Last Updated on December 20, 2020
You’re looking for the best pregnancy-safe makeup.
You want to know which makeup brands are safe to use while you’re expecting.
A lot of expectant mamas want to know the same things.
That’s why we researched non-toxic foundation, mascara, lipstick, and more.
Check out the reviews below to learn more about which makeup is safe to use during pregnancy.
But first, let’s talk about the ingredients that these top beauty brands avoid.
Contents
There are two challenges for pregnant women who wear makeup.
First, they need to protect their growing baby from harmful chemicals.
And second, their skin tends to become more sensitive to allergens and more prone to acne.
Therefore, there are two categories of ingredients to avoid when choosing makeup.
In the beginning, there’s the category of components that can harm your child.
For example, retinoids are a definite no-no. Retinoids, also known as retinol, are a type of Vitamin A.
They appear in some clean beauty products with anti-aging benefits and may cause serious birth defects in babies.
They may lead to congenital disabilities, so it’s essential to avoid them altogether during pregnancy (1).
Check the label on your makeup to make sure it doesn’t include retinol, retinyl linoleate, retinoic acid, or retinyl palmitate.
(There are other related ingredients – check with your doctor or pharmacist for the full list.)
Next, some foundations and concealers contain salicylic acid.
This is an anti-acne medication that can be beneficial if you’re prone to breakouts (2).
But high doses of it may cause complications for you and your baby. If you’re already using salicylic acid in your face wash or moisturizer, it might be wise to avoid it in your makeup.
Moving on, there are other makeup ingredients that could aggravate your skin during pregnancy.
One is soy. Be cautious using soy if you are dealing with melasma, also known as the “mask of pregnancy.”
After that, try to avoid artificial fragrances as they may trigger an allergic reaction.
Some chemical sunscreen filters, like avobenzone or octocrylene, might also irritate the skin or eyes. Choose makeup with mineral sunscreen instead.
Finally, be careful with essential oils (3).
Natural ingredients sound appealing, I know. But essential oils are not reviewed by the FDA. They haven’t been explicitly tested for safety during pregnancy.
Worse, some oils like tea tree and rosemary can cause strong adverse reactions like premature contractions. Fortunately, it’s unlikely you’ll find makeup with high concentrations of either one.
Now, let’s look at the top brands of pregnancy-safe makeup.
If you don’t have time to read the complete article, here are our top picks.
Burt’s Bees makes a variety of non-toxic, natural beauty products. They are free from synthetic fragrances, phthalates, parabens, petrolatum, and silicone. Moreover, they don’t test them on animals.
Their Goodness Glows liquid makeup is a pregnancy-safe foundation. It’s 98.9% natural.
The mineral-rich makeup provides medium to full coverage. It comes in 18 shades.
One of the critical ingredients is meadowfoam seed oil. It moisturizes without making the skin greasy.
Since the makeup comes in a pump bottle, it prevents contamination, and it’s less messy to apply.
If you prefer a powder foundation, this one is 100% natural and pregnancy-safe. It’s ideal for combination and oily skin.
It won’t clog pores, and it controls shine for hours. The secret to its magic is the bamboo that blurs imperfections and absorbs oil.
The package includes a compact with mirror and sponge applicator.
The only downside is that it’s available in just six shades.
Pregnancy-safe BB cream is just what you need for those days when you don’t feel like putting on a lot of makeup.
This one is a moisturizer, a mineral sunscreen, and a foundation all at once.
It also has some anti-aging benefits as it smooths and firms the skin. It has antioxidants from Noni extract to keep your complexion young.
The formula is 98.9% natural and offers sheer to medium coverage.
Choose from light, light/medium, and medium shades.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your eyelashes were longer and more robust?
This mascara defines, conditions, and strengthens your lashes.
It’s available in black or black-brown.
The formula features glycerin to attract moisture and jojoba oil, too.
It’s been tested by ophthalmologists to make sure it’s safe for contact lens wearers and sensitive eyes.
Put on a little lipstick to perk up your appearance. This one calls attention to your lips while it nourishes them with moringa oil and red raspberry.
Instead of gloss, keep it low-key with matte lipstick instead.
The lip crayon goes on like a lip balm, but it has no added fragrance or flavor.
The formula is 100% natural and free of parabens and harsh chemicals.
It’s based on jojoba and Kendi oil with omega-3 plus shea butter. These keep your lips silky soft and healthy.
Give your cheeks a little color with this 100% natural blush.
Choose from Shy Pink, Toasted Cinnamon, and Bare Peach – shades for light to medium skin tones.
It’s mineral-based makeup that’s free of parabens, artificial fragrances, and phthalates.
Here’s a 99.9% natural eyeliner pencil that comes in Warm Brown, Midnight Gray, or Soft Black.
Ophthalmologists have tested it to ensure it safe for sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lenses.
The body of the pencil is made of sustainable cedarwood. The liner itself is kind to the skin with jojoba oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and natural waxes.
This eyeshadow comes in four different palettes. There are nudes, browns, purples, and greens.
Each shade has a slight shimmer. It’s richly pigmented and silky soft.
Happily, it doesn’t fade, smudge, or crease easily. Plus, it’s tested to be safe for sensitive eyes.
Let’s switch to Honest Beauty. This is a brand founded by Jessica Alba.
They refuse to manufacture beauty products with harsh chemicals or ingredients that have been tested on animals. They leave out parabens, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, and phthalates.
Their makeup has been tested by dermatologists to be free of common allergens, too.
Our first pick from this top pregnancy-safe brand is their primer.
