It’s a question that has plagued the minds of concerned parents for many years: How young is too young for children to start wearing make-up?
According to a new study by YouGov – a UK-based market research and data analytics firm – almost seven out of 10 men think that children shouldn’t be allowed to use cosmetics until they are 16-years-old.
To get to the bottom of the debate, 1,629 British parents were quizzed about the age they think children should be given various freedoms, including access to make-up.
The results showed an overwhelming consensus among participants that children aged five and under should not be allowed to wear make-up, with zero per cent saying it is acceptable.
However, the exact age that youngsters should be allowed to wear lipstick or foundation proved more difficult to determine.
According to the data, more than half of British women (58 per cent) believe children shouldn’t be allowed to wear make-up until they are 14-years-old, showing the age varies wildly among mothers and fathers.
1/17
Actor and singer Lady Gaga paired her ivory gown with a bold makeup look, opting for a dark, oxblood lip and sparkling eye makeup. She finished the look with a wavy, tight bun.
REUTERS
2/17
Actor Emma Stone matched her ornate Louis Vuitton jumpsuit with a bright red lip and smoky eye makeup.
AFP/Getty Images
3/17
Actor Lupita Nyong’o has become known for making a statement on the red carpet, and it was no different at the SAG Awards. The ‘Black Panther’ star styled her hair in braids and donned a bright red lip and a smoky eye with bright pink eyeliner on her bottom lid.
Getty Images
4/17
Actor Margot Robbie sparkled on the silver carpet with her bright complexion, made even more dazzling by her gold eye makeup and beautifully styled blonde locks.
Getty Images
5/17
While actor Emily Blunt may have made a bold statement with her bright pink sequinned dress, she chose to go for a more subtle look when it came to her makeup. The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ star matched the dress with a light pink lip and wore her hair in a sleek bun.
AFP/Getty Images
6/17
Actor Sandra Oh stood out on the silver carpet in her oxblood sequinned gown. She finished the look with an updo, with curls cascading down her forehead, and subtle, smoky eye makeup.
Getty Images
7/17
SAG Awards ambassador and actor Yara Shahidi stunned on the silver carpet by styling her hair in natural curls and opting for a soft pink makeup look.
REUTERS
8/17
Actor Amy Adams opted for a “natural” makeup look, wearing her hair in an updo and wearing a glamorous strapless black gown for the SAG Awards.
Getty Images
9/17
Actor Laverne Cox dazzled in red at the SAG Awards, completing her look with a loose, tousled hairstyle and a brown, smoky eye.
Getty Images
10/17
Actor Ellen Wong wore a magnificent ombré sequinned gown on the silver carpet, which she paired with silver eye makeup, bold earrings and a chic ponytail.
Getty Images
11/17
Actor Mandy Moore was the picture of sophistication at the SAG Awards, wearing a low ponytail with bold eye makeup and a soft pink lip.
AFP/Getty Images
12/17
Actor Gemma Chan glowed on the silver carpet in a blush pink gown, which she matched with similarly pink makeup on her lips and cheeks. She finished her look with a pretty, tousled hairstyle.
Getty Images
13/17
Actor Emily Osment matched her bright red gown with an equally vibrant red lip, styling her hair in an old school glamourous updo and completing the look with some stylish hoop earrings.
Getty Images for Turner
14/17
Actor Laura Harrier wore a bright pink gown for the SAG Awards, which she decided to match with her lip colour. She wore her hair down and swept behind her shoulders, so as to not draw attention away from her beautiful ensemble.
Getty Images
15/17
Actor Sophia Bush appeared in a very regal manner on the silver carpet, wearing her hair in a stylish updo and opting for a bold eye makeup look.
Getty Images
16/17
Actor Alison Brie mesmerised on the silver carpet in an eye-catching black gown. She finished the look with a chic bun and a sophisticated makeup look.
REUTERS
17/17
Actor Angela Bassett raised the beauty stakes on the silver carpet, opting for a dramatic smoky eye to go with her equally bold ruffled dress. She finished the look with a half-up half-down hairstyle, displaying her beautiful natural curls behind her.
AFP/Getty Images
1/17
Actor and singer Lady Gaga paired her ivory gown with a bold makeup look, opting for a dark, oxblood lip and sparkling eye makeup. She finished the look with a wavy, tight bun.
REUTERS
2/17
Actor Emma Stone matched her ornate Louis Vuitton jumpsuit with a bright red lip and smoky eye makeup.
