily skin toward lightweight, non-comedogenic gels.

The Moisturizer File goes through the oil-and-water loop in full, and how to tell your skin type helps sort oily from dehydrated.

"Do I really need to wear sunscreen every day?"

Asked by a teen on TeenHealthFX, the Atlantic Health teen question service, 17 May 2021.

Yes. The AAD's guide says tweens should wear a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every day, and tells teens to use broad-spectrum sunscreen daily. Mayo Clinic's Dr. Davis advises sunscreen for everyone from 6 months old, at SPF 15 or higher indoors and SPF 30 or higher outdoors.

In the Pediatrics study, only 26% of the daytime routines included it. That puts sunscreen in about one in four of the routines teens were shown, while dermatologists put it in every routine at every age.

Live Free's line on sunscreen is narrow on purpose: mineral filters only (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the two the FDA proposed as generally recognized as safe and effective in 2021), non-nano, and fragrance-free. And check the inactive ingredients. A sunscreen can say mineral on the front, list zinc oxide as its active, and still carry other filters or extras further down the inactive list. How sunscreen works explains the label, and The Sunscreen File has our verdict on the "is sunscreen bad for you" question.

Questions people ask

What is the most basic skincare routine for a tween?

A gentle cleanser, a fragrance-free moisturizer and a broad-spectrum sunscreen. That is the routine Mayo Clinic pediatric dermatologist Dr. Dawn Davis described in 2024 and the one the American Academy of Dermatology set out for tweens in October 2025. The AAD says tweens should skip retinol, vitamin C and exfoliating acids, which target concerns tweens typically don't have and can cause redness, burning or peeling.

Should a 13-year-old use an acne active?

Only if there are breakouts, and only one. The AAD's guide says teens with oily or breakout-prone skin may add salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, with a gentle moisturizer daily because both can dry the skin. It says to see a board-certified dermatologist before starting a retinoid. A routine without breakouts does not need an active at all.

What should a teen with oily skin look for in a moisturizer?

A lightweight one labeled oil free or noncomedogenic. The AAD recommends both labels for oily skin and says moisturizer is still important, because a too-harsh routine can trigger more oil. Dermatologists interviewed by Allure Philippines in April 2026 suggested lightweight, non-comedogenic gel textures for oily skin.

Does a teen need sunscreen indoors?

Mayo Clinic's Dr. Dawn Davis advises sunscreen for everyone 6 months and older, at SPF 15 or higher indoors and SPF 30 or higher outdoors. The American Academy of Dermatology's 2025 guide recommends a daily broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher for tweens and daily broad-spectrum sunscreen for teens.