Most First Aid Beauty products are safe to use during pregnancy, but a few contain ingredients you’ll want to avoid. The brand is known for gentle, fragrance-free formulas built around soothing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal and ceramides. That said, “gentle” doesn’t automatically mean pregnancy-safe, and a couple of products in the lineup contain retinol or chemical exfoliants that deserve a closer look.
The Ultra Repair Cream Is a Safe Choice
First Aid Beauty’s bestseller, the Ultra Repair Cream, is one of the safest options in the line for pregnant skin. Its active ingredient is colloidal oatmeal at 0.5%, which is an FDA-recognized skin protectant used to calm itching and irritation. The formula is free of parabens, artificial fragrances, and common irritants. Its inactive ingredients include shea butter, ceramides, squalane, glycerin, and plant extracts like licorice root and feverfew, all of which have solid safety profiles during pregnancy.
One ingredient worth noting: the cream does contain eucalyptus leaf oil, which is a natural essential oil rather than a synthetic fragrance. The amount in the formula is very small (it appears near the end of the ingredient list, meaning it’s present in a low concentration). At that level, it’s not a concern for topical use during pregnancy.
Skip the Retinol Serum Entirely
The FAB Skin Lab Retinol Serum 0.25% Pure Concentrate is the one product in the First Aid Beauty lineup that you should clearly avoid during pregnancy. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that can cause birth defects when absorbed in significant amounts. While the risk from a topical serum is far lower than from oral retinoids, dermatologists universally recommend avoiding all forms of retinol during pregnancy and breastfeeding. There is no concentration of retinol considered safe for use while pregnant.
If retinol has been part of your routine for anti-aging or acne, swap it out for a product with niacinamide instead. First Aid Beauty makes several niacinamide-based options, including the Daily Resurfacing Lotion with 2% Niacinamide and the Dark Spot Serum with Niacinamide, both of which skip retinoids entirely.
Chemical Exfoliants at Low Concentrations
The Facial Radiance Pads contain two chemical exfoliants: lactic acid (roughly 2.8% to 4.1%) and glycolic acid (roughly 1.7% to 2.6%). These are alpha hydroxy acids, or AHAs, and their safety during pregnancy depends largely on concentration and how much skin surface they cover.
Australia’s MotherSafe program, a clinical advisory service run through the Royal Hospital for Women, considers glycolic acid and salicylic acid safe to use in pregnancy at the concentrations found in cosmetic products. The Facial Radiance Pads fall well within typical cosmetic-grade concentrations. Very little of these acids absorbs past the outer layer of skin at such low percentages. That said, if your skin is more reactive during pregnancy (which is common), starting with every other day rather than daily use can help you gauge your tolerance.
The Face Cleanser: What to Know
The Pure Skin Face Cleanser uses sodium isethionate as its main cleansing agent rather than harsh sulfates like sodium lauryl sulfate. Sodium isethionate is a mild surfactant commonly found in gentle cleansing bars and sensitive-skin washes. The Environmental Working Group rates the cleanser’s overall cancer risk as low, though it flags a moderate rating for developmental and reproductive toxicity across the formula as a whole.
That moderate flag comes from the cumulative scoring of all ingredients rather than any single red-flag chemical. EWG ratings tend to be conservative, factoring in theoretical risk from ingredients that have limited safety data rather than ingredients with proven harm. The cleanser contains no retinoids, no salicylic acid, and no parabens, which are the primary topical ingredients dermatologists flag during pregnancy.
FAB Products That Are Pregnancy-Friendly
If you want to simplify your routine and stick to the safest options, these First Aid Beauty products contain no retinoids, salicylic acid, or hydroquinone:
- Ultra Repair Cream with colloidal oatmeal
- Ultra Repair Hydration Boost Serum with colloidal oatmeal and hyaluronic acid
- Ultra Repair Rescue Barrier Balm with dimethicone
- Hydrating Toner with squalane and oats
- Daily Resurfacing Lotion with 2% niacinamide
- Dark Spot Serum with niacinamide
These products focus on hydration, barrier repair, and gentle brightening through ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, and oat-based extracts. None contain the categories of ingredients that raise concerns during pregnancy.
Ingredients to Watch For Across Any Brand
When evaluating any skincare product during pregnancy, not just First Aid Beauty, the short list of ingredients to avoid is fairly consistent. Retinoids in all forms (retinol, retinal, tretinoin, adapalene) are the most important to cut. Hydroquinone, a skin-lightening agent, is also off-limits because it absorbs at a higher rate than most topical ingredients.
Salicylic acid is more nuanced. In face washes and toners at low concentrations (typically 2% or less), it’s generally considered safe because so little absorbs through the skin. Higher-concentration salicylic acid products, like chemical peels or wart treatments applied to large areas, allow more absorption and warrant more caution.
Chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone are another category some dermatologists recommend swapping for mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) during pregnancy. First Aid Beauty does not use oxybenzone in its formulas.
The overall picture with First Aid Beauty is reassuring. The brand’s core philosophy of minimal, gentle formulas means most of its products already avoid the ingredients pregnant people need to skip. The retinol serum is the clear exception. Everything else in the lineup is either safe to continue using or carries such low concentrations of active acids that the risk is negligible for topical, rinse-off, or leave-on use.