Pregnancy Acne: What Should You Check on Your Skincare, and Who Should You Ask?

Quick answer: Whether you can keep using your usual skincare when breakouts increase during pregnancy is not something a label or this guide can decide. Write down the full ingredient names and the cautions on each product you use now, and show them to your OB-GYN or dermatologist first. Keep the basics of washing gently twice a day and not squeezing, but hold off on adding several new products at once until you get an answer. If spots are large, painful, or spreading quickly, get care before you finish your notes.

This guide is for readers who are unsure whether they can keep using a cleanser, toner, cream, or other skincare while dealing with pregnancy acne: it helps you decide what to find and write down from the label, and what to ask your OB-GYN or dermatologist. It does not sort ingredients into safe or unsafe during pregnancy, and it does not cover prescription medicines or procedures, decisions about use while breastfeeding, or working out which skin condition a spot is. This is a brand guide run by SKIN9HARI, and the product information is kept in a separate section at the end.

Pregnancy acne: what can a label tell you, and what can’t it?

Hormonal changes during pregnancy are listed as possible causes of adult acne, along with the days around a period, the years around menopause, and starting or stopping birth control pills (adult acne causes). This is only a clue to look into; being pregnant doesn’t by itself confirm the cause of the spots you have now.

What a label lets you check is the names on the full ingredient list, the cautions on the container or product detail page, and whether it carries functional cosmetic labeling (a Korean label category). Whether those names are okay during pregnancy is not written on the label. Because studies that give medicine to pregnant women and look at the results aren’t done, information about acne medicines during pregnancy also comes from animal studies and from experience of use during pregnancy (AAD pregnancy guidance). This is about medicines, so we don’t stretch it to cover all cosmetic ingredients.

“If you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, consult a dermatologist before treating acne on your own.” — Ramone F. Williams, MD, FAAD, American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), adult acne self-care guidance

This is guidance a dermatologist wrote for general readers (adult acne self-care guidance); it is not a sentence that tells you which ingredients are okay.

Possible causes of adult acne, including pregnancy, are covered in Adult Acne Came Back: Should You Care for It the Way You Did as a Teen?.

Pregnancy acne check card: a table to take to your OB-GYN or dermatologist

This is a log with one row for each product you use now. It doesn’t give safety or risk grades or scores, and you don’t judge anything by how many cells are filled. If you find a name you’re looking for, copy it exactly as written; if not, write “not listed.”

Salicylic acid is an ingredient commonly found in over-the-counter breakout products, and there is guidance to talk with an obstetrician or dermatologist before using it during pregnancy (AAD pregnancy guidance). For the other names in the table, this guide did not separately check the evidence for each ingredient. So in any cell, don’t read a name being “there” as risky or “not listed” as fine; use the card only to show your clinician exactly what’s on the label.

There is also dermatology patient guidance that says to bring the products you use at home and their packaging (ingredient lists) to your first patch testing visit (patient information on patch testing). That isn’t a procedure for checking during pregnancy, but bringing photos of the container or product detail page along can help you show the names accurately.

An illustration of copying the names and cautions from the products you use onto the check card.

How acid ingredient names appear on a full ingredient list is covered in AHA vs. BHA vs. PHA: What Should Breakout-Prone Skin Check First on the Ingredient List?.

OB-GYN or dermatologist: who should you ask, and what?

The guidance on over-the-counter salicylic acid products names both an obstetrician and a dermatologist as people to consult (AAD pregnancy guidance). The clinic that follows your pregnancy and the clinic that looks at your skin are different, so show the check card first wherever you’re already being seen, and get referred to the other if needed.

• At your OB-GYN: “I brought the ingredient lists from the cleanser and cream I use now. Could you look at whether I can keep using them? Is there anything I should ask a dermatologist separately?”
• At a dermatologist: “First, I want to let you know I’m pregnant. Could you go through the products on this card with me and tell me which to keep using and which to pause for now?”
• If you have a prescribed medicine: Don’t stop it or add to it on your own; ask the clinician who prescribed it, along with your list of skincare products.
• After you get an answer: Write the answer you got and the date in the last column of the check card.

What to ask before adding skincare while you’re under a clinician’s care is covered in Skincare on Acne Medication: What Should You Ask Before Adding Products?.

What should you keep the same until you get an answer?

1. Wash twice a day, without scrubbing

There is guidance to wash once when you get up and once before bed, because washing many times a day can further irritate your skin and lead to more breakouts (10 skin care habits that can worsen acne). Scrubbing can also irritate your skin and cause acne to flare, so wash gently.

2. Don’t squeeze

Squeezing acne can push what’s inside deeper into the skin, which can increase inflammation and lead to more noticeable acne, scars, or pain (10 skin care habits that can worsen acne).

3. Add new products only after you get an answer

Adding several new products at once only adds more rows to write on the check card and ask about. “Trying a little and using it if it seems fine” is also not the same kind of check as patch testing done at a clinic. And if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, a doctor may decide not to do patch testing (patient information on patch testing).

An illustration of the basic care of washing gently twice a day.

When should you see a doctor before you finish the check card?

You don’t have to wait a set time or fill in the check card to the end before getting care. There is guidance that deep or painful acne needs care from a dermatologist (10 skin care habits that can worsen acne). If any of the following apply, get care first, and let them know you’re pregnant.

• Large, painful lumps appear or get deeper.
• It spreads quickly over a few days.
• Marks or scars start to stay.
• There is swelling or oozing, along with itching.
• You want to know whether you can keep using a prescribed medicine.
• You can’t tell whether it’s acne or a different kind of bump.

