Are cosmetics safe during pregnancy?

Is there a hidden risk in using personal care products during the prenatal period - Healthbiztips

Few women realize the risk of using cosmetics or personal care products during pregnancy. Cosmetics and skincare products notoriously contains multiple chemicals which can get absorbed into the body.

Are cosmetics safe during pregnancy? - Healthbiztips
photo credit: Anastasia Dulgier @dulgier @unsplash

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan

Study shows that women who use paraben and phthalate containing cosmetics and personal care products like makeup, lotion, shampoo, and soap have indeed higher level of these chemicals in their body. This implies that the ingredients in the beauty products that we use seeps into the skin and gets into our circulation.

Paraben (a chemical preservative) and phthalate (a chemical softener and solvent) are known to impair the male hormone testosterone. Paraben has been found in breast tumors of women which raises concern about it's possible link with cancer.

Are these claims with merit?

There's a lot of controversy surrounding the use of cosmetics during pregnancy, however, there is no concrete evidence that indicts the use chemical-laiden cosmetic products during the child-bearing period as the direct cause of negative outcome in the physical and mental development of the fetus.

The cosmetics industry is a huge business, however, it's effect on pregnancy is a poorly researched topic.

The fact that there is no significant link that cosmetic chemical ingredients such as paraben and phthalate directly cause a health problem such as cancer is is the reason why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) do not ban the use these stuffs in cosmetics.

Chemical-laiden cosmetics have risks

Accoring to the US FDA "It’s important to know that the law does not require cosmetic products or ingredients to have FDA approval before they go on the market."

Scrutiny when using cosmetics especially during the prenatal period is crucial to both the mother and the developing fetus.

A mother wants what's best for her child. This makes pregnant mother all the more critical with the things they put on their body. However, a tube of lipstick or a bottle of lotion can contain such an astonishingly high number of chemicals that most of us don't have the slightest idea of their effect on our health, let alone, remember all their names.

Are cosmetics deemed fit for pregnant mothers? Pregnancy is a vulnerable period in a woman's life with plenty of hormonal changes that can lead to discomfort such as morning sickness, and drastic body changes like the appearance of stretch mark and skin pigmentation which can make her self conscious with her body image.

To some women, they find answer and reassurance in using all natural chemical free beauty and cosmetic products.

Cosmetic use during pregnancy can disrupt the growth of male children

A study shows that pregnant mothers who are exposed to cosmetic and personal care preservatives parabens and triclosan consequently gave birth to children who have higher birth weight. Babies who are born with higher weights increase their likelihood of being obese later in life.

Paraben is a widely used perservative in cosmetics to increase it's shelf life by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and mold. Triclosan is a preservative used in soap and toothpastse.

Retinol and Salicylic acid

Many women becomes conscious when it comes to the foods they eat during pregnancy, but a lot of them may not realize that what they put on their skin also matters. Skincare products containing retinol and salicylic acid are not recommended for pregnant mothers.

Retinol and salicylic acid can have detrimental effect on the developing fetus when given in taken in large quantity.

While a face cream applied on the face usually contains low amount of these chemicals, body lotion, which covers a large surface area, can consequently deliver a higher amount of these stuffs into the bood stream.

Cosmetics and skincare products are indispensable commodity of many pregnant mother, however, when it comes the baby's development, I'd say it's better safe than sorry.

Switching to all natural personal care products is a wise choice as this not only removes worries, but is also beneficial to both the user and her environment.

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Ill effects of stress during pregnancy
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Alcohol intake during Pregnancy alters a Baby's facial feature

Resources:

Marie, C., Cabut, S., Vendittelli, F., & Sauvant-Rochat, M. P. (2016). Changes in Cosmetics Use during Pregnancy and Risk Perception by Women. International journal of environmental research and public health, 13(4), 383. doi:10.3390/ijerph13040383

Braun, J. M., Just, A. C., Williams, P. L., Smith, K. W., Calafat, A. M., & Hauser, R. (2013). Personal care product use and urinary phthalate metabolite and paraben concentrations during pregnancy among women from a fertility clinic. Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 24(5), 459–466. doi:10.1038/jes.2013.69

INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale). (2014, September 3). Exposure of pregnant women to certain phenols may disrupt growth of boys during fetal development and first years of life. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 1, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140903121858.htm