Pregnancy-Safe Skincare Products You Should Know About

Do you know what’s in your skincare? Certain ingredients aren’t safe to use while pregnant – these brands are!

Although growing a human is an incredibly exciting time, it unfortunately also comes with a few downsides, including having to give up certain foods (goodbye sushi and wine), getting used to people randomly touching your belly, and even overhauling your skincare routine.

Skincare ingredients to avoid while pregnant

Your baby is like a sponge for all the things you put on and inside your body. There are certain skincare ingredients you should definitely avoid while pregnant while for other products there are mixed opinions. For instance, some women avoid chemical sunscreens while others have used them throughout their pregnancies without any issue. Likewise glycolic acid, liquorice root and fragrance are hotly debated.  Products to keep an eye out for to avoid once you’re expecting are ones containing potent ingredients like retinol, benzoyl peroxide, hydroquinone, and salicylic acid. You should also steer clear of products containing parabens, dyes, artificial fragrance, sodium laureth sulfate, and petroleum.

Read more: Natural Skincare: Top Sulphate-free & Paraben-free Brands to Try

While it’s important to check with your doctor before adding any new product to your routine when pregnant, to help you navigate what is already a stressful time, we’ve rounded up three skincare brands that are safe to use when you have a baby on board. While there are plenty of other brands out there that have a selection of products that are considered to be pregnancy safe, these brands take it that one step further by ensuring every single product from their line-up is safe to use during those all important nine months.

1. Emma Lewisham

The seeds of Emma Lewisham were sown when Emma first started trying for a baby. After speaking with her doctor, Lewisham found out that some ingredients in her regular skincare routine could be harmful during pregnancy. So, she went on the hunt to find a 100% clean alternative that was backed by scientific results – only to find it didn’t exist. With this in mind, Emma decided to be the change she wanted to see in the beauty industry and prove it was possible to produce 100% clean and naturally-derived products that would be as effective, if not more so, than high-end cosmeceuticals. Although the entire Emma Lewisham range is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, the brand’s number-one selling product, Skin Reset, is a firm favourite among mums to be thanks to its ability to reduce hyperpigmentation, a condition that affects an estimated 50 to 75 percent of expectant mothers, by inhibiting melanin production.

2. Go-To

Founded by Australian beauty editor and author Zoë Foster Blake, Go-To offers a collection of simple, smart, and all-natural skincare products that actually work. According to Blake, the main things pregnant women need to be wary of in skincare are retinoids and retinol, BHAs (salicylic acid) and oil of bergamot, and some soy products (because they can worsen hyperpigmentation). And because Go-To is completely free of all those things, and all nasties, the entire line-up is safe to use when pregnant. As proof, Zoë has been through two pregnancies and used Properly Clean, Very Useful Face Cream, Exfoliating Swipeys, Face Hero, and Exceptionoil from the range both times (the other products weren’t formulated at the time).

3. Summer Fridays

Brainchild of beauty bloggers Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores (who was pregnant when they formulated their first few products so all the ingredients are clean and safe for mum and baby), Summer Fridays specialises in bringing a glow to dull, tired, and stressed-out skin. Working with some of the best chemists in the beauty industry, the duo likes to think of skincare like food – it’s got to nourish and delight. Their products rely on simple, understandable ingredient lists that are proven to purify, balance, and plump up skin cells. There are no phthalates, surfactants, petrolatums, BHT, BHA, silicones, synthetic dyes, fragrances, parabens or sulfates. They are also cruelty-free and vegan. The brand’s best selling Jet Lag Mask soothes thirsty, inflamed skin by steeping cells in a nourishing mix of vitamins, ceramides, antioxidants, and gently exfoliating extracts. Skin looks instantly renewed, radiant, and ready for anything.

If like many mums out there, you are struggling with ingredient lists and you’re unsure of which products are safe to use, we recommend checking out the pregnancy safe skincare database from 15 Minute Beauty. Paediatric Critical Care doctor Christine Mikesell has spent hours reviewing the ingredient lists of thousands of products from your favourite beauty brands so you don’t have to.