Last Updated on December 19, 2020
Is it safe to wear makeup while you’re pregnant?
What type of cosmetics and ingredients should you avoid while expecting?
These are crucial questions. You need the answers to protect your baby’s health and your own.
That’s why today, I’ll review the best pregnancy-safe foundations and concealers.
Contents
Most women can wear all the usual kinds of makeup while they’re pregnant. This includes lipstick, foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, mascara, and so on.
But they may notice that their skin behaves differently than it did before pregnancy.
They might be more sensitive to specific ingredients like fragrances.
They may also experience more acne.
And they may wish to avoid some components altogether to protect their baby.
During this time, they may need to switch to a pregnancy-safe makeup brand.
If you don’t have time to read the complete article, here are our top picks.
When you choose makeup to wear while you’re pregnant, there are two crucial points to consider.
First, some ingredients may be harmful to the baby. And second, some are likely to irritate sensitive skin.
Just because something is labeled “natural” or “organic” doesn’t mean that it’s safe. Natural ingredients like essential oils may cause undesirable reactions and could injure a developing fetus (1).
To protect yourself and your child, speak to your doctor about what’s best for your situation.
In the meantime, here are some general guidelines.
Stay away from retinol and other associated compounds like retinyl palmitate. These could lead to abnormal development of the baby’s brain, spinal cord, and heart.
Next, be sure to wear sunscreen. It’s an excellent anti-aging treatment as it defends against collagen breakdown in the skin. But try to use mineral sunscreens instead of chemical filters. Some of the chemicals may disrupt hormones.
Parabens, which are preservatives, are also problematic. Prenatal exposure could lead to low birth weight and a host of other issues.
Meanwhile, salicylic acid might be safe in small quantities, but doctors aren’t sure. It’s an acne medication that appears in some foundations and concealers (2). Check with an OBGYN if you think this ingredient might be helpful to you.
But you won’t require phthalates, formaldehyde, or DEA to improve your complexion. They can all harm your health and your baby’s well-being (3).
Finally, soy-based products and bergamot oil might make hyperpigmentation like the pregnancy mask worse. It’s best to skip them for now and use pregnancy safe makeup products.
One of the best pregnancy-safe makeup brands is BaeBlu.
Their liquid foundation is formulated without parabens, harsh chemicals, and ingredients that trigger acne. It’s also gluten-free.
That’s right, no artificial colors or fragrances and no preservatives to worry about.
Yet it still offers anti-aging benefits and performs well. It improves the complexion with certified organic and natural ingredients like aloe, shea butter, and chamomile.
Plus, it balances sebum production to prevent excess oil and dry spots alike.
Lastly, it’s cruelty-free and made in the USA. It comes in 16 shades.
The matching concealer comes in 12 shades to blend with every skin tone.
Like the foundation, it brightens the complexion and minimizes imperfections. The creamy texture conceals trouble spots all day long.
Moreover, this pregnancy-safe concealer is made with organic ingredients like coconut oil, cocoa seed butter, and jojoba seed oil. There are no artificial fragrances, dyes, or preservatives.
The vegan formula won’t cake into creases or clog pores.
Treat your face with the best that nature can offer. It comes from a company that sources ingredients ethically and even takes packaging into account.
Jessica Alba’s Honest Company provides a demi-matte foundation that comes in 16 shades.
Each one is manufactured without artificial fragrances, talc, phthalates, silicone, paraffin, and petrolatum. They are cruelty-free and tested by dermatologists for your safety.
The foundation feels creamy when it comes out of the bottle. It blends smoothly and provides medium to full coverage.
One of the essential ingredients is jojoba oil. It’s packed with fatty acids to soften the skin and helps balance oil production.
If you’re searching for vegan makeup, you’ll need to look elsewhere. But if you don’t mind a little honey in your foundation, check out Burt’s Bees liquid makeup.
It’s a 98.9% natural foundation without phthalates, parabens, perfumes, silicone, petrolatum, and talc.
There are 12 full-coverage shades for most skin tones. They perfect the pregnancy glow and complexion all day long while they moisturize with meadowfoam seed oil.
Those with combination or oily skin might prefer a powder foundation. This pregnancy-safe makeup product is 100% natural.
Unfortunately, it comes in only six shades.
It relies on mica and bamboo to blur fine lines, freckles, and scars. At the same time, it keeps the complexion velvety soft.
The mattifying effect reduces oiliness for hours.
If you have a hard time matching your skin tone, you need to try bareMinerals. They have a liquid foundation available in 35 shades.
It’s so good that it won Best Full Coverage Foundation from Cosmo in 2018.
Furthermore, it’s cruelty-free, vegan, and clean. There are no parabens, artificial fragrances, tree nuts, gluten, or talc.
The long-wearing technology called Mineral Lock ensures that the coverage lasts for 24 hours.
If you have acne scars, rosacea, pregnancy mask, or other hyperpigmentation forms, you need Dermablend.
Their Quick-Fix Concealer is often recommended by dermatologists as it’s ideal for sensitive skin. It works on every skin tone and type.
It hides dark circles and discoloration but never clogs pores. Plus, the perfecting effect lasts up to 16 hours without smudging or transferring if you set it with powder.
Dermablend’s products are dermatologist-tested against common allergens. They are non-acnegenic, non-comedogenic, and fragrance-free. They have no parabens or phthalates.
On the downside, this pregnancy-safe concealer contains beeswax, so it’s not vegan.
Make your face flawless with this full-coverage makeup. It’s the number 1 cream foundation in the USA.
It’s surprisingly lightweight for such a creamy product. It moisturizes throughout the day and offers 12 hours of smudge-free wear.
Choose from 21 shades. All of them are fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist-tested.
