Retinoids top the list of skincare ingredients to avoid during pregnancy, but they’re far from the only concern. Several common ingredients in acne treatments, anti-aging serums, skin lighteners, and even sunscreens carry risks ranging from well-documented birth defects to poorly understood hormonal effects. Here’s what to skip, what’s safe, and how to adjust your routine.
Retinoids: The Most Important Ingredient to Cut
Retinoids are vitamin A derivatives used in anti-aging products, acne treatments, and prescription creams. They are the single most dangerous skincare category during pregnancy. Oral isotretinoin (sold under brand names like Absorica, Claravis, and Myorisan) carries an estimated 35% risk of fetal retinoid syndrome when taken beyond the 15th day after conception. The potential birth defects are severe: skull and facial malformations, heart defects, central nervous system abnormalities, hearing loss, cleft palate, and in some cases, missing eyes.
Oral retinoids are strictly prohibited during pregnancy, and prescription programs require negative pregnancy tests before dispensing them. But topical retinoids, the kind found in over-the-counter serums and creams, also need to go. These include products labeled as retinol, retinal, retinaldehyde, adapalene, tretinoin, or any ingredient with “retin” in the name. While topical forms deliver lower doses than oral medications, the risk of harm to a developing baby means no form of retinoid is considered acceptable.
Check your nighttime serums, eye creams, and any “anti-aging” or “skin renewal” products. Retinol is one of the most common active ingredients in these categories and is easy to overlook if you’re not reading labels closely.
Skin Lighteners and Hydroquinone
Hydroquinone is the most widely used ingredient in skin-brightening and dark spot treatments. The UK Teratology Information Service notes that extremely limited data exist on pregnancy outcomes following hydroquinone exposure, and there is essentially no human data to assess whether it causes birth defects. Because of this gap, hydroquinone-containing skin lightening products are not recommended during pregnancy.
This matters especially because pregnancy itself often triggers melasma, the dark patches that appear across the cheeks, forehead, and upper lip. It can be tempting to reach for a brightening product, but hydroquinone is the wrong choice right now. Azelaic acid is a well-tolerated alternative that treats both hyperpigmentation and acne. It’s recognized as safe during pregnancy by both ACOG and dermatology reviews of the clinical evidence.
Chemical Sunscreen Filters
Oxybenzone (sometimes listed as benzophenone-3 or BP-3) is one of the most common active ingredients in chemical sunscreens. It’s classified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical due to its ability to interfere with both estrogen and androgen activity. Animal research has shown that even low doses of oxybenzone during fetal development can disrupt hormone-sensitive organs, reducing mammary gland growth in males and altering breast tissue development and estrogen receptor activity in females.
One analysis found that the internal concentration of oxybenzone after a single whole-body application of a standard 4% sunscreen can overlap with the concentrations that trigger hormonal disruption in lab studies. That’s a meaningful finding, because it suggests normal sunscreen use, not just extreme exposure, could reach levels of concern.
You still need sun protection during pregnancy (your skin is actually more vulnerable to UV damage and pigmentation changes). Switch to mineral sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which sit on top of the skin rather than absorbing into it. Avoid sunscreens listing oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, or homosalate as active ingredients.
Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen, and it shows up in skincare more often than you’d expect. It’s rarely listed by name. Instead, certain preservatives slowly release formaldehyde over time to prevent bacterial growth. The most common one is DMDM hydantoin, found in roughly 47% of skincare products and 58% of hair products that contain formaldehyde releasers, according to a Columbia University analysis of personal care products.
Other formaldehyde-releasing preservatives to watch for on ingredient lists include quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, and bronopol. Researchers have noted that this list isn’t exhaustive, as there may be additional releasers that haven’t been fully cataloged yet. During pregnancy, when you’re trying to minimize unnecessary chemical exposure, scanning labels for these names is worth the extra minute.
Essential Oils That Pose Risks
“Natural” doesn’t mean safe during pregnancy. Several essential oils commonly found in skincare, body oils, and bath products should be avoided throughout pregnancy, labor, and breastfeeding. The International Childbirth Education Association lists the following as oils to skip entirely:
- Pennyroyal, historically associated with uterine contractions
- Mugwort, wormwood, and tansy, which contain compounds that can stimulate the uterus
- Camphor, found in many muscle balms and “cooling” skincare products
- Wintergreen and birch, which contain high concentrations of a compound closely related to aspirin
- Sage, basil (estragole type), hyssop, parsley seed, tarragon, and thuja
- Aniseed
Peppermint should also be avoided during breastfeeding, as it may reduce milk supply. If you use products from natural or boutique skincare brands, check the full ingredient list for essential oil content. These oils appear in everything from facial mists to body butters.
What You Can Safely Keep Using
Pregnancy doesn’t mean abandoning your skincare routine entirely. ACOG identifies several over-the-counter active ingredients as safe to continue using: topical benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, topical salicylic acid, and glycolic acid. These cover a wide range of common skin concerns, from acne and clogged pores to uneven texture and hyperpigmentation.
A note on salicylic acid: the low concentrations found in facial cleansers and toners (typically 0.5% to 2%) are considered safe. However, salicylic acid also appears in higher-concentration products designed for treating warts or musculoskeletal pain, where absorption through the skin can be significantly greater. Stick to standard facial skincare concentrations and avoid salicylic acid body treatments or medicated patches without checking first.
For anti-aging, bakuchiol has gained popularity as a retinol alternative. It’s a plant-derived compound that a 2022 research review found produces comparable results to retinol for reducing wrinkles, acne, and hyperpigmentation. Because it’s structurally different from retinoids, some dermatologists speculate it may be safe during pregnancy. However, no clinical studies have confirmed its safety for pregnant people, and the FDA has not assigned it a pregnancy safety rating. It’s a promising option but not a guaranteed one.
How to Audit Your Current Routine
The easiest approach is to flip over every product you currently use and scan for the major categories: retinoids (retinol, tretinoin, adapalene, retinaldehyde), hydroquinone, oxybenzone, and formaldehyde releasers (DMDM hydantoin, quaternium-15, imidazolidinyl urea). Don’t forget products you might not think of as “skincare,” including tinted moisturizers, lip treatments, body lotions, hair products, and sunscreens.
Products labeled “clean” or “natural” aren’t automatically safe. Many contain essential oils from the avoid list, and “clean beauty” has no regulated definition. Reading the actual ingredient list is the only reliable method. When in doubt about a specific ingredient, the simplest swap is to a fragrance-free, mineral-based product with a short ingredient list until after pregnancy and breastfeeding.