Amalia Osbourne.
When journalist Lisette Reymer was growing up in the early 2000s on her family’s dairy farm in Cambridge, experimenting with skincare treatments was kept pretty simple. There were no fragrant smells coming from a line-up of different tubes and bottles – just the whiff of earthy goodness when Lisette and her friends would do “mud masks”, which consisted of daring each other to pick up a cow pat and put it on their faces.
“Nothing bougie like what the kids now are doing!” laughs the ThreeNews presenter.
“I know I had a fairly sheltered childhood, but I didn’t have a multi-step skincare routine then and I still don’t! My friends had to convince me to start moisturising, which now I do.”
However, in our shifting cultural zeitgeist, Lisette has been researching a new phenomenon: cosmeticorexia.
Driven by social media trends, it’s a term coined by dermatologists overseas, after seeing youngsters – mostly girls – develop an unhealthy fixation with having flawless skin. And we’re not just talking teenagers, says Lisette.
When skincare goes too far
It’s tweens as young as seven who are using anti-ageing products intended for mature skin or have daily multi-step skincare routines after watching influencers on YouTube or TikTok doing “get ready with me” skincare videos, showcasing new products.
This month Lisette, 32, explored cosmeticorexia for an episode on Paddy Gower Has Issues, where she originally wondered if this might just be an “Auckland problem”.
She says, “It’s a concept I had never heard of – maybe because I don’t have children – but I quickly discovered it’s going on all over New Zealand. “What’s concerning is that our dermatologists are saying kids are showing up at eight years old wanting to know how to prevent ageing and wrinkles – which is crazy!”
They told Lisette they’re also noticing a huge spike in serious skin conditions in young people that, traditionally, they would only see in adults.
“It’s because these kids are damaging their skin barrier by using harsh, active ingredients in products and doing these extreme skin routines every morning and night. “And instead of getting perfect skin, they’re causing problems. Of course, when they see spots pop up, they want to fix them, so they start applying more products, not knowing that’s causing the issues in the first place. “Or dermatologists are seeing 13-year-olds with retinol burns around their eyes because a lot of their favourite influencers are over 25 and using retinol.”
Helping kids navigate skincare
Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A used in skincare to boost collagen production and reduce fine lines and breakouts.
As part of her investigation, Lisette visited a sold-out school holiday programme in Upper Hutt – a skincare workshop for children aged seven to nine.
“So the fact that this programme exists was shocking to me in the first place,” she says.
“But the woman who was running it, Vanessa, was amazing and works as a part-time teacher aide and beauty therapist. “Vanessa had noticed at her primary school the kids were talking about skincare a lot and could tell it was something the girls were all doing. But she was worried about the products they were using and that they were getting all of their information from influencers on social media. “So she decided to set up this workshop to educate these kids on what they should be avoiding while providing some self-confidence lessons in there as well. Her intention is to fight against the machine.”
The pressure to look perfect
Chatting to the children in the workshop was eye-opening for Lisette. The youngsters mentioned products and beauty concepts she had never heard of.
“While talking to them my jaw dropped,” she recalls.
“One seven-year-old told me she was wearing concealer because she was covering up her eye bags. “Another girl did a nose mask every night while a different girl used a lip mask. They were telling me about all their favourite serums. I don’t even know what a serum does! “It was strange to see how casually they were all talking about their favourite cleansers, toners, serums and moisturisers, and how they don’t want to get wrinkles… ‘Ew wrinkles!’”
“And obviously, because the products are so expensive, a lot of these kids are asking friends and family members to buy them for birthdays or get gift vouchers for stores like Mecca. “I felt a bit sad they had this hyper-focus on appearance at a really young age because you could see in their faces they were worried about their skin or they wanted to be more confident in their skin.”
The glass skin obsession
Another influential trend among minors is the pursuit of “Korean glass skin”, where they try to emulate skin so smooth, luminous and hydrated, it looks like glass, by using Korean beauty products.
“Except most Kiwis don’t have Korean skin! We can’t use products to change our genetics,” says Lisette, who conducted some undercover filming.
“We went into one shop that was full of Korean skincare products, where most of the ingredients are listed in Korean, so I wouldn’t have known what I was buying or if they were tested by dermatologists. “It adds another layer of complexity and concern because it’s so hard to regulate what they’re seeing from YouTube or TikTok. That’s where a big part of the problem lies.”
The cosmeticorexia story is another juicy social issue that Lisette has enjoyed sinking her teeth into. Last year, the former war correspondent decided to investigate GLP-1 weight-loss injections by taking Wegovy when it became available on prescription in New Zealand.
One year on from Wegovy
Lisette’s body mass index was above 30, which categorised her as obese. Exposing her journey in a raw, funny and honest way, viewers were able to see how the drug affected the popular broadcaster physically and mentally.
She says she received “extraordinary” feedback, with lots of people admitting to taking it in secret, as well as those who hated that Lisette took it. One year on, the popular reporter shares she’s no longer on it regularly.
Lisette says, “I do still have a Wegovy pen, so if I feel like I’m getting a lot of ‘food noise’ or my eating habits have got a bit wild, I will give myself one jab a month and that does the trick before it gets out of control. “I’m aware it might also have a bit of a placebo effect on me, in that my mind believes I won’t be as hungry because I’ve just done a jab.”
After her four-year stint in London, Lisette joined ThreeNews as a senior correspondent for international affairs, where her open mind and can-do attitude has seen her career trajectory rise.
From nerves to confidence
Yet stepping into the spotlight for her latest role as weekend presenter has come somewhat out of the blue, she tells the Woman’s Weekly.
“Presenting was never on my radar or a big future goal. That’s the thing with life, right? Sometimes you don’t realise how massive the milestones are when you’re rolling through them. “Then when you actually take time to reflect, you go, ‘That’s really cool,’” says Lisette, who has been off our screens over the past month while visiting her best friend in the UK.
When Lisette was first learning the ropes as a presenter, she also admits things got a bit sweaty.
“As I was given the countdown to going live at 6pm, I would get so nervous and my heart rate would get so high, that the poor makeup artists would be running into the studio to pat me down with powder because I was getting very clammy! “One time, Imogen Gibbs presented the weather and threw back to me and I’d forgotten she was going to do that, and was just not ready for it.”
“I was like ‘Oh, my God, Lisette!’ So now when she comes in to do the weather, I say, ‘Please remind me that I talk after you!’ “But eight months into the role, I’m getting into the rhythm of it, and feeling much more comfortable and calm during the bulletin. “When I hear the countdown, I find myself smiling and thinking, ‘This is pretty epic!’”
A new mountian to climb
Lisette has always had a drive and determination when it comes to bringing the news.
This is a woman who once walked through landmine-riddled towns in Ukraine with artillery sounding all around her to report live with little sleep. Working in the field will always be a life-long passion, but becoming a newsreader has given her a new sense of direction.
“It’s been a really nice feeling to have this new mountain to climb, gain a whole new skill-set and get that old adrenaline rush again,” she says.
“If you had told young Lisette when she was leaving broadcasting school that this was in her future, she would’ve been so, so proud and pretty darn chuffed!”
Watch Lisette’s investigation on Paddy Gower Has Issues on Tuesday, September 22 at 7.30pm on Three and on ThreeNow.
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