F These Brands

Skincare is now being sold to children as young as three. Let that sink in. Actress Shay Mitchell, best known for Pretty Little Liars, recently launched Rini, a skincare line for kids. The campaign shows toddlers in sheet masks at birthday parties, sleepovers, and play dates. The products are framed as a part of developing “healthy habits”. But the brand, which claims to be gentle, fun and safe, follows a familiar industry playbook: manufacture insecurity then monetise it.

When SKKN by Kim launched in June 2022, it was pitched as the future of skincare: “science-backed,” “minimal,” “refillable.” Everything about it whispered calm sophistication. But beneath the branding sits a clear strategy — take the same extreme ideals that made the Kardashian image a global commodity and repackage them as wellness. [SKKN is] a brand that had every resource, every platform, and every opportunity to lead differently, yet chose not to.