Pregnancy-Safe Beauty & Skin Care Cheat Sheet

 

Want to do your own screening to ensure the products you're using are pregnancy safe? Here's a little cheat sheet we put together based on our research to help you as you read product labels. Take a screenshot or bookmark the page so you can bring it with you to the store!

If Category Two or Three are making you sweat, don't stress! Most experts will only say to avoid Category One to be pregnancy safe. Category Two and Three account for the cleanest of beauty standards if you're looking to really commit to a non-toxic routine.  Go with what makes YOU feel best.

 

Category One: Cautious

(your doctor will probably tell you to ban these):

  • Retinol/Retinoids/Retin-A/Retinyl Palmitate or any Vitamin A derivative

(Note: Check your labels...we were shocked to find retinyl palmitate on the bottom of the ingredient list on a seemingly natural eye cream we were using even though the product was not marketed as containing retinol.)

  • Salicylic acid (a beta hydroxy acid found in skin care for acne prone skin)

 

Category Two: Very Cautious

(your common Google searches will bring up articles advising you to avoid these):

  • Aluminum compounds (found in antiperspirant)

  • Chemical sunscreens (ex: 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, avobenzone, homosalate, menthyl anthranilate, oxtinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxtocrylene, oxybenzone, para-aminobenzoic acid.)

  • Parabens (found in lots of skin care and body products)

  • Phthalates (found in synthetic fragrances)

 

Category Three: Extremely Cautious

(your greenest mom friends and die hard clean beauty advocates will also steer clear of these):

  • Ammonia (found in hair dye)

  • Benzoyl peroxide (found in topical acne treatments)

  • Beta hydroxy acids (salicylic acid and others like: 3-hydroxypropionic acid, trethocanic acid, and tropic acid)

  • Certain essential oils, particularly when they're pure and undilluted (ex: clary sage oil, willow bark)

  • Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) (found in spray tanners)

  • Diethanolamine (DEA) (found in hair and body products)

  • Ethoxylated ingredients (petroleum-derived)

  • Formaldehyde (and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives) (found in some hair treatments and nail polish)

  • Hydroquinone (found in lightening products)

  • Lead (found in some lipsticks)

  • Methylisothiazolinone (MIT) (found in shampoos)

  • Propylene glycol

  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (found in shampoos)

  • Thioglycolic Acid (found in chemical hair removers)

  • Toluene (found in nail polish)

Don't want to check labels? Try one of our Top 3's! We've already done our best to weed out ingredients in category one, two, and three.