One of the dilemmas every parent faces when they have a daughter is determining what age is appropriate for them to wear makeup.

I remember as a child, watching my mom apply her makeup and spritz her perfume, getting ready for an evening out. I couldn’t wait to be old enough to wear makeup and spritz myself with perfume.

My mom would fill her empty perfume bottles with water and give them to my sisters and I to wear on special occasions. She would also dab a bit of gloss and if we were lucky she’d dab some lipstick on our cheeks to give us a healthy glow.

These days you have children as young as 7 are wearing perfume and makeup. Now there is no problem when it’s something like a body spritzer or even the lip glosses geared to children. However perfume and makeup should be reserved as a rite of passage for a young girl. The age of puberty correlates to this rite of passage. As a teen, your daughter in the biological sense has become a woman and is probably more concerned with smelling and looking good.

By letting a child wear perfume and makeup at young age, what do they have to look forward to in their teen years? What message are you sending them? That they need makeup to be attractive at 8 years old? An indication that this is too young an age is to look at the advertisements for makeup and perfume. They have adults promoting them; therefore their target market is more than likely the older teen to adults that they are gearing them to.

I have an issue with Libby Lu, a company whose focus is the growing tween market.

Their website states that Mary Drolet recognized the lack of retail competition in the tween market. This tween market encompasses the ages of 5 to 13. Some of their kits include the spa kit which includes a cleanser, facial scrub, lotion and mask. Now there’s a reason why there is no competition in this market. A child who has not hit puberty has perfect skin unless they suffer from a skin condition. A child’s skin DOES NOT need to be exfoliated. The cell turnover is at an optimum level. They do not need a facial mask because at 5-12 years old they do not have an excess production of oil, or fine lines that they are trying to minimize.

What we are doing by making these products readily available to girls at this young age is sending them the message that they need to be spending this amount of time on their appearance, instead of enjoying their childhood.

Guidelines for perfume

Let’s be realistic-What does an 8 year old girl need Perfume for. At this age she should be running around with her friends and building her self-esteem. If anything, at this age a body spray in a fruity scent.

Guidelines for Makeup

An appropriate age for wearing makeup is normally between 12 to 14 years old. This is the age many make the transition into Junior High and High school. Personally I feel 13 is better. They've officially begun the teen years. When you feel your daughter is ready, I would recommend taking them to a cosmetic counter for a makeover to see different looks that you are both comfortable with.

Lets stop this ridiculous notion of making our little girls more focused on growing up instead of enjoying their precious childhood.