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<\/p>\nBeing pregnant comes with a minefield of advice from doctors, midwives, well-meaning friends and family, not to mention social media and other mums.<\/p>\n
There are foods you’re recommended to avoid, and medications that aren’t approved. But skincare is less clear: some products are fine whereas others are not recommended.<\/p>\n
The family of ingredients known as retinoids, for example, are booming in popularity in skincare products but there is conflicting advice on their safety for pregnant women.<\/p>\n
What are retinoids?<\/p>\n
Retinoids is an umbrella term for vitamin A derivatives that treat all manner of skin concerns from acne to wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation.<\/p>\n
“They’re pretty much the gold standard skincare ingredients because they work for so many things,” says Michelle Wong, a chemist and science communicator based in Sydney.<\/p>\n
Retinoids come in different forms.<\/p>\n
The most potent are prescription-only acne treatment drugs such as isotretinon, which is taken orally, and tretinoin which is applied to the skin to treat severe acne.<\/p>\n
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Isotrentinols have clearly labelled packaging. (Supplied: Sam Yarwood)<\/p>\n
Then there are pharmacist-only products containing adapalene, and a range of “over-the-counter” retinoids such as retinal and retinol which are in topical creams applied to the skin at much lower concentrations.<\/p>\n
It’s widely accepted that oral retinoids are not safe for pregnant women and may cause birth defects<\/a> \u2014 and that is labelled clearly on the packaging and drug information leaflets. Prescription-only and pharmacist-only topical retinoids also carry warnings.<\/p>\n But what about over-the-counter (OTC) topical retinoid products?<\/p>\n Confusing advice for pregnant women\u00a0<\/p>\n NSW Health’s Mothersafe<\/a>, a service for mothers run by NSW Health, says OTC creams are safe for pregnant women to use because they are applied topically and contain smaller doses, but advises against the use of prescription topical treatments.<\/p>\n Dr Wong agrees.<\/p>\n “Looking at standard retinol products on the market, it should be safe for pregnancy, as long as people are not using it in weird ways,” she says.<\/p>\n But many health practitioners advise against using any type of topical retinoid.<\/p>\n Retinoids are commonly used to treat acne. (Pixabay: Sharon McCutcheon\/ABC Life: Daniel Mee)<\/p>\n Laura Gerhady, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who studies the effects of medication in pregnancy says there is insufficient research to make clear determinations for the use of topical retinoids during pregnancy.<\/p>\n “Part of that is because most people using topical retinoids will be using them for conditions that are not vital to treat during pregnancy, things like acne.”<\/p>\n Types of retinoids\u00a0<\/p>\n Prescription only:<\/p>\n Isotretinoin: Strong oral retinoid to treat acneTretionoin: A topical retinoid used for acne and skin ageingTazarotene: A topical cream retinoid for acne and psoriasisTrifarotene: A topical cream to treat acne<\/p>\n Non-prescription:<\/p>\n Adapalene: A topical retinoid for treating acne. Products containing this ingredient can only be bought directly from a pharmacist.Retinol: A weaker retinoid, found in OTC skincare productsRetinal: A topical OTC serum, cream or lotion that is stronger than retinol but weaker than prescription retinoids<\/p>\n There are no mandatory standards for labelling cosmetic skincare products containing retinoids such as retinal and retinol. The only non-prescription topical products that require labelling are those containing adapalene. These products were recently downgraded from prescription-only and made available as behind-the-counter products in pharmacies.<\/p>\n Dr Gerhardy says there isn’t clear labelling because there isn’t a specific guideline on what is and isn’t safe.<\/p>\n “For [all] topical retinoids, the message is that we don’t have great information, but if you use it, it’s probably fine.<\/p>\n “To communicate that in a single sentence on packaging is quite difficult. It is straightforward with oral retinoids \u2014 they are certainly harmful in pregnancies.<\/p>\n “But topical is more challenging because we just don’t have the data,” she says.<\/p>\n Retinols are a type of retinoid that treat fine lines.\u00a0 (Unsplash)<\/p>\n As research about both prescription and OTC topical retinoids is limited, guidance from health practitioners is typically interchangeable.<\/p>\n Deshan Sebaratnam, a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital says he advises his pregnant patients to avoid using all retinoids \u2014 including retinol \u2014 as a precaution.<\/p>\n “Much like alcohol, the safest choice would be to avoid retinol in pregnancy but the absolute risk is low,” he says.<\/p>\n Likewise, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says<\/a> that even though the amount absorbed by the body is low, neither prescription nor OTC products are recommended.<\/p>\n What happens if you accidentally use a topical retinoid while pregnant?<\/p>\n Dr Wong says pregnant women who may have used topical retinoids without knowing should not be alarmed.<\/p>\n “Topical retinoids are generally not recommended during pregnancy but it’s not worth panicking about if you accidentally use it once or twice,” she says.<\/p>\n “If applied topically, the amount of product that would enter your system would be quite low.<\/p>\n What in the world is retinol?<\/a><\/p>\n It’s widely touted as the “gold standard” in anti-ageing skin care, but what is retinol, and do you really need it?<\/p>\n “Including from prescription creams,” she says, but adds: “There’s still a hierarchy of risk though. For example, tretinoin is the riskiest one.”<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/a8102cea21668822b21603ecf73180c3.jpeg\")
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