Pregnancy Safe Skincare

Written By Kat Boley

In this blog, I'm going to share with you which ingredients to avoid when you are pregnant and breastfeeding as well as some brands and products that are safe to use. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor (just a nurse :) ), this is based on my own personal research I've done. I lean towards the conservative side with which ingredients you should avoid. Some I list below have been okayed by many estheticians and doctors. However, my doctor said no to many of these ingredients so I'm sticking to her advice as well.

lf you haven't heard or used Environmental Working Group (EWG) website www.ewg.org or their phone app, you should start using it for all skincare/haircare products you use. It gives you a rating from 0-10 (although they don't have every single product on there). With zero having the cleanest ingredients to 10 having the worst/most dangerous ingredients in a product. Most of my products I use and refer here average a score of 2-3. Not only are they pregnancy safe but also less toxic to your health. 

Read your ingredient lists carefully! Europe has banned more than 1,000 ingredients in their skincare products that are harmful to health, and we still use them here in the US. It's nice to have some help, like the EWG, to help us navigate the labels that read like another language. 

What to avoid:​

In general you want to avoid any product that say: "anti-aging, skin-lightening, wrinkle creams, acne creams". They all have ingredients that are not safe to use during pregnancy. You also want to avoid the 3 P's, not just during pregnancy but ALWAYS.

Avoid 3 P's:

  1. Parabéns (prefixes: methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, isopropyl)

  2. Parfum/Fragrance

  3. Petrochemicals: PEG, DEA, SLS, mineral oil, petrolatum, parafin

Other ingredients to AVOID

  • Retinoids - Found in Retin-A and Accutane, retinoids are prescription acne and anti-aging medications.

  • Benzoyl Peroxide - in many acne products. Some say it’s safe but it’s a Category C which means " there's some possible risk to the fetus."

  • Tetracycline - Medications include doxycycline and minocycline.

  • Hydroquinone (skin lightening)

  • Phthalates - BzBP, DBP, DEP, DMP, or diethyl, dibutyl, or benzylbutyl phthalate

  • Formaldehyde - Listed on product labels as formaldehyde, quaternium-15, dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM), hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, and 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol)

  • Toluene - Steer clear of any nail polish with methylbenzene, toluol or antisal 1a on its ingredient label.

  • Ammonia - in hair dyes

  • Dihydroxyacetone - DHA in spray self tanners

  • Diethanolamine (DEA): Found in hair and body products; stay clear of diethanolamine, oleamide DEA, lauramide DEA and cocamide DEA.

  • Hydroxy Acids - BHA, AHA

    • Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA)

    • Azelaic acid

    • Benzoyl peroxide

    • Beta hydroxy acids (BHA)

    • Beta hydroxybutanoic acid

    • Betaine salicylate

    • Citric acid

    • Dicarbonous acid

    • Glycolic acid

    • Hydroacetic acid

    • Hydroxyacetic acid

    • Hydroxycaproic acid

    • Lactic acid

    • Salicylic acid

    • Trethocanic acid

    • Tropic acid

    • 2-hydroxyethanoic acid

Avoid products with these ingredients if you have melasma (as they can make your melasma worse):

  • Lethicin

  • Phosphatidylcholine

  • Soy

  • Textured vegetable protein (TVP

Chemical sunscreens to avoid: Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, oxtinoxate, menthyl anthranilate and oxtocrylene.

Be careful with naturals/botanical ingredients: Such as Willow Bark: The bark contains salicin, a compound similar to aspirin. Salicin is metabolized in the body to create salicylic acid, a precursor to aspirin. Salicylic Acid is NOT safe for pregnancy!

What is safe:​

Just to name a few ...

  • Sunscreen: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (physical blockers)

  • Propylene glycol-used in small amounts to keep products from melting in high heat or from freezing

  • Glycerin - substance found naturally in skin, helping to establish normal balance and hydration

  • Hyaluronic acid

  • Vitamin C or ascorbic acid

  • Tea tree

Safe Brands & Products:​

P.S. ... I've linked most of the products listed below 

Cleansers:

Treatments:

Moisturizer:

Eye Creams:

Masks:

Acne Treatments:

Sunscreens:

For the Belly:

In general, for the most part these brands are considered safe (safer) to use during pregnancy: Yanka, Avene, True Botanicals, La Roche Posay. But again, read the ingredient lists carefully because some products in those brands will have retinoid ingredients etc. Utilize the EWG website or app, it is so helpful. 

Kat Boley
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