Not So Cha Cha Ingredients

There are so many skin care products out there these days! It can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when it is largely up to the consumer to decide what is safe for our bodies. This is one of the biggest reasons why Cha Cha Mamma was created. We want to serve as a reliable resource for women, that gives them the facts and allows them to make the decisions that work best for themselves and their families. You can trust us to give you the most accurate and science-based information, so all you have to worry about is which product looks the cutest on your bathroom counter. 

We are obsessed with clean beauty here at Cha Cha Mamma, and as we have extensively combed through some amazing beauty products on the market, we thought we would give you some basic guidelines that we are using as we are selecting the products we recommend for our Mammas, pregnant or not. Here are the ingredients that we stay away from.

Retin-A/Retinol

Though sufficient research in skincare is relatively new, one ingredient that has been significantly studied, and deemed absolutely unsafe during pregnancy is retinol. While retinol may be effective at clearing acne and reducing signs of aging, in non-pregnant women, retinol contains high concentrations of vitamin A, which has been definitively shown to increase the risk of birth defects in babies. Your doctor will most likely remind you to stop any retinol products 3-6 months before you try to get pregnant, and we too would like to remind you to check ALL of the ingredients in your skin care products very carefully. Sometimes the writing is small and hidden. Should you choose to breastfeed, it is also recommended to cease all retinol use until your doctor gives you the green light. For our non-pregnant or breast feeding Mammas who have been advised by a medical professional to use retinol, we recommend a plant-based one!

Benzoyl Peroxide/Salicylic Acid

These are common ingredients in many acne-clearing products. There really is no adequate evidence to confirm whether or not they are safe for pregnancy, so we recommend giving them a skip for the time that you are carrying your little Babba.  

Hydroquinone

This ingredient is often used to lighten dark spots, which can be tempting during pregnancy, due to the fact that you may be experiencing more acne scarring or melasma at this time. That being said, hydroquinone is also not studied widely enough to definitively confirm the possible effects for your baby. However, what we do know is that the body absorbs this ingredient in relatively high amounts, which means that more of the product can reach your baby, so it is probably best to leave out.

Antibiotic Creams 

Your skin is filled with all kinds of good and bad bacteria. Sometimes that bad bacteria can contribute to creating some acne...unfortunately. That being said, just as we want to stay away from oral antibiotics as much as possible during pregnancy with the fear that we will kill all of those crucial good bacteria , we also want to stay away from it as much as possible topically (on top of the skin). 

Parabens, Sulfates, Fragrances and Other Toxins: 

These ingredients are used to preserve and perfume your products. When we think of a delightfully smelling product, we think rose, jasmine, peppermint etc. We do not need anything “birthday cake scented”, unless it’s an actual birthday cake. We want all of the smells that come from our products to be naturally beautiful. Why should we put synthetic and potentially harmful scents on our skin when there are so many powerful plants and minerals that not only deeply benefit our skin, but make it smell amazing in a natural way!

*We of course want to remind everyone to please talk to your doctor, particularly your dermatologist applying anything to your skin during pregnancy or breast feeding. 

*Check out our other posts to see some very specific and very gorgeous products that are non-toxic, and will keep you looking Cha Cha!

*The information for this post is based off of a 2011 research article titled “Safety of Skincare Products During Pregnancy”, by Bozzo, Chua-Gocheco, Einarson.