Labels Unfiltered: Teen Workshop at Youth Fest Doha

On Friday 6 November, from 3:00 to 3:40 pm, we joined Youth Fest in the Teen Hub at Al Bidda Park, Doha with Labels Unfiltered: a workshop for teenagers on one question most adults never ask – can you read your cream?

Teenagers today see more skincare ads, influencer routines and "must-have" trends than any generation before them. Our goal was simple: help them understand what is actually inside a product, what the claims on the pack really mean, and how the rules for cosmetics differ around the world.

Warm-up: myth or fact?

We started with a quiz. Does "natural" mean safe? Does "synthetic" mean bad? Is "hypoallergenic" a protected legal term? Students stood up for fact and stayed seated for myth – and many of the answers were a surprise.

Three things every teen (and parent) should know

1. The first ingredient is the biggest amount. Ingredients are listed from the highest amount down. If the ingredient a product is named after only appears near the end, there's very little of it.

2. "Parfum" is an umbrella term. One word on the label can stand for dozens of scent ingredients, and fragrance is a common trigger for irritated skin.

3. Claims are not guarantees. "Natural", "clean" or "hypoallergenic" are marketing words, not proof. Rules also differ worldwide: the EU, for example, bans more than 1,600 substances in cosmetics.

The message we left them with: you don't need ten products or the latest trend. Read the back of the pack, keep it simple, and listen to your own skin.

Thank you

A big thank you to the Youth Fest team for inviting us, and to every student who joined and asked questions. Would you like a Labels Unfiltered workshop at your school or youth event in Qatar? Get in touch.