Mother may not always know best.
Shay Mitchell’s got plenty of fans obsessed with her Béis brand, but her latest product launch has the internet buzzing all the wrong reasons.
The “Pretty Little Liars” actress just debuted a new skin care line called Rini that’s made specifically for kids as young as 3, inspired by her daughters’ desire to “do ‘what mommy does’ with her face masks.”
But though she says Rini’s sheet masks are made with “safe, gentle ingredients parents can trust,” an unimpressed dermatologist says that’s not what parents are getting.
Mitchell, a 38-year-old mother of two, boasts that the masks are dermatologist-tested and safe for sensitive skin. So far, options include an everyday facial sheet mask, an after-sun hydrogel mask, a hydrating hydrogel facial mask and animal-themed masks.
But Dr. Sandy Skotnicki, author of “Beyond Soap” and co-host of “Skin to It” podcast, has doubts after looking at the ingredients list.
“The formula is definitely not good for young skin,” she told The Post. “There are 68 ingredients, give or take — I had a hard time counting them all. Your tiny child’s skin has to consider this many chemicals on their thin, skill-developing skin.
“These are potential irritants and allergens. Taken all together, there are a lot of ingredients the thin skin of a 3-year-old would have to deal with.”
Skotnicki previously sounded the alarm that kids and tweens are developing lifelong contact allergies because of their aggressive skin care routines that use too many active ingredients.
“The skin barrier has a job to do — keep moisture in and irritants out,” Skotnicki said. “When you bombard it with too many ingredients, you break it down — and once it’s compromised, you open the door to redness, burning, itching, breakouts, even long-term sensitivity,” she said.
While Rini doesn’t include harsh ingredients common in adult skin care routines like retinol or chemical exfoliators, the lengthy ingredients list on the brand’s website includes such unpronounceable things as cyanocobalamin (a synthetic form of vitamin B12), chamazulene (an antioxidant compound) and calcium aluminum borosilicate (a thickening agent).
“One small merit could have been this — children’s skin is thinner and more sensitive, so gentle, age-appropriate products do have a place. The problem is the sheet mask has 68 ingredients,” the doc said.
“If it had three ingredients like a bamboo sheet, HA and panthenol to sooth, she would have pulled it off.
“Furthermore, there are numerous flower extracts! What is going on — for 3-year-olds? These are potential irritants and allergens,” she added.
Mitchell claimed in the product announcement on Instagram that this new business venture is “about self-care… teaching our kids that taking care of themselves can be fun, gentle, and safe.”
But critics say there’s simply no need for a product like this to exist.
“Kids should be outside digging in the dirt, enjoying nature, growing plants, playing games — not putting on sheet masks,” she said. “Do we need another personal care product that kids think they need to feel good about themselves?
“Do we need another personal care product that kids think they need to feel good about themselves? Shame on this whole enterprise.”
Dr. Jeffrey Karasik, MD, a pediatrician at Northwell Health Physician Partners in Nanuet, New York, is equally skeptical.
“I see little upside,” he said. Though the ingredients are likely harmless, there is no positive health benefit. The social and emotional messaging is questionable at best. And the appeal is to a specific socioeconomic demographic.
Beyond the dermatological downsides, Skotnicki is worried about what kids will take away from this.
“It is simply the absolute wrong message to send to little girls,” she said. “Focus at this age is skin health not beauty standards. Sun avoidance is the main skin care.”
Some of Mitchell’s Instagram followers are excited about the launch — which includes individual masks for $5.99 and $6.99. In fact, the $29 introductory bundle has already sold out, as has a $16 animal bundle with panda, puppy and unicorn masks.
But many social media users have expressed disgust and confusion.
“So yet again we are subjecting little girls (didn’t see a boy on the picture) to adult behaviors. Got it!” wrote one.
“Having ‘perfect’ skin has become the new diet culture,” wrote another, while a third simply wrote: “Horrified.”
“Please explain to me why literal toddlers need face masks and skin care and to be sitting in front of a makeup mirror looking at themselves? They should have playing and getting dirty and not caring what their skin looks like at that age. Sigh. This just seems so unnecessary,” a fourth complained.
