5 Pregnancy-Safe Skincare Brands Reviewed By Our Editor (Fall 2026)

Pregnancy-safe skincare can be confusing. We know to avoid certain ingredients, like retinoids, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about how other ingredients affect pregnancy, largely because testing on pregnant women raises ethical concerns. Add in changing hormones, unpredictable skin, and an already long list of things to avoid, and figuring out which products to use can feel like one more thing to worry about.

I actually started paying closer attention to skincare ingredients years before getting pregnant, when my husband and I were going through infertility and IVF. At the time, I read every label, questioned every ingredient, and second-guessed just about everything I ate or put on my body. I wanted so badly for IVF to work, and I was willing to change just about anything if I thought it might help our chances.

Funny enough, I’ve been much more relaxed about skincare during my pregnancies, though I still follow the general recommendations for ingredients to avoid. Instead of obsessing over everything I can’t use, I’ve found it more helpful (and enjoyable!) to seek out brands that make nourishing, effective skincare with ingredients considered safe during pregnancy. Along the way, I’ve discovered some favorites I plan to keep using long after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

My testing criteria and methodology:

I’ve researched and tested each brand by using a handful of their skincare products morning and night throughout my pregnancy. I’ve noted my favorite products for each brand and what I reach for regularly. We update this guide as we discover emerging favorites that meet the criteria below.

• SAFE INGREDIENTS | We’ve only included pregnancy-safe products on this list, as noted by the brands. That said, always check with your physician if you have questions about specific ingredients or before adding a new product to your routine during pregnancy.
• SOOTHING FORMULAS | My priority during pregnancy is finding skincare products that are safe, soothing, and gentle on my skin. I’ve specifically highlighted the most nourishing options below.
• CONVENIENT & AFFORDABLE PRODUCTS | Having a baby is expensive; I get it. While the brands below aren’t “budget brands” by any means, they all offer perks that make them more affordable and easier to refill, including trial sizes, subscription options, points systems, and bundle sets. Also watch for upcoming BFCM sales.

Looking for makeup? We tested and found the 9 best pregnancy-safe makeup brands. And don’t forget belly oils! 

1. evanhealy

Best For | Hydrosols, serums, and moisturizers
Features I love | Regenerative Organic Certified®, glass bottles, refill options, subscription options, travel minis, starter sets
My Favorite Product | Blue lavender cleansing milk ($12.99+)

I only recently discovered evanhealy, the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified® beauty brand, and the timing couldn’t have been better. This second pregnancy has been hard on my body and my skin (no pregnancy glow happening over here), and the brand’s botanical skincare line has been such a treat. What makes evanhealy especially interesting, though, is its approach to sourcing. For more than 27 years, the brand has worked with farmers, women’s cooperatives, and botanical stewards worldwide to source herbs, plant waters, and oils, then bring them to its Carlsbad facility to make skincare. Its recent regenerative organic certification reflects a philosophy the brand has held since the beginning: Healthy skin starts with healthy soil. Science shows that crops grown through regenerative methods are richer in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than those grown through conventional farming. 

I had the chance to visit the garden, evanhealy‘s studio in Carlsbad, CA, for a pregnancy-safe facial, and it was one of the highlights of my fall. An entire hour dedicated to having serums and oils massaged into my skin? Divine. If you’re expecting, I can’t recommend treating yourself to a facial enough (just be sure the products and treatments are pregnancy-safe), and if you’re local to Southern California, the trip to Carlsbad is worth making.

As for the evanhealy products I love most: I’ve been reaching for the Blue Lavender Cleansing Milk, a creamy cleansing milk with antioxidant-rich gotu kola and purifying white kaolin clay; Irish Sea Moss Hydrosol Cream, a mineral-rich formula that plumps and rehydrates skin; and the Pomegranate Vitality Serum, an effective daily protocol for blemished, dry, dehydrated, sensitive, excessively red skin. Since my skin has looked especially flat and dry during this pregnancy, these products have been amazing additions to my routine. I’m also obsessed with the chapstick and own about five (one for the car, one for my desk, one for my nightstand, etc.). If you’re unsure where to start, try their skincare quiz and one of the starter sets.

2. Primally Pure

Best For | Facial serums, calming mists, and bath and body care
Features I Love | Organic and wildcrafted ingredients, regenerative farming practices, earthy glass packaging, pregnancy-specific formulas, bath soaks, pillow sprays, skin quiz
My Favorite Products | Fancy Face Serum (Pregnancy) ($52+) and Soothing Mist ($26+)

I love Primally Pure for its skincare, but I might love it just as much for its aesthetic. The Southern California brand makes luxurious-feeling face and body products, plus bath soaks, pillow sprays, and other little luxuries for the home. And this might sound silly, but the packaging is incredibly calming to my nervous system. The glass bottles painted in earthy colors, and the way everything looks organized in my medicine cabinet, make me genuinely excited to reach for these products every day —especially during pregnancy, when I appreciate any little moment of calm.

