Pregnancy Safe Skincare: What to avoid during pregnancy & breastfeeding

If you’re currently pregnant or breastfeeding, then you may be wondering how this impacts your skincare routine.

Similar to how you have to avoid certain food and drink during this period, there are some skincare ingredients you should also be avoiding. However, there are also certain ingredients that your skin won’t be able to get enough of during this transformative time.

To learn more about pregnancy safe skincare, including which ingredients to steer clear of and which to start stocking up on ASAP, keep reading. 

Skincare ingredients to avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding:

• Retinol, Retin-A, and Retinyl Palmitate: The jury is out on this family of ingredients, but some studies have linked their usage to birth defects, so for this reason it’s best to avoid all retinol-infused products during pregnancy. Though vitamin A is important when pregnant and breastfeeding, we recommend looking to sources outside of this retinol trio.
• Benzoyl Peroxide: While breakouts are common during pregnancy, you’ll need to be a little more careful when choosing your acne-fighting products. Benzoyl peroxide, along with its cousin, salicylic acid (more on that below), is one of the most popular ingredients in acne skincare, however, it presents a possible risk to the fetus and for this reason should be avoided. 
• Hydroquinone: This powerful skin lightener may be great at fighting hyperpigmentation (a common pregnancy concern), but it’s a no-no when you’re with child. The ingredient is known to have a higher absorption rate than other topical chemicals, which increases the odds of it entering your bloodstream and negatively impacting your baby.
• Chemical Sun Creams: If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, then it’s time to swap that harmful, chemical sun cream for a gentler mineral option. This is because chemical sun creams often contain hormone disruptors like oxybenzone or avobenzone, which may affect the baby’s nervous system. Mineral sun creams containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are much safer options. 

The best ingredients for your pregnancy skin concerns 

Hyperpigmentation: Generally speaking, opting for skincare products made with natural, plant-based ingredients is the safest bet when pregnant or breastfeeding. To fight hyperpigmentation, we recommend our 3-Step Pigmentation Kit, perfectly safe for expecting or breastfeeding parents.

This kit is formulated with hyaluronic acid, licorice root, niacinamide, ginger root extract, and acerola cherry, all of which work together to fade dark spots, revealing a bright and even complexion.

Scarring: If you’re looking to reduce the appearance of scars during pregnancy or postpartum, look no further than ginger root extract.

Ginger root is a powerful, botanical ingredient that contains enzymes known to break down and retain collagen, which helps to fade scars and even combat fine lines and wrinkles. You can easily add some ginger root extract to your routine using our Glow Serum & Tonic.

Dull Skin: Suffering from dull, dry skin?

Make hyaluronic acid your go-to. This gentle, non-irritating ingredient is suitable for all skin types and is safe to use when pregnant or breastfeeding. Its claim to fame is being able to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. This translates to a major boost of hydration that can work all kinds of miracles, from tightening, moisturising, and smoothing the skin to fighting signs of aging and hyperpigmentation.

Try it out for yourself by adding our Calming Collagen Serum to your daily skincare routine.