Wondering what to look for in safe beauty products during pregnancy? It makes sense that you’d be worried. Anything you put on your skin could theoretically be absorbed into your bloodstream, where it can then pass through into the placenta. So how do you know what to look for in safe beauty products during pregnancy? That’s where I come in!
Related: 8 Safe DIY Pregnancy Beauty Products
How to find safe beauty products during pregnancy
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First, the usual disclaimers: I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. Your doctor’s advice should always take first priority over anything you read on the internet. If you have certain medical conditions or skin conditions, talk to your doctor to help you choose the right beauty regimen during your pregnancy. This article is not medical advice.
Related: Which Beauty Products Should You Avoid During Pregnancy?
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and my behind is amply covered (not that my behind needs ample coverage!), let’s talk about what to look for in safe beauty products during pregnancy.
- Safe for Pregnancy: Isn’t it nice when beauty products put it right on the label that their formulas were designed for pregnant women? Maybe you’re thinking “well, anyone can put anything on a label, that doesn’t make it true!” Actually, the FDA governs beauty products in the US, so if they put it on the label, it’s backed by evidence. If it’s not, they can get in HUGE trouble. My mom made lotions and soaps for years, she was incredibly careful to NEVER make any claims. Even saying that “it makes your skin soft” is considered a medical claim.
- “Free”: No, not as in free makeup! I wish! Free as in free of phthalates and other harmful chemicals. You’ll find this designation on nail polish in particular. Also look for lead-free lipstick. Did you know that the FDA doesn’t seem to think that lead in lipstick is a big deal because lipstick isn’t ingested? HELLO? It’s on the lips! I mean, I don’t sit there and eat it, but how many of us NEVER lick or bite our lips?
- EWG Skin Deep Database: What does the EWG Skin Deep Database say about it? This is the ONLY site that I completely trust for a full analysis on the safety of skin care products. They’re completely unbiased and totally dedicated to informing consumers about the safest beauty products. They are incredibly strict, so if they give a product a safe rating, chances are extremely high that it’s safe.
- Products made for babies. For things like makeup remover, lotions and even hair detangler, look to the baby section to find safe beauty products during pregnancy! Baby wipes are awesome at removing makeup and I dare you to find a better way to get knots out of your hair than the detanglers designed for itty-bitters. My all-time favorite? Badger Baby Balm. For babies, it’s used to sooth diaper rash and dry skin. It also soothes your dry patches, works as an amazing belly rub and more.
- Physical sun blockers- Sunscreen is important during pregnancy. Your skin is even more sensitive to the sun than ever before. Rather than going with sunscreens that use chemicals to block the sun, go with good, old-fashioned titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Skip the ones that contain oxybenzone, as there is very limited research that indicates it MAY cause low birth weight in girls.
Of course, you could just let your natural, beautiful pregnancy glow shine through and not worry about finding safe beauty products during pregnancy! Seriously, give it a try. Or at least cut back on the number of cosmetics you use. While, in my non-medical theoretical (don’t sue me if I’m wrong) opinion, the majority of cosmetics are probably unlikely to cause problems unless you’re slathering on pounds of them, it’s always better to err on the side of caution when you’re pregnant.
Do you know of any wonderful safe beauty products to use while pregnant? Tell us about them in the comments!
Check out the beautiful, safe and high performing products of Beautycounter. The are fully verified by EWG and they are 100% transparent, visit the NEVER List, it’s a great guideline of toxic chemicals they will NEVER use in their products. 1500Chemicals are banned from personal products in Europe and only 11 in the USA. BeautyCounter chose to ban them anyway! You can trust them with your health and beauty and your new baby too!
I had a hard time with this when I was pregnant. You have to be so careful, my big thing was nail polish.
There are so many products out there it must be hard to narrow them down. I would try to use natural products if i was pregnant.
This is such great info to know! Thank you for sharing with everyone.
These are great tips. I made many of these changes with my first pregnancy and they have just stuck with me. One thing I always use is baby body wash.
I was careful with my first pregnancy and not so much the others. I didn’t really notice a difference in my children’s health or anything. I think people can get paranoid sometimes. Thank you for the tips. I never would have thought of any of those.
Oh no, I never thought about any of this while pregnant. I thought about what I put on my baby once he was born. But nothing about what to put on my body while I was pregnant. Great post, I’ll share this one around!
Lee
great tips. i know how hard it is to find great products especially when pregnant.
I stick with Ava products all the time. I love them, and they’re safe when pregnant and nursing!
I had never really given it a lot of thought that beauty products could be harmful during pregnancy! I guess I wouldn’t have to think about that yet since I have never been pregnant before–good read! Thanks for the info!
This is a great reference! This is something you never want to neglect when it comes to your pregnancy.
Great tips for mommas to be! I used all basic products when I was pregnant.
Thank you for this. I just found out I was pregnant so it is good to know!
I was so paranoid during pregnancy that I only used Cetaphil that my doctor recommended. I really like that EWG Skin Deep Database because I’m sure that there are other great brands to try during pregnancy.
I was super careful about what I put on my daughter when she was a baby, but I never thought that something I put on myself could affect her. This is such great information!
I really got into to this mindset with my last pregnancy. There’s just so much more information out there now than there used to be.
I wish I’d had this information when I was pregnant. I never thought of anything like this when I was pregnant.
I was thinking the same thing! So many things I should or shouldn’t have done!
Between you and me, beauty products were last on my mind when I was pregnant, lol… But I am all about safe now. My skin is so sensitive I break out with any chemicals. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing.
It is so helpful to know what is safe and what is not. This is super helpful.