I also appreciate that founder Bethany McDaniel is a mom herself and has shared her own pregnancy skincare favorites, from mineral-rich bath soaks to products for growing bellies. Two of my favorites are the Fancy Face Serum (Pregnancy), formulated specifically for expecting and breastfeeding mothers with oils like jojoba, sea buckthorn, and pomegranate seed, and the Soothing Mist, a cooling facial spray with aloe vera, lavender, and blue tansy. I use the mist before applying the serum, and both feel especially lovely at the end of a long day. The brand also has a Baby Kit ($62) with four newborn skincare products, which I’m eyeing for baby number two. And if you’re not sure where to start, there’s a skin quiz to help narrow down the collection.

3. Persephone Apothecary

Best For | Oils and moisturizers for sensitive skin
Features I Love | Small-batch production, botanicals sourced from organic and regenerative farms, short ingredient lists, no added fragrances or essential oils, recyclable glass packaging
My Favorite Products | Nourishing Oil ($30) and Barrier Balm ($32)

It’s not every day you come across a skincare brand founded by a former hospital nurse and clinical advocate. That’s part of what makes Persephone Apothecary so interesting. After years of working with women experiencing chronic UTIs and recurring infections, and navigating her own health concerns (including chronic facial hives), founder Bethany Hartley completed Cornell University’s Medicinal Plants Course and continued her herbal education at Native Roots School. Her background in clinical care and traditional herbalism led her to create Persephone, a small-batch skincare line made in Los Angeles. The collection is intentionally small, with botanical ingredients sourced from organic and regenerative farms and formulas that prioritize skin nourishment without lengthy ingredient lists.

For example, the Nourishing Oil is made with calendula, chamomile, and plantain infused into jojoba and sunflower oils. The Barrier Balm is a richer, beeswax-based formula that seals in moisture. Neither contains added fragrance or essential oils, which is helpful during pregnancy since skin can react differently to new or unfamiliar ingredients. I use both after my nightly shower, applying the oil to clean, damp skin and following with the balm wherever I need extra moisture. Since both can be used on the face and body, I’ve also used them as moisturizers for my belly.

4. 100% PURE

Best For | Eye creams and moisturizers
Features I Love | Vegan and cruelty-free formulas, plant-based ingredients, sustainable packaging, solar-powered California headquarters
My Favorite Product | Coffee Bean Caffeine Brightening Eye Cream ($19+)

Long before clean beauty went mainstream, 100% PURE was making skincare and makeup with plant-based ingredients and fruit pigments. Founded in 1999, the California brand has spent more than 25 years creating formulas without synthetic fragrances, and today bans 2,870 chemicals of concern from its products. Its collection includes everything from antioxidant-rich serums and moisturizers to colorful makeup made with pigments derived from fruits and vegetables.

I especially appreciate the approach to skincare during pregnancy. “Pregnancy is one of the most important times to be thoughtful about what we put on our skin,” explains founder Susie Wang. She advises keeping things simple with gentle cleansing, hydration, antioxidants, and mineral sun protection, which is a philosophy I’ve been embracing during pregnancy and also early motherhood.

My favorite product is the Coffee Bean Caffeine Brightening Eye Cream, which feels particularly appropriate for life with a toddler and another baby on the way (sleep? Who is she?). Made with caffeine from coffee and green tea to help reduce the appearance of puffiness and dark circles, it’s a nourishing and necessary addition to my morning routine. I also recommend the Restorative Sea Culture Extra Riche Créme ($54), an ultra-rich moisturizer with seaweed, red algae, and antioxidants to help replenish dry skin and lock in hydration.

5. True Botanicals

Best For | Retinol alternatives and cleansing powders
Features I Love | MADE SAFE® certification, EWG VERIFIED®, clinical testing, recyclable glass packaging
My Favorite Products | Phyto-Retinol Advanced Clinical Cream ($110) and Spirulina Cleansing Powder ($48)

I’ve been testing True Botanicals for years, and it’s one of the few luxury skincare brands I keep coming back to in all seasons of life. Founded by Hillary Peterson after a cancer diagnosis prompted her to reconsider the ingredients in her beauty products, the brand’s formulas are MADE SAFE® certified, with select products also earning EWG VERIFIED® status. You can read my full review for more on the products I’ve tested.

During pregnancy, I find myself constantly reaching for the Phyto-Retinol Advanced Clinical Cream. Despite its name, it doesn’t contain conventional retinol, which isn’t recommended during pregnancy. Instead, this cream uses Peptilium®, a plant-derived ingredient made from upcycled cranberry seeds, to target fine lines and other signs of aging. Another pregnancy-safe product I love, and one that’s newer to the True Botanical lineup, is the Spirulina Cleansing Powder, a waterless cleanser with spirulina and colloidal oatmeal. The powder format is so convenient for traveling, especially with the holidays coming up, since you don’t have to worry about packing liquid.