AFP/Getty Images
3/17
Actor Lupita Nyong’o has become known for making a statement on the red carpet, and it was no different at the SAG Awards. The ‘Black Panther’ star styled her hair in braids and donned a bright red lip and a smoky eye with bright pink eyeliner on her bottom lid.
Getty Images
4/17
Actor Margot Robbie sparkled on the silver carpet with her bright complexion, made even more dazzling by her gold eye makeup and beautifully styled blonde locks.
Getty Images
5/17
While actor Emily Blunt may have made a bold statement with her bright pink sequinned dress, she chose to go for a more subtle look when it came to her makeup. The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ star matched the dress with a light pink lip and wore her hair in a sleek bun.
AFP/Getty Images
6/17
Actor Sandra Oh stood out on the silver carpet in her oxblood sequinned gown. She finished the look with an updo, with curls cascading down her forehead, and subtle, smoky eye makeup.
Getty Images
7/17
SAG Awards ambassador and actor Yara Shahidi stunned on the silver carpet by styling her hair in natural curls and opting for a soft pink makeup look.
REUTERS
8/17
Actor Amy Adams opted for a “natural” makeup look, wearing her hair in an updo and wearing a glamorous strapless black gown for the SAG Awards.
Getty Images
9/17
Actor Laverne Cox dazzled in red at the SAG Awards, completing her look with a loose, tousled hairstyle and a brown, smoky eye.
Getty Images
10/17
Actor Ellen Wong wore a magnificent ombré sequinned gown on the silver carpet, which she paired with silver eye makeup, bold earrings and a chic ponytail.
Getty Images
11/17
Actor Mandy Moore was the picture of sophistication at the SAG Awards, wearing a low ponytail with bold eye makeup and a soft pink lip.
AFP/Getty Images
12/17
Actor Gemma Chan glowed on the silver carpet in a blush pink gown, which she matched with similarly pink makeup on her lips and cheeks. She finished her look with a pretty, tousled hairstyle.
Getty Images
13/17
Actor Emily Osment matched her bright red gown with an equally vibrant red lip, styling her hair in an old school glamourous updo and completing the look with some stylish hoop earrings.
Getty Images for Turner
14/17
Actor Laura Harrier wore a bright pink gown for the SAG Awards, which she decided to match with her lip colour. She wore her hair down and swept behind her shoulders, so as to not draw attention away from her beautiful ensemble.
Getty Images
15/17
Actor Sophia Bush appeared in a very regal manner on the silver carpet, wearing her hair in a stylish updo and opting for a bold eye makeup look.
Getty Images
16/17
Actor Alison Brie mesmerised on the silver carpet in an eye-catching black gown. She finished the look with a chic bun and a sophisticated makeup look.
REUTERS
17/17
Actor Angela Bassett raised the beauty stakes on the silver carpet, opting for a dramatic smoky eye to go with her equally bold ruffled dress. She finished the look with a half-up half-down hairstyle, displaying her beautiful natural curls behind her.
AFP/Getty Images
The dispute regarding children wearing cosmetics re-entered the conversation earlier this month after John Lewis and Mac Cosmetics cancelled a “back-to-school mini masterclass” on make-up for children as young as 12, after facing criticism.
One mother said she did not think the masterclass was “appropriate”, while another said she was “horrified” by the concept, as young girls already feel under pressure over their appearance.
Bex Bailey, from the Young Women’s Trust charity, previously told The Independent: “At school and work young women and girls are too often judged on appearance not ability. Nearly a third say they have been treated differently at work and in interviews because of how they look.
“Unless we focus on the talents and skills young women can contribute, not on a prescriptive beauty ideal, today’s young women face a lifetime of inequality.”
The YouGov survey also asked parents what age they think children should be allowed to own a mobile phone and stay out late.
By the age of 11, half (49 per cent) of Britons said they believe it’s ok for a child to have an old style “brick phone”. However, they were more reluctant to let children have a smartphone with just 22 per cent saying children should have such access by 11.
By the age of 13, nearly half (46 per cent) come to think it’s acceptable, a figure which increases to 59 per cent at age 14.
Parity of opinion on the two types of devices is reached at 16, at which point 86 per cent of Brits think it’s ok for children to have old-style mobiles and 85 per cent think it’s acceptable for them to have smartphones.
When it came to letting children start exploring the world alone, half of people (49 per cent) said it’s ok for children to take public transport without their parents by the age of 12.
Meanwhile, half (52 per cent) of the study’s participants stated they would be happy for their child to stay out after dark from the age of 15.
