Social media and bullying push young girls to wear make-up

Young girls are asking their parents to wear make-up because they are being bullied. 

Research from Cosmetify.com found that the average age girls ask their parents if they can start wearing make-up is six, though most parents only allow their daughters to wear nail polish, lip gloss and eyeshadow at this age. 

Cosmetify.com asked 1,361 parents of girls aged between five and 16 years old about their daughters' relationship with make-up. 24% of the parents revealed that their daughters asked to wear make-up because they were “being bullied for not wearing it”.

19% said their daughters blamed social media pressures for wanting to wear make-up, and 13% of the girls told their parents they were “feeling ugly”. 

77% of the parents said they thought there was societal pressure for children to wear make-up. 27% attributed this to celebrities, while 26% thought their children’s friends were to blame, and 21% said influencers were the biggest reason for this pressure. 

While six was the average age girls first asked to wear make-up, the average age the parents said they would be comfortable letting their daughter wear make-up was 10, though 14% said they would allow it at a younger age. 

Foundation and eyeliner had the highest age limit at 14 years old, while the average age the parents said they would let their daughter wear nail polish was five. 

Separate research showed recently that make-up is among the beauty products women are stockpiling ahead of Brexit.