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A young girl beams at the camera. She has braces, wears pink and white striped pyjamas, and has a string of pink balloons and the number 13 floating at the head of her bed behind her.

“It’s my birthday!” she sings, “it’s my favourite day of the year!”

For the next two minutes, we watch as she puts a series of creams and toners all over her face. She chats about her outfit, and her birthday trip to the theatre the night before.

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Rise in young people obsessed with skincare.

The video has been watched 2.5 million times.

Layla Eleni admits she could chat for England: “I’m very loquacious!”

Sat at the same vanity table from which she films her content, she says she posts on social media several times a day – often doing “get ready with me” videos before school, where she demonstrates her skincare routine.

Layla Eleni
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Layla says she researches every product she uses on her skin

Skincare Tiktokker

“It’s just nice. I get to start off my mornings talking, doing my skincare and preparing myself for the day,” she says.

Many of her one million TikTok followers are girls her age and younger. They’re a generation that’s become captivated by skincare, thanks largely to social media trends.

Layla Eleni
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Layla says young girls can often feel peer pressured into using skincare products. Pic: Layla Eleni/TikTok

For parents, Generation Alpha’s fascination with “great ready with me” videos and skincare routines can be a confusing world to explore.

Many have little to no understanding of what is actually in the brightly packaged creams and serums their daughters are suddenly clamouring for, but dermatologists fear the harsh acids and strong products in some of them could be doing life-long damage.

One mother told Sky News about having to restrict her daughter’s pocket money to stop her from buying products she’d seen online. Another said she’s banned her daughter from social media – but the girl’s friends all show her skincare videos anyway – leading her to feel ostracised without the latest popular products.

Brands know there is a huge amount of money to be made from this growing market of teens and tweens excited by the promise of “perfect skin”. Earlier this year it was reported that Gen Alpha (born after 2010) was behind 49% of the growth of skincare sales in the US.

A separate Kantar study found a concerning rise in anxiety about ageing. In just one year there was a 23% jump of 11 to 16-year-old girls saying they thought they had fine lines and wrinkles, and 10% more were worried about dark circles under their eyes.

That insecurity translates to the products they’re buying. In the UK alone, data seen by Sky News shows there’s been a 21% jump in two years in this age group using anti-ageing moisturiser, and a 150% jump in teeth whitening products.

Pic: iStock
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Bright packaging of skincare products are ‘drawing children in’. Pic: iStock

‘Crisis point’

For Dr Tess McPherson, from the British Association of Dermatologists, this is a sign the skincare craze has reached “a kind of crisis point”.

She says some viral social media skincare trends are fuelling an “addictive” obsession for expensive products that weren’t designed for young people. Anti-ageing creams, and retinols, she explains “can not just cause irritation, but can actually develop contact allergies which can be life-long”.

She also says she’s treated girls as young as eight or nine who’ve been buying these products and “who have eczema-prone skin and developed facial eczema as a result”.

Dr Tess McPhearson
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Dr Tess McPherson

Layla says for her, skincare is “just about self-care and love, it’s fun to do and a way to express myself”.

But she knows the ubiquitous popularity of skincare trends today can make some feel peer-pressured into it. “Say all of your friends are using one thing and [you’re not]. You feel judged, maybe you feel out of place”.

Layla Eleni
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TikToker Layla Eleni has one million followers on the platform

And she does worry about the growth of girls, years younger even than her, using anti-ageing products. She tells me about eight-year-old children she knows using retinol oils; a vitamin A derivative used to target wrinkles, but which can badly damage a young person’s skin barrier.

“They just see other people use them,” she says, and “think they also want to try anti-ageing things and wrinkle things, which they don’t need”.

Layla also says she’s had her own negative experience of following viral social media trends and has seen her face “blow up” with a horrible reaction as a result. Now, she says she researches everything she uses, rigorously reading reviews and product information and speaking to dermatologists about what products are suitable for her age.

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The real reason our skin feels tighter after using a cleanser

For Dr McPherson, though, concerns about skin-care routines go beyond the clinical. She also fears for the mental health of a generation of girls who have become fixated on their looks from such an early age.

“It doesn’t make you happier. We know it can lead to mental health issues,” she says.

“We know it can lead to significant appearance-related concerns, and you might then be more likely to go for cosmetic surgery at a younger and younger age – spending money with risks to both your skin, your health, and your mental health.”

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UK weather: Amber warning for snow issued – and temperatures could drop to -16C this week

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UK weather: Amber warning for snow issued - and temperatures could drop to -16C this week

An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.

The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.

Pic: Met Office
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Pic: Met Office

There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.

The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.

This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.

Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.

The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.

Members of the public walk through heavy snowfall on the high street of Saddleworth.
Pic: AP
A woman walks through heavy snowfall on the high street of Saddleworth.
Pic: AP
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Pics: AP

Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.

Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.

Read more from Sky News:
Terrifying firestorm rips through home of film stars and billionaires
Homes destroyed – how people are coping with floods

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Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’

Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.

“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”

Flood warnings

Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.

A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.

People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.

Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.

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UK Athletics and former games head of sport charged with manslaughter over Paralympian’s death

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UK Athletics and former games head of sport charged with manslaughter over Paralympian's death

UK Athletics Ltd and a former head of sport for a major London games have been charged with manslaughter following the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

United Arab Emirates athlete Mr Hayayei died aged 36 after a metal throwing cage fell on him while he was shot put training at Newham Leisure Centre in London in 2017.

The Paralympian was pronounced dead at the scene after he was struck by a metal pole in the incident.

He was training in preparation to represent his country in the shot put, discus and javelin at the World Para Athletics Championships which began in London later that week.

Teams and coaches from several nations were present at the time of the tragedy.

Keith Davies, 77, the former head of sport for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and a health and safety offence.

UK Athletics has been charged with corporate manslaughter and a Health and Safety at Work Act offence.

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Both UK Athletics and Davies are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 31 January.

Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that criminal proceedings are active and both UK Athletics Ltd and Davies have the right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

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The Met Police launched an investigation following Mr Hayayei’s death on 11 July 2017, with the Crown Prosecution Service saying today that it has authorised charges following a review of evidence provided by the force.

Mr Hayayei made his Paralympic debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and was set to feature in his second World Championships in 2017.

Ed Warner, who was co-chair of London 2017, said after Mr Hayayei’s death: “This is a devastating event and everyone within the London 2017 Organising Committee is shocked and saddened.

“We will be working closely with all the competitors and teams over the days ahead to offer support wherever it is needed.”

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Boy, 14, stabbed to death on London bus named as Kelyan Bokassa

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Boy, 14, stabbed to death on London bus named as Kelyan Bokassa

The 14-year-old who was stabbed to death on a bus in southeast London yesterday has been named as Kelyan Bokassa.

He was stabbed to death on a bus in Woolwich Church Street, close to the Woolwich Ferry, just before 2.30pm on Tuesday.

The teenager died at the scene shortly after medical help arrived.

No arrests have been made so far but officers are appealing for witnesses who were on the 472 bus.

Police called the stabbing a “horrific attack”.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Thorpe, who is leading the investigation, said: “Following Kelyan’s tragic death yesterday, specialist officers are now leading the investigation which is progressing at pace.

“If anyone saw this horrific attack or was in the area then I urge them to come forward and speak to officers.

“We’re particularly interested in any mobile phone footage that captured this incident or any dash cam or doorbell footage from around the surrounding area at the time of this incident.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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