Health and Beauty

Navigating the complex world of pregnancy safe products

I was looking forward to having fun experimenting an abundance of new natural/organic pregnancy safe products in my third time being pregnant.  However, I was surprised that the market had changed very little since my first pregnancy over 11 years ago!  It was still very tough to find effective and pregnancy-safe products in both the US and Europe.  After all these years, there was very little novelty in the market and I had to research a lot to ensure that what I was purchasing was truly effective and safe, specially in the face care department.  There is also a lot of confusion, misunderstanding and misinformation from consumers as well as from the ‘so called’ expert salespeople in this market.

The majority of the products I use at home are natural and/or organic but as I read and studied labels I found out that even what I had at home was not suitable for use while pregnant.  Many aromatherapy oils, for example, used in natural cosmetics are potentially dangerous during pregnancy; specially in the first trimester.

There is a very extensive list of ingredients that you must keep away from. Some are extremely dangerous and can even cause fetal malformation amongst other serious dangers while others can cause allergies and irritation.  Below are the main ingredients and essential oils to stay away from but I would strongly recommend that you speak with your doctor more in depth before making your purchases.  All findings and recommendations are based on my personal extensive research and experience.

Essential oils to stay away from:
  • Rose
  • Clay Sage
  • Basil
  • Rosemary
  • Nutmeg
  • Jasmine
  • Sage
  • Juniper Berry
  • Laurel
  • Angelica
  • Thyme
  • Cumin
  • Aniseed
  • Citronella
  • Cinnamon
  • Bitter Almond
  • Black pepper
  • Camphor
  • Cedar wood
  • Clove
  • Fennel
  • Ginger
  • Horseradish
  • Lemon
  • Marjoram
  • Melissa
  • Mugwort
  • Myrrh
  • Oregano
  • Pine
  • Hyssop
  • Pennyroyal
  • Stinging Nettle
  • Tansy
  • Thyme
  • Wintergreen
  • Wormwood
Ingredients you must avoid while pregnant:
  • Phalates
  • Parabens
  • Retinoids (some common ingredients are listed below)
    • Avage, Fabior, Tazorac (tazarotene)
      Avita (tretinoin)
      Differin (adapelene)
      Panretin (alitretinoin)
      Retin-A, Renova (tretinoin)
      Retinoic acid
      Retinol
      Retinyl linoleate
      Retinyl palmitate
      Targretin gel (bexarotene)
  • Soy/Lecithin
  • Salicylic Acid/Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA)
  • SLES (Sodium Laureth Ether Sulfate) – foaming agent found in face and body washes, shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, etc.
Please note that Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) such as lactic acid, malic acid, mandelic acid are safe to use!

Pregnancy Safe Products:

As you can see it’s not an easy task to find safe pregnancy products so here is a good starting point for you.  These are a couple of my favorite pregnancy safe products:
  • Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter, Tummy Rub Oil, Mega Mama Pregnancy Boob Tube and Facial Glow
  • Bio Oil
  • Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil
  • Clarins Tonic Oil
  • Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Anti Wrinkle Moisturizer, Cleansing Oil, and Anti Wrinkle Eye Cream (they have recently expanded their pregnancy safe line so it’s by far the most complete safe skin care pregnancy line)
  • Earth Mama Angel Baby Body Butter (every day body lotion)
  • de Mamiel Facial Oil
  • Rahua shampoos and conditioners
  • Alba Botanicals mineral sunscreens (not sticky and your face won’t turn pasty white 😉
  • Burt’s Bee Belly Butter (not very nourishing but a good day to day cream and easy to find

MamaMio Belly Butter

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy pregnancy!

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