My Clean Skincare Routine for Glowing Pregnancy Skin

Pregnancy notoriously wreaks havoc on your skin thanks to all those hormones surging. But you don't have to settle or suffer! I've finally honed in on a clean, pregnancy-safe skincare routine that leaves my skin glowing. Here the exact products I use for beautiful pregnancy skin.

In my first two pregnancies, I suffered through common skin issues like melasma and breakouts throughout all 9 months - and beyond. I had started using all natural products that were safer for my baby, but I never quite nailed the right combination to combat my pregnancy skin problems. This time around in my third pregnancy, I've finally refined my routine to achieve smooth, glowing skin while also using products that are safe for both me and baby. I'm sharing exactly which products I've used throughout this pregnancy with success - plus a few extra tips - so you can have glowing pregnancy skin, too!

Jump to:

• Common Pregnancy Skin Problems
• Why Clean Skincare Products Matter During Pregnancy
• Products to Avoid During Pregnancy and Safer Swaps
• My Skincare Routine For Glowing Pregnancy Skin

Common Pregnancy Skin Problems

There are a few common skin issues that are common for many women during pregnancy. Most of them boil down to the same cause - hormones. With a couple exceptions, the surges of circulating hormones are the cause of most pregnancy symptoms - including those that pop up on your skin. A few of the most common include:

Melasma: Also called the "mask of pregnancy", melasma is the increased pigmentation in the skin that can appear around your eyes, nose, and cheeks (sometimes looking like a mask, and sometimes in splotches) that's caused by hormones. Though harmless, it can be annoying. Melasma is usually made worse by sun exposure. Related is linea negra, or the dark line that appears down your belly starting at your belly button. Both will usually fade after pregnancy.

Acne: Once again, hormones are to blame for increasing oil production that can clog pores and cause breakouts. It should get better after pregnancy, but if you've had a child already, you know the hormone roller coaster doesn't stop right after birth.

Stretch Marks: These reddish streaks appear with rapid weight gain. While there isn't much you can do about them they should fade to a less obvious color after birth, and may be prevented or lessened by skin skin moisturized. I like to use a body oil after showering, such as Plant Therapy's Sweet Orange Body Oil with a few drops of Geranium essential oil added to the bottle - it's good for stretch marks!

Itchy Skin: As your belly expands, it may start to feel itchy. Another good reason to keep belly skin well moisturized!

Why Clean Skincare Products Matter During Pregnancy

We know that clean skincare products are important all the time, since our skin absorbs all the different ingredients we put on it, potentially affecting our health one way or another over time. Many ingredients are linked to endocrine disruption and fertility problems.

But pregnancy is a time when it's even more important to keep out harmful chemicals, since what goes into your body also goes into your baby's body. And some chemicals can be even more harmful to your developing baby than they are to adults. That's the reason some products, like retinoids, can't be used during pregnancy or even if there's a chance you could get pregnant. But other more benign beauty products (especially in the US) may not be safe either, such as those that contain phthalates. If you've got a growing babe on the way, it's best to stick to clean, natural skin and beauty products for the health of both mama and baby. In fact, when we knew we wanted to start trying for our first baby was when I first started my switch to safer, more natural products - and I've never looked back!

Products to Avoid During Pregnancy and Safer Swaps

If you're of childbearing age, it's likely that you've heard that you can't use a retinoids during pregnancy due to the risk of birth defects. There are also a few other ingredients that most doctors will tell you to avoid. Here are some of the known ingredients to avoid during pregnancy (and probably beyond, too):

Retinoids: It's no secret that retinoids are powerful at skin cell turnover, resulting in great results for those with acne and/or fighting signs of aging. But this class of vitamin A-derived retinols are also linked to birth defects at high doses, such as those used in prescriptions. Because of this, its recommended to to stop retinoids (even OTC ones) before even becoming pregnant, just to be safe¹. A great alternative? Bio-retinols! These plant-based retinol alternatives, such as Bachukiol, Sea Buckthorn, or Bidens Pilosa, do not contain vitamin A and are naturally derived, gentler on skin, and pregnancy safe, but still give you fantastic results.

Hydroquinone: Hydroquinone is a prescription strength skin treatment that lightens skin pigmentation and can be used to treat melasma and chloasma. Because it has a very high absorption rate into the body, its cautioned against during pregnancy. One safe skin brightener is vitamin C! Using a stable form of vitamin C is great for reducing dark spots and splotches, including those that show up during pregnancy.

High Dose Salicylic Acid: Most doctors will recommend against using high doses of salicylic acid during pregnancy due to small risk of negative effects, however, small doses (such as those in OTC products) have been given the okay by ACOG². Still, if I'm going to use a salicylic acid, I will err on the side of caution and use a naturally derived form from willow bark in a clean formula - and use it only sparingly.

Phthalates: Phthalates are common in many conventional beauty products here in the US, from skin care to makeup, to hair products. But they're known endocrine disruptors and can be harmful to the reproductive system and baby's development³. Steer clear not just during pregnancy, but all the time! Since they are in so many products, seek out clean alternatives in all of your beauty and personal care products wherever possible.

Oxybenzone: This chemical sunscreen is a known endocrine disruptor that throws off hormone balance and is highly absorbed by the skin, potentially affecting mom, baby and lactation. Instead of conventional chemical sunscreens, look for safer mineral based sunscreens made with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.

My Skincare Routine For Glowing Pregnancy Skin

Here is exactly what I use, morning and evening, for a safe, healthy pregnancy glow! I've been pleasantly surprised in pregnancy number three to finally find a routine that combats acne, melasma, and splotches that's also clean and pregnancy safe. While it may seem like a lot of products, most of them are part of a typical routine and either don't get used every day or are used in very small quantities and will last for months.

It may seem like a lot of products and a long, involved routine but it's really not! Some products I only use every other night or occasionally as needed. Others I blend just a couple drops of each highly concentrated product together and smooth on all at once, so it's really not time consuming.

After so many swings and misses in the clean skincare department, this routine works amazingly for me - I can count on one hand the number of breakouts I've had this pregnancy - which is honestly a miracle! So I'll be sticking with this routine for the foreseeable future since I know everything is clean and both pregnancy and nursing safe.

Do you have any products you swear by for pregnancy skin? Let me know in the comments section!

1. Safety of skin care products during pregnancy ↩︎
2. ACOG ↩︎
3. Phthalates and Their Impacts on Human Health ↩︎