Are Lotion and Skin Oil Safe During Pregnancy?

One of the biggest money-making markets is skincare. Skincare products are formulated to reduce the signs of aging, protect skin from UV damage, and heal dry, irritated skin. During pregnancy, many mothers choose to lather their tummy skin with lotion several times a day to prevent stretch marks. The entire time chemicals could potentially be leeching into the skin causing irritation and potential fetal side effects.

Water is often the main ingredient in lotions, but products with high concentrations of water must also have anti-bacterial chemicals to keep bacteria from growing in the lotion. Anti-bacterial ingredients vary from product to product, but one of the most common is Triclosan. Triclosan is commonly used in anti-bacterial hand washes and soaps and has a similar structure to Agent Orange used as a chemical weapon during the Vietnam War.

Triclosan was found in 57% of streams tested by the U.S. Geological Survey in 30 states. When Triclosan pairs with chlorinated water, chloroform gas is formed. Chloroform gas is ranked as a potential carcinogen. Triclosan also reacts to UV rays by turning into dioxin. Dioxin is an environmental pollutant. There is a good chance pregnant women never realized so much was going on in their lotion.

A healthy alternative to lotion is natural skin oil. Olive oil, straight from the kitchen cupboard, makes the perfect skin oil and hair oil. Olive oil is all-natural and will not leave the skin feeling oily. The texture of the oil is very comparable to the natural oils of the body and thus will not clog pores. If the scent is an issue, add a healthy, pregnancy approved, scented oil to the olive oil to create your very own personal skin oil without the threat of harmful chemicals and carcinogenic ingredients. Avocado oil and coconut oil are two additional healthy skin oil choices.