Shay Mitchell Is Standing By Her Kid Skin-Care Line
Earlier this month, actress Shay Mitchell launched Rini, a skin-care line for kids ages 3 and over. The brand — which currently sells sheet masks, although barrier-repair cream and bodywash are apparently on the way — quickly inspired backlash. Parents argued that marketing beauty products to children, especially young girls, takes Sephora tweens to a new extreme, exposing them to unrealistic beauty standards at an even earlier age. On Mitchell’s Instagram announcement, thousands of commenters accused her of being “tone deaf.” “Just because they want to ‘do what mommy does’ doesn’t mean they should,” someone said.
On Wednesday, Mitchell joined the Today show for her first appearance since the brand’s launch and stood by the concept of a skin-care line for kids. She told Jenna Bush Hager and guest co-host Olivia Munn that she was “a little surprised” by the response. “I think anything that involves kids, there should be a conversation around it,” Mitchell said. “I have a lot of questions, as I’m sure you both do, when anything involves our kids — with what they eat, with what they put on their skin. I didn’t think this would be any different.”
Hager pushed back, asking what Mitchell would say to parents who don’t want their children focusing on their appearance. “Skin care starts from birth,” Mitchell said. “We moisturize, we soothe, we comfort their skin as newborns.” She claims that her products are doing the same thing parents have always done, “just in a different format that’s more fun” and “age-appropriate.” According to Mitchell, her brand is “not a beauty thing,” but actually more about “a cooling sensation and a shared moment.”
Mitchell also agreed that face masks aren’t necessary for kids, but pointed out that they’re not necessary for adults either. “But are they great for added comfort and hydration? Yes, and that’s all it is,” she said. Try telling that to the angry mommy bloggers.
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