Pregnancy-safe skin care products for every step of your routine

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Somewhere around the positive test, a lot of people open their bathroom cabinet and start reading labels like they're defusing something. We get it. But you probably don't need to throw out much. The list of ingredients to stop using in pregnancy is short, and most of a good routine stays exactly as it is.

Below is a simple, pregnancy-safe skin care routine in five steps, with the products we'd reach for at each one and an honest note on what each can't do.

How to spot pregnancy-safe skin care products

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) keeps a short list of ingredients to avoid while pregnant. For things you put on your face, it comes down to two:

• Retinoids. That includes over-the-counter retinol and adapalene (Differin) and prescription tretinoin and tazarotene. Very little is absorbed through the skin, but oral retinoids cause birth defects, so the standard advice is to stop the topical ones too.
• Hydroquinone. The skin-lightening ingredient used for dark spots. Somewhere between 35% and 45% of it is absorbed into the body, which is far more than most skin care, so it's best left until after the baby.

A few prescriptions are on the list too: isotretinoin, spironolactone and the tetracycline antibiotics (doxycycline, minocycline). If you take any of them, talk to whoever prescribed it as soon as you know you're pregnant.

Then there's a "use sparingly" group. AAD puts salicylic acid above 2% here, which mostly means peels, along with benzoyl peroxide and certain essential oils. Those aren't banned. It just means a little, not a lot.

Everything else in a normal routine (hyaluronic acid, ceramides, niacinamide, vitamin C, glycolic acid in a regular-strength product) isn't on any of these lists. If you want the whole shelf in one place, our pregnancy-safe skincare collection is filtered with the same rules.

Step 1: Cleanse, and handle breakouts

Pregnancy acne is common, and it's frustrating when your usual retinoid is off the table. The good news is that the classic over-the-counter options are still available. AAD says benzoyl peroxide is safe in limited amounts, and studies put skin absorption at about 5%. A cleanser is about as limited as it gets: it sits on your skin for a minute and then rinses off.

If you're also dealing with nausea, heartburn and the rest, our guide to common pregnancy symptoms covers what helps.

Step 2: Treat acne and uneven tone with azelaic acid

If you've stopped a retinoid, azelaic acid is the closest thing to a direct swap. AAD says it's thought to be safe to use during pregnancy, and a 2023 review in American Family Physician lists it with benzoyl peroxide as a preferred acne treatment in pregnancy. It's also used for post-breakout marks and uneven tone, which matters because up to 75% of pregnant people get some melasma, the darker patches on the cheeks, forehead or upper lip.

Step 3: Moisturize with a pregnancy-safe face cream

Pregnancy can make skin drier, oilier or both in different spots. There's nothing to avoid in a basic moisturizer, so pick on texture and budget. Here's a splurge and a pharmacy staple.

Step 4: Protect with a mineral sunscreen

If you only change one thing, make it sunscreen. Sun exposure makes melasma worse, and those patches can linger long after the baby arrives. AAD recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher, and it suggests a physical (mineral) sunscreen with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or both.

There's a regulatory reason too. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only two sunscreen filters the FDA proposes to call generally recognized as safe and effective. For the others, including octinoxate, avobenzone and oxybenzone, the FDA says it needs more data. It is careful to add that this doesn't mean they're unsafe. Any sunscreen beats none, but in pregnancy mineral is the easy call.

Step 5: Body care and stretch marks

We'd rather be straight with you here. Stretch marks show up in 55% to 90% of pregnancies, and genetics and how fast your skin stretches matter most. A Cochrane review of six trials and 800 women found that creams, lotions and oils did not prevent them. The one hint of a benefit comes from products with Centella asiatica or hyaluronic acid used with daily massage, and even that is described as modest.

So why bother? Because a stretching belly itches, and a rich cream genuinely helps with that. Think of these as comfort, not prevention.

Pregnancy-safe skin care FAQ

References

1. Dermatologist-approved pregnancy skin care American Academy of Dermatology
2. Is any acne treatment safe to use during pregnancy? American Academy of Dermatology
3. Topical acne treatments (fact sheet, February 2026) MotherToBaby
4. Bozzo P, Chua-Gocheco A, Einarson A. Safety of skin care products during pregnancy. Can Fam Physician. 2011;57(6):665-667 PubMed Central
5. Erlandson M, Wertz MC, Rosenfeld E. Common skin conditions during pregnancy. Am Fam Physician. 2023;107(2):152-158 American Academy of Family Physicians
6. Questions and answers: FDA's regulatory actions on over-the-counter sunscreen U.S. Food and Drug Administration
7. Topical preparations for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy Cochrane
8. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy MedlinePlus Genetics (NIH)

The content on Awaiting the Stork™ is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified physician or healthcare professional to address your unique health needs and circumstances.