Frida turns children’s anti-ageing codes on their head

With Lil’ Retinol, Frida created a fake anti-ageing brand aimed at six-year-olds, adopting the now-familiar codes of skincare, from carefully crafted visual branding to sophisticated claims and communication designed to look like that of a genuine brand. The initiative aims to highlight the growing influence of adult skincare routines on increasingly young consumers.

The campaign accompanies the launch of a genuine Frida range dedicated to children’s hygiene and personal care needs. It comes as households with tweens and teenagers are playing an increasingly significant role in beauty market growth, driven in particular by their exposure to trends and routines on social media. By taking anti-ageing codes to deliberately absurd extremes, Frida raises questions about the boundary between introducing children to personal care and the premature adoption of routines designed for adults.