Skincare Ingredients to Avoid in Pregnancy, Sorted by Evidence
SLS, parabens, alcohol, fragrance and essential oils are all on the usual avoid-list. Which warnings hold up, which are precautionary, and what to do instead.
Every ingredient on the usual avoid-list gets described with the same level of alarm, which makes it impossible to tell the genuinely important ones from the merely cautious.
So here they are ranked by how strong the case actually is. Two of them matter a great deal. Most of the rest are preferences.
Retinoids, which usually get left off the list
Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin, adapalene) are avoided in pregnancy. This is the firmest recommendation of anything on this page.
High-dose salicylic acid, particularly as a peel, is also avoided. Low concentrations in something you rinse off are generally considered acceptable.
It says something about how these lists get written that the two clearest cases are the two least discussed.
Phthalates carry the next strongest case
Used as plasticisers and inside fragrance blends. Research has linked prenatal exposure to effects on fetal development, and this is the ingredient with the clearest evidence behind the caution.
The practical difficulty is that they are rarely named. They sit inside the single word "fragrance", which is one reason fragrance-free formulas are simply easier to judge.
Fragrance irritates before anything else
A fragrance blend can contain dozens of individual components, disclosed collectively as one word.
The reliable, short-term effect is irritation and redness on skin that is already more reactive than usual. That alone is reason enough.
On a label it may appear as parfum, perfume, linalool, limonene, eugenol, citronellol, geraniol or cinnamal.
Essential oils, and how far the caution goes
Some are traditionally avoided in pregnancy, particularly in the first trimester. The usual list: rosemary, cedarwood, clary sage, sage, juniper, thyme, marjoram, vetiver.
Two things to hold together. The concentration in a finished skincare product is usually very low, and quantities are not printed on the label. So the simplest safe rule is to skip essential oils in the first trimester, then avoid only the specific ones on that list afterwards.
What should not be inferred is that a scented cream will cause a miscarriage. The caution comes from concentrated oils used in aromatherapy and massage, not from a trace in a moisturiser.
SLS is an irritant, not a toxin
Sodium lauryl sulfate makes the foam in shampoos and face washes.
The fair word is irritant. At cosmetic concentrations it can leave skin dry and tight, and it is linked to mouth ulcers in some people when it is in toothpaste. If your skin is sensitive you will probably do better without it.
The claims that go further, nervous system damage, kidney and liver effects, come from animal studies at exposures that bear no relation to washing your face. Avoiding SLS because it dries you out is sensible. Avoiding it because it is a toxin is not the reason.
Parabens are a precaution
They preserve products and stop them growing bacteria, which is a job something has to do.
The evidence linking them to harm at cosmetic concentrations is limited and inconclusive. Plenty of Mamas avoid them anyway, and that is a legitimate choice made for a legitimate reason: where evidence is unsettled, erring towards caution costs little.
Calling them proven carcinogens goes well past what the research supports.
Alcohol depends entirely on which alcohol
Ethyl alcohol and denatured alcohol, high up an ingredient list, strip your skin's natural oils. Uncomfortable on skin that is already dry.
Fatty alcohols, cetyl, stearyl and cetearyl alcohol, are an entirely different thing. They are emollients, and they help.
Seeing "alcohol" on a list is not enough information on its own to do anything with.
What to use instead
Gentle Face Wash uses rice extract and hydrolysed collagen extract on a mild base.
Advanced Brightening Serum is made for pregnancy and breastfeeding, with peony extract, vitamin C, a hyaluronan multi-complex, ceramide NP and niacinamide.
Daily Protection Face Moisturizer SPF 20 PA++ doubles as a mineral sunscreen, which is the step that matters most for the darker patches.
Full ingredient lists are in our ingredient dictionary.
A simpler rule than memorising any of this
Read the first five ingredients, check for the word "fragrance", and avoid retinoids.
That covers most of what matters, and leaves you free to judge everything else on whether your skin actually likes it.
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This article is for information only and is not a substitute for diagnosis or medical advice. Please discuss your own situation with your midwife or doctor.
