Pregnancy Safe- Skincare & Makeup Roundup

When I saw the "positive" pregnancy test, one of the things that confused me/stressed me out the most was deciding what items were "pregnancy safe" or "nursing safe," and which items should be placed aside. Whenever I Googled something to check, it would overwhelm me because half the time I found contradicting information and it was impossible to decide which items were potentially hazardous.

I wanted to create a blog post with some of my findings and resources to help you make your own educated decisions surrounding your skincare and makeup products!

I preface this entire blog post to say: Please speak with your doctor and do your own research! I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be, this is just based off of my personal research and discussions.

Resources I utilized to craft this list:

• Nurture Book

• My OB and doctors

• 15 Minute Makeup Blog: Is it pregnancy safe? I cross referenced the ingredients mentioned with my OB.

Pregnancy Safe Skincare Roundup:

Skincare products were a heavier lift for me to cross-reference- and the reason being is that there are so many products on the market with retinols, salicylates, chemical sunscreens, etc. I had to carefully go through each and every product I used prior to pregnancy and read up on each ingredient in the product to decide whether or not it was safe.

"There are definitely some ingredients that you should avoid while pregnant due to possible birth defects. The placenta is basically a big sieve, it lets things through in a very non-specific (and size based) fashion. Your baby is busy doing things like making organs, which means that small mistakes early on can have big effects later on.

While your skin is a barrier, we do know that some of the products you put on it will be well absorbed and those ingredients can reach the blood stream. Which means they can reach the placenta and therefore your baby."

Top Pregnancy Safe Skincare Roundup:

• REN Perfect Canvas

• Goldfaden MD Doctor's Scrub

• PeterThomasRoth Sulfar Mask

• Caudalie Vinoperfect Mask

• Cosmedix Plant Based Retinol

• The Ordinary Azelic Acid

• The Ordinary Niacinamide

• ELTAMD Sunscreen

• Goop GTOX Face Cleanser

• Supergoop! Matte Screen Sunscreen

• Lume Deodorant

Skincare Ingredients to Avoid While Pregnant/Nursing:

• Chemical Sunscreens: The study shows pregnant women in their first trimester who apply sunscreen containing 6 percent oxybenzone twice a day (the recommended usage) can absorb the chemical into their bloodstream. It may then reach the fetus, causing harmful cell changes during embryonic development. "That's because oxybenzone is considered an endocrine disruptor, which can have an adverse effect on development, reproductive, neurological, and immune systems," says Dr. Dardarian.

• Retinoids- Including Retin A/Accutane, Retinoids, Vitamin A: "Fetal retinoid syndrome is a pattern of mental and physical birth defects (congenital malformations) that can result from a mother taking retinoids during pregnancy.

• All Hydroxy Acids (Alpha, Beta and Poly): "From malic acid to salicylic acid, pretty much all of the hydroxy acids either are not safe or simply don’t have enough information to say “sure, go crazy and rub this all over you.” So, the official word is that all of they hydroxy acids, alpha, beta and poly, have pregnancy categories that recommend avoidance."

• Salicylates: This should include topical willow bark and should be avoided. Leave-on acne lotions, gels, and creams and DIY skin peels can contain high levels of salicylic acid or retinoids. My doctor recommended to avoid these treatments during pregnancy. Some doctors have mixed feelings on salicylates and the % considered safe for pregnancy. I chose to just remove it from my overall skincare line until I was done breastfeeding!

Pregnancy Safe Makeup Roundup:

Thankfully, the only major products to triple check ingredients on are: primers, setting sprays, foundations, concealers, or cream products you use. 99% of all other makeup products I currently use were products I cross-referenced and saw that they were all pregnancy safe!

Here are my top products that are tried and true:

• EXA Jump Start Soothing Primer

• EXA High Fidelity Foundation

• Estée Lauder Stay In Place Foundation

• Estée Lauder Matte Powder Foundation

• Ilia Skin Tint

• Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation

• NARS Creamy Concealer

• Bobbi Brown Bronzer

15 Minute Beauty (a source I use a lot!) has the following lists so that you can track down your current products and check if they are pregnancy safe:

• Pregnancy Safe Primers

• Pregnancy Safe Foundations

Makeup Ingredients to Avoid While Pregnant/Nursing:

This list is going to be the same as the skincare ingredients list. The major player that I found in a lot of my favorite foundations and primers was chemical sunscreen, retinoids, and salicylates.

I hope this helps you in some way! I felt really overwhelmed at first, and now I feel empowered based off of the research and conversations I've had surrounding ingredients. I hope you feel the same!

X,

Stephanie Padgett

Style and Steph