Getting pregnant changes everything, including how you view what you put in and on your body.
This is why so many parents are switching to natural skincare products during pregnancy.
Opting for natural skin, body, and personal care products can help you avoid various harmful and potentially harmful ingredients, like endocrine-disrupting chemicals, creating a safer haven for your baby to grow, develop, and thrive.
Additionally, many people find their skin improves and that they feel better overall when they ditch and switch to natural skincare.
This article shows you how, including which ingredients to watch out for (“natural” doesn’t always mean safe) and how to choose the safest skincare products for you and your growing family.
We’ll also provide recommendations for the best Desert Essence products for skincare during pregnancy.
Tips For Choosing Safe Natural Skin Care Products During Pregnancy
Pregnancy affects people’s skin in different ways, with some women sporting absolutely glowing, flawless skin, while others battle breakouts, splotchy skin, dryness, and a range of other issues.
It’s not fair, but hormones are unpredictable.
For this reason, it’s best to keep your skincare routine simple, gentle, and as natural as possible.
This means avoiding products, natural or otherwise, that contain harmful, potentially harmful, or irritating ingredients.
Ingredients of Concern in Natural Skincare Products During Pregnancy
With natural skincare products, the primary ingredients of concern are certain essential oils, herbs, and synthetic chemicals, including preservatives, petroleum-based products, and fragrances.
Let’s start With the Most Controversial Natural Ingredient: Essential Oils
Many experts recommend avoiding all or most essential oils during the first trimester, and some should be avoided entirely during your pregnancy and lactation.
The reason is that essential oils contain various natural chemical constituents, some of which have been shown to be harmful or potentially harmful during pregnancy.
For example, some essential oils and herbs, including pennyroyal, parsley oil, and sage, have been historically used as abortives.
Others are known endocrine (hormonal) disruptors, and others still may cross the placental barrier and cause various issues for the baby.
The challenge is that research on this topic is limited, mostly to animal studies, and we don’t know at what concentration certain oils, or their constituents (which can vary by plant, batch, and formula), become toxic or problematic.
Abortive essential oils and herbs, for example, were historically used in large doses, yet you must still exercise caution, especially if you’re using essential oils daily.
That doesn’t mean all essential oils are unsafe during pregnancy—many offer benefits, and most products do not contain enough to cause a problem.
For example, the following essential oils are generally safe during pregnancy when used in normal amounts.*:
- Bergamot
- Eucalyptus
- Ginger
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Mandarin
- Neroli
- Orange
- Peppermint
- Chamomile
- Rose
- Peppermint
- Spearmint
- Tea Tree
*Please note, these essential oils may not be safe for every pregnant woman or person at every phase of pregnancy due to individual risk factors, such as pre-existing conditions, pregnancy complications, allergies, and other factors. If you’re unsure whether your favorite essential oils are safe, consult with your birth team.
For a list of essential oils to avoid during pregnancy, see the references section of this article, visit the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy, and ask your birth team for individual recommendations.
Herbs During Pregnancy: Are They Safe in Skincare?
Herbs have been used for millennia to promote healthy pregnancies and help ease symptoms.
However, not all herbs are safe during pregnancy.
Just like essential oils, certain herbs have been used as abortives, and others may modify hormone levels, which isn’t what you want during pregnancy.
In general, the same advice for essential oils applies to herbal extracts: avoid abortives or any herbs that may alter hormone levels or harm the fetus.
However, most adverse effects reported on herbs and pregnancy resulted from taking very high doses internally.
In general, you’re not eating skincare products, nor do they typically contain high concentrations of herbs.
Still, to be on the safe side, it’s wise to know which herbs to avoid during pregnancy.
Examples include:
- Angelica
- Arnica
- Black cohosh
- Blue cosh
- Cannabis
- Chastetree
- Comfrey
- Dong quai
- Ephedra
- Oregano extract and oil
- Licorice
- Fenugreek
- Parsley extracts
- Pennyroyal
- Poke Root
- Rue
- Sage
- Saw Palem
- St. John’s Wort
- Thuja
- Yarrow
- Wormwood, also known as Artemisia
This is not an exhaustive list of herbs to avoid during pregnancy.
Consult with your prenatal care team and a trained herbalist (as not all medical providers are trained in herbalism) for personalized recommendations on what is safe to use topically.
Avoiding Synthetic Chemicals in Natural Skincare Products
Synthetic chemicals in “natural” products? Unfortunately, this is a thing.
