13 Beauty Products That Are Totally Pregnancy-Safe

It's always a good thing to be aware of the ingredients in your beauty products, but nothing makes you sit up and really pay attention like getting pregnant. In addition to cutting out caffeine and alcohol, carrying a child means eliminating certain ingredients in your beauty routine, too.

“Pregnancy can definitely affect skin, but how it affects it varies from woman to woman,” says OB/GYN Angela Jones, MD. “Pregnant moms might notice acne, discolouration, skin tags, increased oiliness, or rashes — all due to the hormones of pregnancy." (Along with learning to be a savvy reader of labels, cosmetic treatments like Botox and lasers are discouraged during pregnancy.)

"They are many beauty and skin-care ingredients that can directly affect the health of the fetus," says New York City-based dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD. She tells patients to look out for formaldehyde (found in hair-straightening treatments, nail polishes, and eyelash glue), aluminium chloride hexahydrate (found in antiperspirants to keep you from sweating), and DHA (found in self-tanners), plus common culprits like parabens, dyes, artificial fragrance, sodium laureth sulphate, and petroleum.

However, there are plenty of beauty products that are safe to slather on your skin while you're pregnant. Ahead, we've rounded up the best hair, makeup, and skin-care products to try for those nine months (or is it 10?) ...