Skincare for Teens & Tweens: Tips + Treatments

Being a teenager can be stressful, but managing your skincare and maintaining healthy skin doesn't have to be.

When it comes to creating your ideal skincare routine, we say keep it simple. Right now, your skin doesn’t need the ten-step skincare regimens we see spilling out of your parent’s medicine cabinet. You really only need a few things.

Seems easy enough, right? But where do you start?

From learning the basics, like how cleanser helps your skin, to getting tips for the best practices, like how often to wash your face, you can get on the right track to maintain clear, healthy-looking skin as you get older with this guide. We’ve outlined key practices and tips for the best skincare for teens and tweens. Get started with the links below.

• What is the Best Skincare for Teens?
• What is the Best Skincare for Tweens?
• What to Consider When Creating a Skincare Routine
• Skincare Tips for Teens Just Getting Started

What is the Best Skincare for Teens?

The best skincare for teens starts with forming healthy skin habits and using a simple, three-step routine that has all the essential building blocks for a lifetime of healthy skin: cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

This trio contains the map to success when it comes to proactively supporting and maintaining healthy, youthful-looking skin. So, what all does it entail? Let’s dive into our three-step skincare routine for teens:

1. Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser

Colorescience Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser is a multi-benefit skin barrier-boosting cleanser designed to help promote gentle exfoliation and support your skin’s microbiome to encourage smoother, more vibrant, healthier-looking skin.

Developed in collaboration with skin health professionals, Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser is specifically formulated to remove makeup and sunscreen along with all the dirt and grime that has built up on your face throughout the day. All in a single step!

So when developing a skincare routine for teens, Colorescience experts recommend incorporating the Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser into your custom coverage skincare routine both in the morning and evening of every day for the best results.

Need more guidance on how often to wash your face? Check out our guide.

2. Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer

Once you have removed and finished cleansing your face of the pollutants and irritants that settle on your skin throughout the day and night, it’s time to choose a moisturizer.

Colorescience Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer is specifically created to only contain healthy, revitalizing ingredients that help your skin go beyond hydration. With the clean, oil-free, non-comedogenic, non-greasy formula, this Essential Moisturizer is not only fragrance-free but is hypoallergenic and vegan as well. This makes it perfect for all skin types to incorporate into their morning and night routine, especially those with sensitive skin prone to teen acne.

3. Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Face Shield SPF 50

It is never too early to start protecting your skin from the sun. Recommended by dermatologists alike, sunscreen is basically a shield for your skin that protects against the sun’s harmful and evil UV rays. The long term use of sunscreen is the ultimate defense against sunburns, premature aging skin, and skin cancer.

Colorescience Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Face Shield Flex SPF 50 is a lightweight mineral, tinted sunscreen that provides full coverage and evens skin tone for a flawless look. This hydrating, antioxidant-rich, all-mineral formula is a comprehensive defense against UVA/UVB, Blue Light, Pollution, and Infrared radiation.

Colorescience Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Face Shield Flex SPF 50 should be applied 40 minutes before going out, and dermatologists encourage you to reapply throughout the day for the best results and skin protection.

As you develop your personal skincare routine and discover the best skincare products for teenagers, it is vital to remember that not everything that works for teen skincare is appropriate and works for tween skin. Note that Colorescience Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Face Shield Flex SPF 50 contains niacinamide, which could be a bit strong for some younger skin.

If you like to wear makeup most days, support the work being done with this routine by choosing skincare-makeup hybrid options that contain gentle actives and ingredients for teen skin.

What is the Best Skincare for Tweens?

When it comes to skincare for tweens, it’s important to note that their skin may be a bit more sensitive, so you might want to adjust accordingly.

This is a great time to start forming healthy skin habits and using an easy, three-step routine that contains all the essentials for a lifetime of youthful skin: cleanser, moisturizer, and specifically, a mineral based sunscreen.

1. Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser

Colorescience Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser is a multi-benefit skin barrier-boosting cleanser recommended for twice a day usage and designed to help gently exfoliate and support your skin’s microbiome to encourage clean, smoother, healthier looking skin.

Avoiding harsh ingredients or added fragrances, the Colorescience Barrier Pro™ 1-Step Cleanser uses Pink Pomelo Extract or Grapefruit Extract, effectively removes excess oil, impurities, makeup, and mineral sunscreen while encouraging the gentle removal of dead skin cells. Leaving your skin feeling clean, fresh, and revitalized.

2. Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer

Colorescience Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer is specifically developed by skin professionals to only contain healthy, rejuvenating, hydrating ingredients. Using a clean, oil-free, non-comedogenic, non-greasy formula, this Essential Moisturizer is not only fragrance-free but is vegan and hypoallergenic.

This makes it perfect for tweens of all skin types, especially those beginning to show signs of teen acne, to incorporate into their morning and night routines.

3. No-Show™ Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

The younger you are, often, the less you care about sunscreen, but wearing sunscreen year-round can prevent your skin from future sun damage and reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.

However, some sunscreens can cause irritation to younger skin. Colorescience Total Protection® No-Show™ Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is great for all skin types because of its gentle yet effective formula. This barely-there sunscreen features advanced non-nano zinc oxide for high-performance protection and exceptional hydration that leaves skin feeling velvety soft.

Apply Total Protection® No-Show™ Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 every two hours throughout the day for the best skin protection.

What to Consider When Creating a Skincare Routine

When developing your routine, remember skincare for teens and tweens shouldn’t be complicated. There’s no need for fancy serums, certainly no need for antiaging products, and it doesn’t need to take up too much time.

As you develop your skincare routine, here are a few things to consider:

Keep It Simple

As a teen or tween, you have a lot going on. Developing and learning to practice self care routines, along with investing in skincare can help you create good, healthy habits that benefit the long term vitality of your skin.

So, keep it simple. Skincare regimens can become a lot more involved as you get older. But for now, too many products and overwashing can irritate your skin and cause breakouts. Focus on only using a few simple products, don’t over-exfoliate, and avoid touching or picking blemishes on your skin–this can cause long-term damage you’ll have to deal with for years to come.

By starting these healthy self-care habits at a young age, even something as simple as regularly using a cleanser and moisturizer daily, you will encourage yourself to continue the habit well into adulthood.

Learn About Your Skin Type

Knowing your skin type will benefit you for a lifetime of skin care. When you learn about your skin type and understand whether you have oily, dry, or sensitive skin it can help influence the most important factors of your skincare routine, such as which facial cleanser you should use, the best way to go about treating acne, even what makeup products and sunscreen are best for your skin.

Use Gentle Ingredients

Teens and tweens alike should focus on using products that contain healthy, gentle ingredients that are safe for all skin types. Look for oil-free, non-greasy, and fragrance-free formulas. Hypoallergenic or vegan based ingredients.

You’ll also want to confirm your skincare products are non-comedogenic which means they are specifically formulated to prevent the blockage of pores and help reduce pesky blackheads or whiteheads. Perfect for teens and tweens fighting teenage acne or dry or oily skin.

Pediatric dermatologist Dr. Brandie Metz, MD, also weighs in, recommending that “teens or tweens should avoid products with words like “antiaging”, “wrinkle-reducing”, “brightening” and “firming”, all of which may be signs of active ingredients not meant for young kids. It’s best to stick with a simple skincare routine with age-appropriate products and consult a dermatologist if they have specific concerns.”

Colorescience proves skincare for teens doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated by formulating skincare products safe for teen use and effective for all skin types, including those with sensitive and acne-prone skin.

Skincare Tips for Teens Just Getting Started

Clear skin requires attention, and developing a personalized skincare routine that works best for you takes time. Luckily, there are a few key tips and tricks for teens just starting out:

1. Avoid sleeping in your makeup to allow your skin to breathe and avoid breakouts.

2. Set a daily alarm on your phone to help remind you to wash your face in the morning and at night.

3. Try keeping your skincare on display in your bathroom so it’s easy to grab, making it harder to forget.

4. Daily repetition is key and will help you carry the habit into adulthood and maintain healthier, younger-looking skin.

Your Skincare Journey Is Easy

It’s never too early to start your skincare journey and implement a basic routine designed around skincare for teens. All you need for a complete and easy skincare routine is a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen made with high-quality ingredients safe for teens.

Colorescience has teen and tween skincare products that prevent common skin concerns and help you achieve your skincare goals.

Shop our skincare for teens with high-quality ingredients and try the simple, three-step routine that’s perfect for those looking to start a personalized skincare regimen without the complication or expensive price.