Pregnancy is a time of consciousness and change as you’re acutely aware not only of your growing body, but of the products you’re using. In addition to the special pregnancy-safe skincare guidelines our doctors provide, many women choose to go a step further and switch to clean, sustainable skincare formulas.This can make it tough to navigate your skincare choices, particularly when your skin is changing so quickly.
“During pregnancy your skin changes the most it’s going to change throughout your entire lifetime,” says Florida-based dermatologist and mom of two Dr. Alexis Stephens. “There are so many different issues we deal with while we’re pregnant from hyperpigmentation or worsening of sun spots, freckles, new moles to all of a sudden you’ve got stretch marks in areas you never had stretch marks before. You also have to deal with the fact that you’re aging and you can’t really use any of those anti-aging ingredients.”Fortunately, all Biossance formulas except our Retinol Night Serum are safe for use during pregnancy. These four products are Dr. Stephens’ pregnancy-safe skincare favorites. As with any lifestyle changes while you’re expecting, be sure to ask your doctor before adding any new products to your routine.
“There is no more prone state to hyperpigmentation than pregnancy because of all the hormonal changes,” says Dr. Stephens. Our Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum is her go-to product for visibly improving dark spots and preventing new ones from forming.
“Vitamin C is the safest, most powerful, most potent anti-dark-mark ingredient that exists,” says Dr. Stephens. “I love this serum because it uses a 10% concentration of a very stable, clinically proven, non-irritating form of vitamin C. I also love that it has white shitake mushroom, which is another clinically proven ingredient for uneven pigmentation.”It can be difficult to get a good night’s rest when your growing belly makes it hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. The ensuing fatigue is one reason our skin can age more quickly during pregnancy. With retinol off the table, you may wish to find a pregnancy-safe ingredient to address signs of aging.Improve the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores by speeding up cell turnover with our pregnancy-safe 10% Lactic Acid Resurfacing Serum.
“Once you get lactic acid on the skin it actually mixes with the minerals and becomes a humectant, which means it draws moisture into the skin. It also increases cell turnover and brings those plump, juicy, young cells to the top layer of skin,” says Dr. Stephens.“While lactic acid is pregnancy-safe, it’s one of those ingredients you still have to be really careful with while you’re pregnant because of the way it’s formulated,” says Dr. Stephens.”As an acid ingredient, lactic acid needs to be brought up to a certain pH so it’s safe for the skin. To do that, you have to add certain neutralizers, some of which are not safe for pregnancy. I recommend this serum because it contains neutralizers that are pregnancy-safe.”While genetics are the main deciding factor when it comes to whether you’ll get stretch marks, keeping your growing belly moisturized can help lessen their appearance while soothing itchy, dry skin.“I highly recommend using the 100% Squalane Oil because it’s amazing for hydration. That’s the most important thing when you’re fighting any type of stretch marks,” says Dr. Stephens. “I used this throughout my pregnancy because I was so itchy and it really helped.”
“When we’re pregnant, we’re in a progesterone-positive state which can cause our oil glands to actually produce more oil,” explains Dr. Stephens.This increase in oil production may mean you need to switch to a more lightweight moisturizer. “I love the Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer for my pregnant patients because it’s rich in linoleic acid,” says Dr. Stephens. “Linoleic acid is amazing for hyperpigmentation because it has tyrosinase-inhibiting abilities. Tyrosinase is a pesky enzyme that breaks down and creates hyperpigmentation. This is amazing at moisturizing and has superior hydration factors in addition to helping with hyperpigmentation.
Our advanced, reformulated Probiotic Gel Moisturizer also includes encapsulated probiotics that burst upon contact with your skin, delivering live probiotics to diversify your skin’s microbiome to visibly clear congested, reactive skin. In consumer studies, 94 percent of participants reported visibly smaller pores after just one use, and 97 percent reported clearer skin after four weeks of use. As a lifestyle writer and journalist, I love sharing my passion for ocean conservation and obsession with clean beauty. I’ve tried almost every trend and ingredient, and Biossance’s science-backed formulas are the only ones that consistently calm my reactive skin and make it smoother, clearer, and healthier. I’m so excited to be on this journey of skincare innovation with Biossance, and to share it with you!
