Clean, Green and Tween: 11 Feel-Good Beauty Buys for Youngsters

Doting dads, concerned mamas, the cool big sister we always dreamed of having… Whoever you are in this scenario, chances are you’re reading this because the tween or teen in your life is showing an interest in the spendy lotions and potions touted by the TikTok set. Now, if the thought of watching your little one drop their precious babysitting bucks on an age-defying serum makes your heart crack into two, know that we are right there with you. 

But kids will be kids. And here at Peppermint, we’re all for curious minds and experimentation. And if we can turn a shopping expedition into a lesson about feeling good and consuming wisely, then you’d better believe we will. 

And so we present to you 11 feel-good, fun finds that will care for your tween/teen’s smoochy face as much as you do…  

TOP IMAGE: ALLKINDS

Softly, Softly

Harsh, skin-stripping ingredients have no place in a teen’s skincare regimen – they’ll only encourage the sebum glands to produce more oil, which is said to lead to spots. Instead, seek out a gentle cleanser – and make sure it’s used regularly. We love Juniper’s organic, aloe vera-based, jojoba oil-infused Teen Cleanser; it’s kind to young skin and kind to bunnies (the brand won’t go near ingredients that have been tested on animals or companies that support cruelty).   

Pretty Pits

OK, it’s technically not skincare or makeup, but Wildhood’s deodorant range does have super-cute, teen-friendly (virgin-plastic-free) packaging. It’s also cruelty-free, vegan and shipped in recyclable packaging – as Wildhood puts it: “We’re not planet perfect, but we are trying to be (as well as keeping your teens smelling sweet in the process).” Glow Recipe fans are sure to love the best-selling Bounce scent, with its juicy watermelon notes. 

You glow girl

Lush is a veritable playground for littlies (and grown-ups too), and while they are serious about their environmental and social credentials (think organic and fair trade ingredients, packaging-free products and charity investments), they have not skimped on the fun. From their iridescent array of signature bath bombs (mermaid tails or unicorn poop maybe?) to the vegan, plastic-free, solid highlighter glow sticks and naked mascaras, your mini-me will be sparkling both inside and out.

Clay Date

For a gently exfoliating, day spa bonding session, why not mix up your own bentonite clay mask? Check out Peppermint’s low-waste, two-ingredient mix plus more plastic-free scrubs and soaks to inspire an afternoon of pampering.

Slip, Slop, Slap 

It’s the only beauty product we’d ever push onto a teen: sunscreen. We’re evangelical about the stuff, and that’s because sun damage and skin cancer are no fun. What is fun is Sunslayer’s bright-blue tube of plastic-free, reef-safe SPF 50+ sunscreen (a two-time Clean + Conscious Awards winner). It’s a broad-spectrum physical sun-blocker sans white cast – plus, it acts as a moisturiser and primer, and also contains skin-nourishing vitamin E. Slay, indeed! 

Bronzer, Baby

The kids are crazy for bronzing drops – a concentrated product that can be added to a serum, face oil or moisturiser for a sun-charred, just-back-from-summer-camp glow. Show your skincare cred by pointing your youth in the direction of Eco Minerals’ vegan, cruelty-free loose powder bronzer, which has a similar effect to a liquid bronzer and contains just five simple ingredients (mica, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxides and kaolin). Plus, product refills ship free and are plastic-free. Win, win, win.  

Bright Spark

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but here we go: glitter sucks. It’s a microplastic that’s no good for the ocean and questionable for human health. In good news, there is Eco Glitter from Glitter Girl, a company founded in 2017 by “kidpreneur” Sophia Rizzo – who was just 10 years old at the time. Her sparkles are made from a biodegradable bioplastic film, which is produced from plant starch. It’s cruelty-free, packed in recyclable containers and comes in many eye-catching forms (think: loose powders, unicorn palettes, body glitter shimmer puffs). That we can get behind. 

All Kinds Welcome

With scents inspired by fairy floss, fresh pancakes and lemonade icy poles, Allkinds is the kinda brand that knows how to have fun. But when it comes to skin health, they’re not messing around. Case in point: the brand’s vegan, ph-balanced Classic and Gentle moisturisers, which feature the wunderkind of gentle teen skincare: jojoba oil (minus mineral oils, phthalates, talc, animal products, parabens and many other undesirables). The brand admits it has some way to go on the sustainability front, but it’s making progress with compostable and recycled plastic packaging, biodegradable glitter, refillable products and in-store container recycling. 

Beginner’s Luck 

When her eight-year-old daughter asked if she could start wearing makeup, Twinxie founder Vanessa admits she was shocked (not least because she wasn’t a makeup wearer herself). She trawled her local health food stores in search of natural, subtle products and when she came home empty-handed, she did what any good mum/chemical engineer would do: she made them herself. And so began Twinxie’s mostly organic eyeshadow and lip gloss range. Her gluten- and nut-free glosses, made with locally sourced jojoba and pomegranate oils, is just the thing for makeup-shy parentals and their not-so-little kids. 

Butter Up 

Teens of the ’90s will no doubt recall the singular joy of dipping those digits into a tester jar of The Body Shop’s Mango Body Butter. Kids of today might be infinitely more tech savvy (and somewhat less enamoured with knicker-bearing denim), but the lure of body butter remains. Today, the product of choice often starts at about $40 a tub, so do your young ones a favour and point them in the direction of Vee Organics’ BFF Body Butter. For about 12 bucks apiece they’ll get a cruelty-free, tangerine-scented, vegan lotion brimming with aloe vera and jojoba oil that’s crafted especially for young skin. 

Magic Eraser 

Spots are great on lots of things (see: dogs, dragon fruit, winter coats), but they’re less fun when they show up on your teen’s loveable face. Routine Skin’s No.3 Natural Spot Treatment for Acne and Blemishes has the soft touch you’re after; packaged in a sugarcane Bioplastic tube, the Australian-made, native botanical formula (with salicylic acid for extra power) targets swelling and blocked pores without drying the skin, which means your tween/teen can say sayonara to spots and scarring. 

READ MORE – Bare With Me: Natural Beauty Products to Try if You Hate Wearing Makeup