The world of skincare when pregnant can be really overwhelming can’t it? Not to mention narrowing down which vegan and cruelty free products are safe to use while pregnant and breastfeeding!

The reason it is so complicated, is because it is seen as unethical for products to be tested on pregnant people, so therefore there are many products which are probably fine, but the brand would not want to put us at risk by suggesting products for us which may not be safe.

That being said- there are a few ingredients which have been found to:

A) Reach our blood system (Not to say there has been any proof that it has caused harm)

B) Have been seen to cause harm in oral forms

The main ingredients advised to avoid are:

• RETINOL

• RETINOIDS

• SALICYLIC ACID OVER 2%

• MINOXIDIL (For hair growth)

• HYDROQUINONE (For skin lightening and reducing pigmentation)

• ALPHA ARBUTIN (For skin lightening and reducing pigmentation)

• FORMALDEHYDE (Used in hair straightening treatments)

*It is also advised to choose mineral SPF over chemical if possible

During my pregnancy, I have tried and tested many vegan and cruelty free skincare products known to be safe for pregnancy, and without further hesitation…I hope that they help you on your journey too…

*Please note that your skin may be more sensitive during pregnancy so perhaps test your skin first.

Cleansers & Toners

Below are a selection of cleansers which are completely safe to use during pregnancy.

Pigmentation

treatments

This is something I have suffered from personally, with little brown splodges on my cheeks and upper lip. Unfortunately there are lots of skin lightening products which have ingredients in we are recommended not to have pregnant. However, these ones work wonders, are pregnancy safe, vegan and cruelty free.

Congested Skin

treatments

A lot of us struggle with blocked pores, congested skin and acne during pregnancy. There are a lot of products on the market, but we are more limited with pregnancy and especially if you’re looking for pregnancy friendly skincare for congested skin. I hope one of these help you. (You will see that some of these products appear in multiple listings here…they are designed to be good for multiple things! So if you have a few skin concerns you may save some money.

Dull & Dry Skin

treatments

Who has suffered with dry and dull skin through pregnancy? We are supposed to have that ‘pregnancy glow’ but for many of us, that simply does not come. Especially if you are pregnant over winter when the central heating starts drying out our skin, it is hard to know what skincare is safe for pregnancy! Below is a list of my favourite, vegan and cruelty free hydrating and brightening products to bring our skin back to life!

Moisturisers

Most moisturisers will be fine during pregnancy (so long as they don’t have any of the above ingredients). There are also a few holistic ingredients that are advised to not use during pregnancy so below is a collection of my favourite day to day moisturisers which are vegan, cruelty free and pregnancy safe.

Daily SPF

This is SUCH an important step… especially when we are pregnant. Please dont skip SPF when you are pregnant. Our skin is way more sensitive and needs sun protection (yes even in the middle of winter). We are much more likely to have pigmentation issues that can be dramatically helped by using an SPF daily. I personally have been using a factor 50, which is ideal, but anything above 30 will be worth it. Here are my favourite mineral based sun screens.