Moisturising masks with panda, unicorn or Barbie designs on the packaging: cosmetics brands are targeting a generation of children raised on social‑media beauty routines, exposing them to unnecessary and potentially harmful products, dermatologists warn.
Shutterstock
Like many celebrities, Canadian actress Shay Mitchell announced in early November that she was launching her cosmetics brand, Rini. Unusually, the range is aimed at children from the age of three.
On its website, the brand offers moisturising, after‑sun or everyday masks featuring a unicorn, a panda or a puppy, at around €5 each.
She is far from alone. Many brands are eyeing what they see as a lucrative market. Founded in 2018, Evereden, another fast‑growing U.S. brand with sales of over $100 million, sells “mists”, toners and moisturisers aimed at pre‑teens.
But “children don’t need cosmetics, apart from hygiene products, of course — toothpaste and shower gel — and sun protection products, when there’s exposure,” Laurence Coiffard, a professor of pharmacy at the Faculty of Nantes specialising in cosmetology, told AFP.
Endocrine disruptors
If social media are any guide, young people in Generation Alpha are trying out skincare and beauty routines at an increasingly early age. Dubbed the “Sephora Kids”, some imitate their favourite influencers from as young as seven, showing off their purchases on YouTube or TikTok.
The Chinese social network says it has attracted a growing number of brands since the launch of TikTok Shop. In France, the number of brands present is said to have risen from 5,000 to 16,500 in the space of six months. And beauty is the leading sector represented, according to its head for France and Southern Europe, Arnaud Cabanis.
But what may look like a game to children is not without risk, professionals insist. Scientific studies have shown that using adult cosmetics packed with chemicals exposes them to endocrine disruptors and phytoestrogens, which can interfere with hormonal development and increase the risk of skin allergies, explains Laurence Coiffard.
To study this phenomenon, Molly Hales and Sarah Rigali, American researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago, spent several months posing as 13‑year‑old girls on TikTok. They then analysed 100 beauty videos posted by 82 profiles of minors — and published their findings in June in the US journal Pediatrics.
In one of the videos, a child developed a rash and burns after applying 14 different products to her face. Another recounted waking at 4.30am to do her beauty “routine” before going to school. “I was shocked by the scale of what I was seeing in these videos, particularly the sheer number of products these girls were using,” Molly Hales told AFP.
‘Distorted self-image’
On average, the videos featured six products, often anti‑ageing creams intended for adults, at a typical cost of €145. In 25 videos analysed in detail, the products contained on average 11 — and up to 21 — substances potentially irritating to children’s skin.
Among the most popular brands are Glow, Drunk Elephant and The Ordinary, which present themselves as healthy, natural alternatives to their chemical‑laden competitors.
“Children are naturally curious,” says Rini co‑founder Shay Mitchell on Instagram, “so we might as well offer gentle, safe products that parents can trust.”
Beyond their potentially harmful effects, these products “perpetuate a certain beauty norm” by normalising the use of a “very expensive and time‑consuming” array of beauty treatments, notes Molly Hales.
On a psychological level, “the risk is to give the child a distorted, even eroticised, self‑image,” warned Pierre Vabres, a member of the French Dermatology Society, at a press conference in Paris in November. “Just as a child is not a miniature adult,” he insisted, “a cosmetic is not a toy.”
(with AFP)
This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article.
Global asset management firm GoldenTree will buy a chunk of a $1 billion bankruptcy financing for luxury retailer Saks Global, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A Neiman Marcus store, part of the Saks business – Neiman Marcus
GoldenTree, which is founded by billionaire Steve Tananbaum, has committed to buy a roughly $200 million portion of the so-called debtor-in-possession financing, according to the report.
Saks Global and GoldenTree did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The high-end US department store conglomerate filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 13, after a debt-laden takeover.
Warped, a proudly Australian menswear brand, made its debut at the recent Pitti Uomo 109, unveiling its first-ever collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27. Warped channels a strong, functional and authentic masculinity, free of artifice: a man capable of moving with equal ease through the Australian outback or a metropolis, without ever betraying himself. This vision translates into a collection that combines ready-to-wear, streetwear and active-functional pieces, underpinned by rigorous material research, responsible production, and a strong connection to Australia’s history and identity.
Jack Cassidy Williams, right, wearing Warped alongside one of his sons
The brand is so steeped in the free-spirited, authentic ethos of Mitch “Crocodile” Dundee, a cult figure of 1980s cinema who helped shape the image abroad of the no-nonsense Australian, that even the founder- who arrived in Milan with his two sons, aged 18 and 15, already active in the company- looks like the very character created by Paul Hogan.
“Crocodile Dundee is not just a film to us; it’s a way of being in the world. It’s about a man who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands in the outback and stays true to himself even under the dazzling lights of the metropolis,” Warped founder Jack Cassidy Williams explained to FashionNetwork.com. “It’s the story of a man who enters a sophisticated system without changing who he is. Functional, direct, honest. This is who we are. We’re not here to bend to fashion’s unwritten rules, but to bring our own way of doing things: less artifice, more reality.”
