Reading a Skincare Label in Pregnancy: What Matters

Most of the advice sorts everything into "natural, therefore fine" and "chemical, therefore dangerous."

Water is a chemical. Poison ivy is natural. A more useful sort is by what the evidence actually supports, which is what this is.

Aloe vera

Generally fine. Topical aloe can be used through pregnancy.

One correction worth making: safety is not determined by the percentage of aloe in a product. What matters is the whole formula, what sits alongside it, and what the product is for. A high percentage on the front guarantees nothing at all.

Aloe holds moisture in skin, and well-hydrated skin looks brighter. That is the honest version of the glow claim.

Fragrance

Worth avoiding, mostly for your own comfort.

Your sense of smell has probably sharpened, and strong scents become genuinely unpleasant. If a product leaves you with a headache or nausea, switch to fragrance-free.

It is also one of the most common causes of irritation on skin that is already more reactive than usual.

Water-based formulas

Neither safe nor unsafe by definition.

Water-based products contain little oil and lean on hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, which is why they suit skin that feels congested.

But a water base tells you nothing about what is suspended in it. A water-based product with a retinoid in it is still a retinoid product, so keep reading down the list.

Phthalates

Worth avoiding.

A group of chemicals used as plasticisers or inside a fragrance blend, not as preservatives. Research has linked prenatal exposure to effects on hormone development.

They usually hide inside the single word "fragrance", which is one more argument for fragrance-free being simpler to judge.

Everything else

Whether an ingredient matters depends on which one, at what concentration, in what formula, and how much gets absorbed.

Alcohol, parabens and mineral oil are the usual names on the avoid-list. Not all of them warrant being treated as dangerous, and plenty of Mamas avoid them anyway as a precaution. Legitimate reason, and it does not require calling them toxins.

The two with a clearer case for avoiding in pregnancy are retinoids and high-dose salicylic acid, particularly as peels.

What actually helps

Sorting ingredients is the smaller half of this. The bigger half is what you do daily.

Sunscreen every morning. The darker patches are hormonal, and sun is what makes them more noticeable.

A gentle cleanser, twice a day. More often leaves skin dry and easier to irritate.

A moisturiser you will actually use, which usually means one that feels comfortable rather than one with the longest ingredient list.

One new product at a time, patch tested on your inner arm for two days.

What we use

Daily Protection Face Moisturizer SPF 20 PA++ is moisturiser and mineral sunscreen in one step, water-based, with hyaluronic acid and rice extract. No fragrance, parabens, alcohol or phthalates, and dermatologically tested.

Gentle Face Wash uses rice extract and hydrolysed collagen extract on a mild base.

The full ingredient list for every product is in our ingredient dictionary, including what each one does and why it is in there.

Ask a doctor rather than a label if

• Acne bad enough that you would otherwise want a prescription
• A rash spreading, or very itchy
• Severe itching with no rash, especially palms and soles. Same day
• Anything prescribed before pregnancy that you are unsure about continuing

For prescribed treatments particularly, stopping without asking causes its own problems. That question belongs with whoever wrote the prescription.