There are so many things to think about when you're pregnant and skincare should not be a stressor because you have enough going on! I'm not going to do a massive deep dive on all the things that can potentially happen if you use any of these ingredients - you can go down a Google rabbit hole if you'd like to - I'm just going to give you an easy list that you can use when evaluating what you're going to put on your body.

The first trimester is also when the most caution should be taken so keep that in mind as well.

One thing to note - "categories" of ingredients are going to come up. That comes from the FDA's Pregnancy Categories for drugs. In 2015 they replaced this with a Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Final Rule (PLLR) because they thought the categories were too confusing. Honestly, both systems are a bit confusing but the category system has stuck around in spite of the PLLR so it comes up in research.

Category C comes up the most with these "should I or shouldn't I?" drugs/ingredients and - surprise! - it's the most confusing but the bottom line seems to be that if something is a category C, it hasn't been studied in animals or humans but it could absolutely potentially hurt your baby. Great, thanks for that clarity FDA. On to the list!

CHEMICAL SPFS

Here at Erin's Faces we're fans of mineral sunscreens anyhow (and have one for face and one for body) which are in alignment with the official word from the FDA which is, at this time, that the active ingredients of Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are considered GRASE which means "Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective". No other SPF active ingredients (check your label) are currently GRASE. So if your SPF has a different active ingredient (Oxybenzone is especially concerning) you will want to find a new one. A bonus with Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide - they sit on top of the skin and aren't absorbed which is ideal when you're not wanting things in your bloodstream.

PARABENS

While few companies still use parabens at this point in the game there are some products that have kept them in their formulas. This 2019 study found a link between early exposure of parabens during pregnancy to correlate with gestational diabetes. This post from Dr. Lora Shahine talks about parabens and fertility/pregnancy a LOT. Long story short, skip the parabens.

SALICYLIC ACID PEELS & ORAL MEDS

Consensus is you're okay to do low-dose OTC salicylic acid situations but this study concluded that high dose peels and oral medications should be avoided during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) does give the green light to the ingredients below but your skin may experience more sensitivity than it usually does so just go with low doses if you're nervous:

· Glycolic acid

· Azelaic acid

· Topical benzoyl peroxide (though this one does fall into category C and many OBGYNs say to avoid it)

· Topical salicylic acid (category C as well but OTC is less worrisome than high dose)

FORMALDEHYDE

I mean, who wants this anywhere near them, right? It is a known carcinogen according to the CDC. But it's in a lot of nail polish/strengtheners so make sure to check your labels. If they say "3-free" or "5-free" you should be good to go.

Also - while formaldehyde itself doesn't get used very much anymore in cosmetics there are formaldehyde-releasing chemicals that are in everyday beauty products which the Environmental Working Group talks about:

· DMDM hydantoin

· Imidazolidinyl urea

· Diazolidinyl urea (this is in a lot of mascaras)

· Quaternium-15

· Bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol )

· 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane

· Hydroxymethylglycinate