Due to loose regulations, terms like “natural”, “organic”, “made from organic ingredients”, “pure”, “clean”, “made with botanicals”, and “plant-based” don’t necessarily mean a product is free from all synthetics, including those that could be harmful during pregnancy.
Like herbs and essential oils, not all synthetic ingredients are bad or harmful.
However, some are, especially those with endocrine-disruptive properties.
Examples of synthetic chemicals and preservatives to watch out for in natural (and other) skincare products include:
- Aluminum (found in antiperspirants)
- Artificial fragrance or parfum, which can contain dozens of undisclosed endocrine-disruptive chemicals
- Artificial colors and dyes
- BHA, BHT
- Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (such as DMDM hydantoin and Quaternium-15)
- Hydroquinone
- Oxybenzone
- Triclosan (banned in hand sanitizers, but still allowed in oral care products)
- Parabens
- Petroleum products (often beginning with “poly”, PEG, or petroleum)
- Phthalates (typically from synthetic fragrances)
- PTFE
- Retinols
- Salicylic acid
This is not an exhaustive list of ingredients that may be harmful during pregnancy, but it does highlight some of the more extensively researched offenders.
You can also use consumer advocacy sites, such as the Environmental Working Group, to research and vet skincare products for their safety.
The Best Natural Skincare Products For Pregnancy
As mentioned previously, a simple and natural skincare routine will yield the best results during your pregnancy.
This means choosing products with minimal and natural ingredients, while avoiding those with harmful or potentially harmful ingredients, such as those listed above.
Desert Essence offers a variety of skin, hair, body, oral, and personal care products that meet this criteria and provide special skincare benefits during pregnancy.
Some of our most popular include:
- 100% Pure Jojoba Oil: This multipurpose oil is lightweight, quick-absorbing, and suitable for all skin types. It makes a lovely and simple facial and body moisturizer, is excellent for oil cleansing or hair treatments, and is often used as a base for belly or stretch mark oil. Perfect for normal, oily, or combination skin types
- Moisturizing Ceramide Cleanser: Is the ultimate gentle cleanser for all skin types. Our proprietary blend of 3 different ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) supports the skin’s natural moisture barrier, while Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, and Olive Oil help moisturize and nourish skin. Check out the Moisturizing Ceramide Cream too!
- Fragrance-Free Body Wash: This luxurious cleanser is free from any fragrances or essential oils, loaded with beneficial natural ingredients like Aloe, Green Tea, and Jojoba Oil, and leaves skin squeaky clean and silky soft
- Tea Tree Oil Therapy Cleansing Soap Bar: This traditional and natural bar soap is excellent for helping address blemishes, bumps, or imperfections on the body
- Fragrance-Free Hand and Body Lotion: This soothing hand and body lotion is formulated with Organic Aloe Vera, Green Tea, and Shea Butter. Pure, gentle, and fragrance-free
- Lavender Tea Tree Deodorant: Free from aluminum, petroleum products, and parabens, this natural deodorant contains clays, baking soda, and naturally antimicrobial tea tree and lavender essential oils to help fight odors while conditioning delicate under-arm skin
Want to go beyond natural skin care during pregnancy?
We also offer a variety of pure, botanical-based hair care, scalp care, and oral care products, as well as a kids’ line.
Our sister company, Country Life Vitamins, also offers an affordable organic, whole-foods prenatal: Realfood Organics® Prenatal Multivitamin.
Cheers to you for creating a safer, less toxic, and more natural pregnancy for you and your sweet babe!
Sources mentioned in this article:
- “Cumulative Chemical Exposures During Pregnancy and Early Development”. Current Environmental Health Reports.
- “Maternal Reproductive Toxicity of Some Essential Oils and Their Constituents”. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
- “Safety Information”. National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy Safety Information. https://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety/
- “Herbs and Pregnancy”. American Pregnancy Association.
- “Herbs In Pregnancy And Lactation: A Review Appraisal”. International Journal Of Pharmaceutical Sciences And Research.
- “Toxic Chemicals: Steps to Stay Safer Before and During Pregnancy”. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
- “The Role of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Gestation and Pregnancy Outcomes”. Nutrients.
- “Cumulative Chemical Exposures During Pregnancy and Early Development”. Current Environmental Health Reports.
- “Identification of combinations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in household chemical products that require mixture toxicity testing”. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.
- “High concentrations of aluminum in maternal serum and placental tissue are associated with increased risk for fetal neural tube defects”. Chemosphere.
- “Risk of aluminium exposure during pregnancy”. Contributions to Science, ISSN 1575-6343, Vol. 1, Nº. 4, 2000, pags. 479-487