Warped
“Everything in the collection is handmade by my family. We design it, select the fabrics, create the patterns, and develop everything together- my children and I- in Australia. Traditional garments with modern finishes, in terms of handle and functionality; we even offer waterproof clothing, such as GOTS-certified waterproof cotton. Then there’s denim. All the fabrics are 100% made in Italy,” Cassidy Williams continues. At the heart of the collection is extensive fabric research: 100% RWS wool; high-stretch scuba fabrics and bi-stretch wool; cotton denim with a 3D weave effect; water-repellent cottons, viscose and viscose/linen blends for suits, jackets and trousers; high-performance, ultra-comfortable fabrics; and kangaroo-leather laces- a material five times as strong as cowhide- hand-finished with raw edges and authentic details.
“The collection is, in a way, a tribute to America, because the theme is the so-called ramblin’ man, or the free man; it’s basically about my whole life,” says the Australian entrepreneur. “All those people who decided to forge their own journey, to walk the path of life without following someone else. Like Hank Williams, Jack Kerouac, Duke Ellington, Bird, Muddy Waters, Pinetop, or Woody Guthrie- men who honoured life. Nowadays it’s so difficult to be free that freedom really is a state of mind. It’s our first collection through and through; we practically finished it before boarding the plane,” Cassidy Williams laughs heartily, then slips on a floppy wide-brimmed hat, slings a kangaroo hide over his shoulder and, as he pretends to crack a whip in the air, looks even more like Mitch Dundee- all after letting us taste a kangaroo salami and crocodile snacks…
Warped
“Our family has a textile tradition of great depth- more than sixty years- so Warped also works with the best global manufacturers in the mid-luxury segment: lace from France, fabrics from Italy, and other high-quality materials sourced from factories in Turkey, Japan and Korea,” Jack Cassidy Williams continues. “These factories were chosen not for trend’s sake, but because they’re unique- each one different from the next.”
Warped’s menswear collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27 comprises around 40 looks spanning ready-to-wear, streetwear, and active-functional pieces. Jackets, suits, trousers, shorts, shirts, and T-shirts sit alongside a street and sportswear offer that includes hoodies, joggers and technical garments, all designed to be comfortable, durable, easy to care for, and genuinely wearable day to day.
Alongside the Warped men’s line, the company presented the Golden Age Sportswear (G.A.S) label in Milan, while the Warped Woman, and G.A.S Woman’s Street collections will debut in Italy from next Spring/Summer.
This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article.
Two indie fashion brands, Auralee from Japan and Études Studio from France, staged highly contrasting collections on Tuesday, the opening day of Paris Fashion Week Men, testifying to the dynamism of the season in the French capital.
Auralee: Purist fashion with polish
A moment of grace on Tuesday evening at Auralee, where Ryota Iwai’s deceptively understated designs never fail to impress.
Auralee’s answer to its question: “What makes winter joyful?” – Luca Tombolini
Staged in the Musée de l’Homme facing an illuminated Eiffel Tower, the show was the latest pure statement by a designer whose clothes blend subtlety with refinement.
Whatever fabric Iwai plays with always seems just right: whether speckled Donegal tweeds seen in brown knit pants for guys, or a frayed hem skirt for girls in this co-ed show. Leather or lambskin jerkins and baseball jackets, all were ideal.
Semi-transparent nylon splash vests or wispy trenches had real cool. While Iwai’s detailing was also very natty- like the flight jacket trimmed with fur.
A women’s look by Auralee – Luca Tombolini
He is also a great colourist- from the washed-out sea green of a canvas ranger’s jacket to the moody Mediterranean blue of a caban. Though his finale featured a quintet of looks in black. Most charmingly a languid, deconstructed double-breasted cashmere coat worn on a shirtless model- the picture of perfection.
There were perhaps not that many sartorial fireworks in the show, but there didn’t need to be. This was a purist fashion statement of polish and precision that this audience could only admire.
Backed up by a great soundtrack – Sounding Line 6 by Moritz. Von Oswald or the cutely named Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo- the whole display won Ryota a loud and long ovation. Fully deserved too.
Études Studio: Resonating in IRCAM
Études Studio certainly know how to stage a show. The design duo invited guests into the bowels of the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music, or IRCAM a unique French concept dedicated to experimental sounds.
A look by Études Studio – Collective Parade – Gaspar J. Ruiz Lidberg
Which we enjoyed a lot of thanks to Darren J. Cunningham, a British electronic musician known professionally as Actress. It made for a dramatic mood, as keys and chords swelled and raged throughout this show.
As a result, the design duo of Aurélien Arbet and Jérémie Egry titled this Autumn/Winter 2027 collection ‘Résonances.’ Terming it in their program: “A medley bringing into dialogue the minimalist experiments rooted in John Cage’s philosophy with the emergence of intelligent Dance Music in the early 1990s.”
The result was a rather moody series of clothes, made in a sombre palette of muddy brown, dark purple, black, black, and even more black.
Muted tones at Études Studio – Collective Parade – Gaspar J. Ruiz Lidberg
What stood out were the bulbous, off-the-shoulder puffers, worn over corduroy shirts or roll-necks- topped by some great rancher hats courtesy of Lambert. One could also admire sleek raingear; cool cocoon shaped jerkins and fuzzy mohair sweaters. And appreciate a sleek A-Line coat and zippered knit safari jacket in a rare women’s look in this show.
Photoshopped faces in black and white scarves all looked very appealing, as did the brand’s debut bag, a satchel in tough canvas. And one had to applaud one great dull gold, wildly deconstructed puffer.
That said, the collection lacked proper kick and rarely resonated as the show title suggested it would. A decent statement about the mode, but far from a fashion moment.