Tag: stylish

Shay Mitchell didn’t expect to receive so much backlash on her skincare line for children.

Mitchell, 38, opened up about the online comments surrounding her skincare line, Rini, while chatting with Today on Wednesday, November 19.

“I was a little surprised, but I think anything that involves kids, there should be a conversation around it,” she explained. “I have a lot of questions as I’m sure you both do when anything involves our kids — with what they eat and what they put on their skin. So I didn’t think this would be anything different.”

The Pretty Little Liars alum shared that her skincare line stemmed from her “experience being a mom” and feeling that “there wasn’t anything out there I felt safe enough putting on their skin.” (Mitchell shares daughters Atlas, 6 and Rome, 3, with her partner Matte Babel.)

Jenna Bush Hager then asked about the criticism, which pointed out that children should not be worrying about their beauty at such a young age.

“Absolutely,” Mitchell agreed. “Truly, skincare starts from birth. We moisturize, we soothe, we comfort their skin as newborns. This is the same thing, it’s just in a different format that’s just more fun, and I feel very age-appropriate.”

Rini features sheet face masks with Vitamin E, which helps skin health and supports the immune system, in animal shapes including a dog, unicorn and panda. The sheet masks are dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free and safe for sensitive skin. They also sell jelly masks for hydration.

Mitchell went on to say that she didn’t think the masks were “a beauty thing.”

“Kids don’t look at masks and think about fixing, they think about it being a cooling sensation and a shared moment [with their parents],” she explained.

“I think when my girls see me do this at the end of the night or when I’m reading a story, that’s Mommy’s time to give back to herself. So it really is about how you speak with the girls,” the actress shared.

The Béis founder added that it’s a “positive introduction” into skincare. “I want them to grow up and be conscious about what it is that they’re putting on their skin — anything that touches it.”

Rini’s next launch will be cleaning wipes, an idea Mitchell had after seeing her kids get their faces painted at birthday parties.

“I just feel like that is where I wish there were cleaner products, because I don’t want to limit their creativity,” she said.

Mitchell announced that she was launching Rini on November 6 via Instagram. “So excited (and honestly, so relieved) that I can finally talk about Rini,” she wrote. “This has been three years in the making, inspired by my girls, their curiosity, and all the little moments that made me realize how early it starts. From birthday parties and face paint to wanting to do ‘what mommy does’ with her face masks… it was only a matter of time.” 

Mitchell continued, “Rini isn’t about beauty it’s about self-care. About teaching our kids that taking care of themselves can be fun, gentle, and safe.”

She recalled a moment when her kids got too much sun and needed an aloe mask, which inspired her first product. “I wanted something that worked, but was still clean enough for my kids and now it’s finally here.”

Her followers were quick to share their opinions in the comments section, writing that they were “horrified” with the line.

“Disturbing behind words,” one wrote, while another added, “Just because they want to ‘do what mommy does’ doesn’t mean they should.” A third commented, “Please explain to me why literal toddlers need face masks and skincare and to be sitting in front of a makeup mirror looking at themselves? They should [be] playing and getting dirty and not caring what their skin looks like at that age. This just seems so unnecessary.” A third added, “Why are we poisoning young girls to focus on beauty – let them play with mud rather than obsessive with how they look.”

While some people were outraged, others supported the line.

“People in the comments freaking out suddenly… I grew up in the 80s with a family full of girls, we were painting our nails and putting cucumbers on our eyes with masks, trying to roll our hair in socks for curls and braids and such for FUN at the age of like 7 and up 😂 not pushed standards or anything crazy you are trying to talk about. Is everyone OK? 😂,” one defended Mitchell. A second commented, “I love this so much! My daughter always wanted to do a face mask with me. And now she can!”