We are convinced that you have you’ve got all the pregnancy ‘’what not to dos” covered — you know to forgo wine with dinner, you check with your doctor before taking any medication, you’ve said farewell to sushi for the foreseeable 9 months but when it comes to the many ingredients in your day to day skincare and makeup, you might be a little lost. We don’t blame you, and we were too before writing this piece. Ingredient lists can be long daunting, so we did the research and simplified it a tad. Print it and carry it in your wallet or save a screenshot on your phone as the chemical names are not easy to remember.
Skip the ingredients mentioned below for the next nine months (and a little longer if you’re breastfeeding) and you will avoid any potential toxin-related risks.
Aluminium chloride hexahydrate: It is often found in commercial antiperspirants; do check for aluminium chloride hexahydrate and aluminium chlorohydrate.
Beta hydroxy acids: Such as salicylic acid.
Chemical sunscreens: The ingredients to avoid in them are avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, oxtinoxate, menthyl anthranilate, and oxtocrylene.
Diethanolamine (DEA): Found in both hair and body products;
Dihydroxyacetone (DHA): A common ingredient in spray self-tanners; could be toxic if inhaled.
Formaldehyde: It is the most common ingredient found in hair straightening treatments, nail polishes and eyelash glue. The names to look out for an avoid are formaldehyde, quaternium-15, dimethyl-dimethyl (DMDM), hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl urea, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate, and 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (bromopol).
Parabens: Keep away from propyl, butyl, isopropyl, isobutyl and methyl parabens. Make sure to read the labels of the products that you buy and remember to also inquire at your salon about what their products contain.
Retinol: Although being a brightening saviour, it is the time to pause Vitamin A, retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate, retinaldehyde, adapalene, tretinoin, tazarotene, and isotretinoin.
Thioglycolic acid: Found in chemical hair removers; can also be labeled acetyl mercaptan, mercapto acetate, mercaptoacetic acid, and thiovanic acid.
