Several Summer Fridays products are considered pregnancy safe, but a few contain ingredients you’ll want to avoid. The brand’s lineup ranges from simple moisturizers with no red-flag ingredients to retinol serums that are clearly off-limits during pregnancy. Here’s a product-by-product breakdown so you can keep what works and swap what doesn’t.
Products Generally Considered Safe
Jet Lag Mask
The Jet Lag Mask is the product most people are asking about, and it gets a green light. The current formula contains niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, three ceramides, shea butter, and soothing ingredients like panthenol and allantoin. There are no retinoids, no salicylic acid, and no chemical sunscreen filters.
The brand actually reformulated this product, removing every essential oil from the original version (peppermint, cornmint, and orange peel oil were all stripped out) and replacing them with barrier-repair ingredients. That cooling tingle people associated with the old formula was technically mild irritation. The current version is gentler across the board, which makes it a better fit for pregnancy skin that tends to run more reactive than usual.
ShadeDrops SPF 30 Sunscreen
ShadeDrops is a mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide (9.4%) as its only active ingredient. Mineral filters sit on top of the skin rather than being absorbed, which is why they’re the preferred sunscreen type during pregnancy. Chemical UV filters like oxybenzone and avobenzone are the ones typically flagged for avoidance. ShadeDrops doesn’t contain any of them.
Lip Butter Balm
The Lip Butter Balm is widely categorized as pregnancy safe by ingredient-screening sources. It’s a straightforward moisturizing balm without retinoids or active exfoliants.
Products to Avoid
Midnight Ritual Retinol Serum
This one is the clearest skip. Retinoids, whether prescription-strength or over-the-counter retinol, are the most universally agreed-upon skincare ingredient to stop during pregnancy. Oral retinoids are known to cause birth defects, and while topical retinol carries far less risk, the standard guidance is to avoid all forms. The Midnight Ritual Retinol Renewal Serum scores as high risk in pregnancy-safety databases.
Jet Lag Overnight Eye Serum
Don’t confuse this with the Jet Lag Mask. Despite the similar name, the Overnight Eye Serum contains retinoids along with gluconolactone (a polyhydroxy acid). It’s flagged as not safe for pregnancy or nursing. This is one of those cases where brand naming can trip you up, so double-check which Jet Lag product you’re reaching for.
Products That Need a Closer Look
CC Me Vitamin C Serum
Vitamin C serums are generally considered safe during pregnancy, and the CC Me Serum uses two stabilized forms of vitamin C alongside niacinamide. Where it gets slightly more complicated: the formula also includes peptides (palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7) and coffee extract. Peptides are not well-studied in pregnancy, though they’re topical and used in small concentrations. Coffee extract contains caffeine, but the amount absorbed through a facial serum is negligible compared to a cup of coffee. Most ingredient-screening tools don’t flag this product, but if you prefer to play it conservatively with peptides, it’s worth noting.
Soft Reset AHA Exfoliating Solution
This product contains glycolic acid and lactic acid, both alpha hydroxy acids. Low-concentration AHAs in rinse-off or short-contact products are generally considered acceptable during pregnancy, but higher concentrations or professional-grade peels are not. Summer Fridays doesn’t publish the exact AHA percentage for Soft Reset, which makes it harder to evaluate. Glycolic acid in particular has smaller molecules that penetrate deeper into skin. If you want to exfoliate during pregnancy, a gentle lactic acid product at a known low percentage is typically the safer bet. Without a published concentration, this one falls into a gray area.
How to Check Any Skincare Product
The ingredients to screen for during pregnancy fall into a short list. Retinoids (retinol, retinal, retinyl palmitate, tretinoin, adapalene) are the biggest concern. High-dose salicylic acid (above 2%, or in peel form) is typically avoided, though low-concentration salicylic acid in a face wash is considered low risk by most dermatologists. Chemical sunscreen filters, especially oxybenzone, are commonly swapped out. Hydroquinone, a skin-lightening agent, is also on the avoid list.
Everything else, including hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, ceramides, peptides, and glycerin, falls into the “generally fine” category. Pregnancy skin can become more sensitive due to increased blood flow and hormonal shifts, so even safe products might cause irritation you didn’t experience before. Patch testing on your inner forearm for 24 hours before applying a new product to your face is a simple precaution.
If you’re building a routine entirely from Summer Fridays, a workable pregnancy-safe core would be the Jet Lag Mask as your moisturizer, ShadeDrops as your sunscreen, and the Lip Butter Balm for lips, while shelving the Midnight Ritual Serum and the Overnight Eye Serum until after pregnancy and nursing.