The multi-function primer preps your skin for makeup.
It moisturizes, while at the same time, it helps reduce oiliness throughout the day. This ensures that your foundation and eyeshadow don’t melt off by lunchtime.
The primer is oil-free and won’t clog pores.
It contains micronized bamboo powder, which blurs imperfections immediately. There are also fruit extracts to provide plenty of antioxidants that prevent premature aging.
This cream foundation sets to a demi-matte finish that leaves your complexion soft like velvet.
It offers medium to full coverage that you can build as needed.
Don’t spend money on two beauty products. Get this one instead.
Remove the cap from one end, and you have lash primer. It conditions and preps your eyelashes with moisturizing natural ingredients like glycerin and jojoba esters.
Flip the tube around and apply mascara. It goes on smoothly to define your lashes and extend their length and volume.
The applicator brush uplifts each hair and prevents clumping
In 2019, Allure gave Honest Beauty an award for this lipstick.
It’s highly-pigmented so that lip-lickers will get as much fade-free wear out of it as possible.
Those prone to chapped lips will be glad for the avocado oil and hyaluronic acid to keep the kisser healthy.
Plus, it has a satin finish that enhances but doesn’t look showy.
There are eight shades in total. Each one is vegan and made without artificial fragrances, carmine, isododecane, and synthetic film performers.
If you prefer something more like a traditional lipstick, try the lip crayon. It has a nearly matte finish.
It’s a creamy pregnancy-safe balm that soothes dry lips with jojoba oil, raspberry extract, shea, and murumuru butter.
Put a little fruit on your cheeks. This creamy blush is made with grape, raspberry, and apple extracts.
It comes in a convenient compact.
The texture blends so easily that you can use your fingers to apply it.
Once you’re done applying makeup, use this loose powder to set it.
It keeps it from transferring onto your clothes or smudging. It also helps control oil.
By itself, the translucent powder mattifies to keep skin looking fresh and clean.
It’s made with corn and rice starch, silica, and minerals.
BaeBlue is one of the best non-toxic makeup brands.
It’s an American company that was founded with a mission to create non-toxic cosmetics. Their makeup is safer than many popular beauty brands and kind to the environment, too.
They use the best technology that Nature has to offer to make pregnancy-safe products. They work with FDA-approved laboratories that research botanical ingredients for skincare and cosmetic products.
Then, they use third-party trials to see that their makeup is proven to perform well before it goes on the market.
Their LUX foundation is an excellent example of their philosophy.
It’s made with certified organic ingredients and no harsh chemicals. That’s right, no artificial dyes, fragrances, or parabens, or other preservatives.
It’s also non-comedogenic to prevent acne breakouts.
Even the packaging is eco-friendly glass.
Choose from 16 buildable shades.
This is a waterproof eyeliner pencil that’s safe for sensitive eyes.
Even though it lasts all day, it’s easy enough to smudge to do smokey eyes with a blunt-tip.
It’s made from organic natural ingredients like carnauba wax and jojoba seed oil. It also has castor oil, which encourages eyelash growth.
If you have naturally oily skin, set this pregnancy-safe eyeliner with powder to keep it in place for longer.
How about organic, vegan, cruelty-free mascara? You never have to settle for harsh chemicals when you choose makeup from this brand.
The mascara promotes healthier, longer lashes with coffee, grapeseed oil, and chamomile. The only preservative is cinnamon, which is naturally antimicrobial.
The formula conditions and defines and won’t flake off. It also doesn’t turn into raccoon eyes.
Give yourself a healthy glow with this pregnancy-safe shimmer cream.
It blends smoothly so that you can build it if you want to emphasize an area like your eyelids.
It’s based on certified organic and natural ingredients like coconut oil, lauryl wax, and mica.
BaeBlu’s lipstick is absolutely free of led, gluten, and parabens. It’s safe enough for kids and expectant moms alike.
All the color comes from natural mineral pigments – no artificial ingredients at all.
It nourishes lips with avocado and coconut oils plus mango butter and superfruit from Brazil.
Ecco Bella was founded in the USA in the early ‘90s. They are devoted to producing clean beauty products based on accurate science and extensive research. Their products are cruelty-free and ethically made.
Their rich and creamy liquid foundation doubles as a concealer. Instead of water, it’s based on aloe leaf extract and vegetable glycerin with plenty of mineral pigment.
It features SPF 15 sunscreen.
Choose from brown or black shades when you get this vegan mascara.
It is a pregnancy-safe product, free of artificial fragrances, gluten, and parabens. The formula consists of gentle ingredients like flower wax-coated iron oxide and natural clay.
It’s kind to sensitive eyes and not difficult to remove.
Furthermore, there is one more thoughtful touch. Each tube has a little mirror on it.
This lipstick smells lovely and the light colors look natural.
It prevents chapping and flaking with castor oil, coconut, and flower wax plus chamomile and calendula.
There are no artificial dyes, fragrances, or parabens in it.
Becoming a parent opens your mind to new possibilities.
I hope that these reviews of pregnancy-safe cosmetics helped you discover makeup that you will love using now and in the future.
If you found something here today that’s made your life better, please tell us about it in the comments below.
Sources:
1. http://www.aoafamily.com/home/news-topic.php?newsid=122 accessed April 17, 2020
2. https://www.babycenter.com/0_safe-skin-care-during-pregnancy_1490031.bc by Karen Miles, accessed April 17, 2020
3. https://www.vogue.com/article/beauty-ingredients-pregnancy-safety-toxic by Bee Shapiro, published March 10, 2016, accessed April 17, 2020
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