For an inexpensive drugstore foundation, Catrice’s HD Liquid is surprisingly robust. It provides 24-hour full coverage. But that’s not all.
It also mattifies to keep the complexion fresh and clean hour after hour.
It comes in 23 shades for all skin tones and undertones. They offer a shade finder to help you discover the right match.
PETA has certified this as a cruelty-free brand. What’s more, it’s vegan makeup that’s free of alcohol and parabens.
Choose from 17 shades for cool, neutral, and warm undertones when you pick this pregnancy safe concealer. The Catrice Shade Finder will help you decide the matching color.
It comes with a flock applicator for precise application.
The concealer is free of parabens and oils to avoid clogging pores. It’s waterproof, too.
Here’s a plant-based concealer with organic ingredients.
The blend of candelilla wax, castor oil, calendula, and jojoba applies smoothly and doesn’t look cakey. It conceals blemishes on all skin types for hours.
Without parabens, perfumes, and gluten, it’s approved for sensitive skin. Moreover, it comes with a satisfaction guarantee.
You need to take a closer look at this pregnancy safe American-made liquid foundation if you have sensitive skin and allergies.
It’s gluten-free and does not contain fragrances, silicone, alcohol, parabens, nanoparticles, the plastic of any kind, or other toxins.
Then, it comes in a bottle with a push-button dropper. You control how much you dispense.
Organic ingredients like aloe, shea butter, and plant extracts pamper your skin. They don’t just perfect your complexion; they improve it over time.
Although the coverage is sheer to medium, it’s available in 12 shades for most skin tones. Plus, the company offers a full refund if you’re not satisfied.
Here are a foundation and concealer in one bottle. It’s water-resistant and available in 45 shades.
The water-based makeup has silicone as one of its primary ingredients. That’s not a bad thing as it diminishes redness and seals in moisture while feeling ultra-lightweight.
Neutrogena offers a variety of foundations and concealers. Some provide acne medication and mattify oily skin, while others are moisturizing.
If you struggle with pregnancy acne, talk to your OB/GYN or dermatologist about using foundation with salicylic acid.
On the other hand, if your skin looks and feels dry, you could benefit from this mild concealer. It’s safe for sensitive skin and eyes and contact lens wearers.
The stick disguises blemishes and under-eye circles all day long. It comes in 5 shades that you can blend for the perfect match.
One of the primary ingredients is hyaluronic acid. It attracts moisture into the skin but won’t clog pores.
Fix those puffy eyes and dark circles with this soothing concealer. It lessens inflammation and shrinks puffiness while it sets to a soft-focus finish.
It’s the blend of cucumber, white tea, and buckwheat seed that work the magic.
You can select from brown, peach, or yellow shades to neutralize problem spots or highlight cheekbones. For example, peach cancels out gray, violet, and blue under-eye circles.
Plus, you can apply it before or after the foundation and blend it with your finger or a separate brush. The included applicator is a brush that fits into the corner by the eye.
This foundation has a natural fragrance from real vanilla. It’s kind to rosacea-prone and acne-prone skin, plus gluten-free.
The buildable formula sets to a velvety finish that disguises freckles, pimples, and acne scars. But if you aren’t impressed, you can return it for a refund.
The formula is 90% certified organic and all-natural. It’s also certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.
Choose from a dozen shades that provide lightweight natural protection against the sun.
If you don’t feel up to putting on makeup, why not try a BB cream? It’s like a foundation, sunscreen, and moisturizer all-in-1.
This one is based on organic ingredients packed with nutrients to improve your complexion. It’s available in a handful of shades that adjust to your skin tone.
It hydrates dry skin and protects against premature aging by blocking and correcting damage caused by the sun.
Likewise, it’s gentle enough for skin affected by eczema, acne, and rosacea.
It contains coenzyme Q10, a proven anti-aging ingredient. Next, there’s hyaluronic acid, an excellent lightweight moisturizer. Finally, it has rosehip oil and vitamin C to build a firmer texture.
Cut down the number of steps in the morning by applying tinted sunscreen as your primer underneath the foundation.
It sets to a matte finish that looks natural with sheer coverage.
This sunscreen is mineral-based, with no chemical filters to irritate the skin. It’s hypoallergenic and free of all those toxins you need to avoid while pregnant. It doesn’t have retinyl palmitate, nanoparticles, parabens, mineral oil, or artificial fragrances.
If you wear it into the water, it provides UV protection for up to 80 minutes.
Juice Beauty provides sunscreen, moisturizer, and a sheer tint with this BB cream. It works for all skin types, but it’s especially lovely for dry to normal skin.
Not only does it provide protection and hydration, but it also revitalizes the complexion. The lightweight coverage contains hyaluronic acid and organic plant oils rich in antioxidants and vitamins.
The sunscreen is based on natural zinc oxide, the safest way to protect your skin from the sun.
You may have that pregnancy glow, but you’re still human. You’re likely to come up against dark circles, pimples, and all the other little blemishes that life brings your way.
Fortunately, you can turn to a pregnancy-safe foundation and concealer to enhance your natural beauty.
If you discovered makeup today that you enjoy using, please come back and tell us about it.
Sources:
1. https://globalnews.ca/news/3383851/11-skincare-ingredients-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/ by Global News, published April 17, 2017, accessed June 10, 2020
2. http://www.aoafamily.com/home/news-topic.php?newsid=122#:~:text=Most%20makeup%20products%2C%20such%20as,contain%20retinoids%20or%20salicylic%20acid.&text=Skin%20Care%20Tips%20During%20Pregnancy by Arizona OBGYN Affiliates, accessed June 10, 2002
3. https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/complications/health-and-safety-issues/12-cosmetic-ingredients-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/ by Alessandra Foresto, accessed June 10, 2020
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