Shay Mitchell Slammed For Creating Skincare Line for Children: ‘Disturbing’

Shay Mitchell has found herself at the center of a pretty little scandal.

The Pretty Little Liars alum, 38, is facing backlash for unveiling her newest business venture — a skincare line designed specifically for kids.

On Wednesday, November 5, Mitchell shared a promotional image announcing the brand, called Rini, which featured a young girl wearing a face mask. “Something gentle, something new — launching tomorrow,” the actress wrote.

“Rini is ‘eorini’ in Korean which means children,” Rini cofounder, Esther Song, explained in an introductory video on the brand’s Instagram account. “So when we first started thinking about Rini we started looking at how can we make better products that actually parents could trust but kids wanna try.”

The line officially launched Thursday, November 6, offering two types of face masks for children: a daily sheet mask at $5.99 and hydrogel masks priced at $6.99.

According to Rini’s website, the products are “consciously crafted in Korea” and come in animal-inspired shapes like pandas, puppies and unicorns. The masks are said to “hydrate, soothe and recover.” The brand also emphasizes its ingredient transparency, stating on its website that the products include “no parabens, no alcohol, no petrolatum, no harmful synthetic dyes, no gluten, no soy, no nuts,” and more.

The You actress said her inspiration for the line came from her own daughter, Atlas, 5. “They are always wanting to do the things that mommy is doing. And then Atlas one day was kind of like, ‘Wait, where’s mine?’ and I tried to find her a sheet mask online and the ingredients in these masks are crazy. They actually shouldn’t be used for kids at all.”

While some social media users praised the idea, calling it “genius,” others slammed the concept for promoting adult beauty standards to children.

“Attempting to act like you’re providing safe alternatives when you’re inherently a company seeking to leverage children’s natural curiosity into consumption core and creating an industry for them is the problem,” one Instagram user wrote. “Children under 10 need one dermatologist approved moisturizer and for those who agree a sunscreen and nothing more.”

“I’m here for having skin products that are safe for kids, but there’s something so f**ked up about a little girl in a face mask. Like my goodness it feels like we are pushing beauty standard to completely unrealistic levels. Let kids be kids!” another wrote on Reddit.

“Insecurities already start younger nowadays, this is not it to me,” a second Reddit user agreed.

“This is weird af and disturbing,” a critic chimed in. “Children should be playing and enjoying their childhood.”

Despite the backlash, Rini’s founders, which also includes Shay’s partner Matte Babel, teased products that have yet to launch, including healing ointments, foaming body wash and a daily barrier cream.