An illustration of bringing ingredient-list notes to a clinic to show them.

Related guides

• Salicylic Acid Concentration: How Do You Read the Different Numbers on Products?
• Period Acne: Can You Wait for It to Clear Once Your Period Ends?

FAQ

How do you check skincare ingredients during pregnancy?

Look at the full ingredient list on the back of the container or on the product detail page, and, like the check card above, write down the names and cautions you find for each product exactly as written. A label can’t tell you whether something is okay to use during pregnancy, so show that list to your OB-GYN or dermatologist and ask. There is also dermatologist guidance that if you’re pregnant, you should consult a dermatologist before managing acne on your own (adult acne self-care guidance).

How do you choose basic skincare to use while pregnant?

This guide doesn’t set a standard for which skincare you can use during pregnancy. Get that decision from a clinician, not from a label, and use the label only to check the names and wording to write down. Holding off on adding several new products at once until you get an answer also makes it easier to ask.

Can you use a salicylic acid cleanser while pregnant?

There is guidance to talk with an obstetrician or dermatologist before using over-the-counter salicylic acid products during pregnancy (AAD pregnancy guidance). This guide doesn’t judge whether you can or can’t. Whether it’s a cleansing foam or a toner, look for salicylic acid or capryloyl salicylic acid on the full ingredient list and write it down, and if an amount is labeled, show that too. Write it down the same way when you’re choosing a new cleanser during pregnancy.

Should you ask your OB-GYN or a dermatologist?

The guidance on over-the-counter salicylic acid products also names both an obstetrician and a dermatologist as people to consult (AAD pregnancy guidance). Either way, show the check card first wherever you’re already being seen. If you also have large, painful spots, consider seeing a dermatologist first.

If a label says “gentle” or “free-from,” is it okay during pregnancy?

This guide doesn’t read wording like that as meaning a product is okay to use during pregnancy. Whether or not the wording is there, copy the full ingredient list and the cautions onto the check card exactly as written and ask your clinician. When you ask, the ingredient names on the back are more accurate information than the wording on the front.

Do you look at a rinse-off cleanser differently from a leave-on toner?

This guide doesn’t compare rinse-off and leave-on products to judge which one is okay. In the first column of the check card, write the product type and when you use it, such as “cleanser, every morning and night” or “toner, at night a few times a week,” and ask your OB-GYN or dermatologist the same way, along with the ingredient names. There is guidance to talk with a clinician before using over-the-counter salicylic acid products during pregnancy (AAD pregnancy guidance), so write that name down the same way whether it’s in your cleanser or your toner.

Where do you find the full ingredient list if labels are hard to read?

Taking a photo of the full ingredient list on the back of the container or on the product detail page means less worry about making mistakes when you copy it. In a survey of 382 patients with contact allergy to preservatives or fragrances, 46% said cosmetic ingredient labeling was difficult or very difficult to read (cosmetic ingredient labeling survey, 2007). This was a survey of a particular group of patients, so we don’t apply it to every reader, but if a label is hard to read, showing the photo itself and asking is more accurate.

Can you ask the same way while breastfeeding?

This guide doesn’t judge use while breastfeeding either. Note on the same check card that you’re breastfeeding and ask your clinician the same way. There is guidance that a doctor may also decide not to do patch testing while you’re breastfeeding (patient information on patch testing).

If acne suddenly gets worse during pregnancy, can you manage it on your own?

There is dermatologist guidance that if you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, you should consult a dermatologist before managing acne on your own (adult acne self-care guidance). Keep the basics of washing gently twice a day and not squeezing (10 skin care habits that can worsen acne). If it’s large, painful, or spreading quickly, get care first.

In one sentence

If pregnancy acne has increased, write the full ingredient names and cautions for each product you use on a check card and ask your OB-GYN or dermatologist first, keep the basics of washing gently and not squeezing in the meantime, and get care for large, painful spots without waiting.

SKIN9HARI products we recommend for this concern

If you’re sorting through the skincare you’ve been using during pregnancy and choosing a moisturizing cream for the last step of your routine, SKIN9HARI recommends the Revive Therapy N.F Cream. Before using it, show the ingredient names in the table below to your OB-GYN or dermatologist and have them checked. There are three reasons.

• The names to check from the full ingredient list of the 2026 renewed formula are laid out in the table below, so they’re easy to copy into the “Cream” row of your check card and show to your clinician. Names classed as acid ingredients, such as capryloyl salicylic acid, lactic acid, and gluconolactone, also appear on the full ingredient list as written.
• It’s a moisturizing cream for finishing your routine, with no fragrance listed and 4 ceramides (NP, NS, EOP, AP), 5 types of hyaluronic acid, and panthenol listed on its full ingredient list.
• It is irritation patch-tested (patch test in 30 people; see the footnote below the table). This is the result of a test that looked at the degree of skin irritation.

Clinical study (finished product) of primary skin irritation (24-hour occlusive patch) | Testing institution: Korea Dermatology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Report No.: KDRI-2019-052-F1 | Study period: December 28, 2018–March 6, 2019 | Participants: 30 | Individual results may vary

How to use it for this concern. After your clinician has checked the full ingredient list, dispense a suitable amount after toner and ampoule as the last step of your routine, and spread it gently over your face from the center outward. In the “Cream” row of your check card, write down the ingredient names above, the answer you got, and the date. Don’t apply it on broken skin, and if red spots, swelling, or itching appear while you use it, stop using it and ask your clinician. Revive Therapy N.F Cream is a cosmetic, not a drug.

If any of the signs for getting care above apply to you, seeing a dermatologist comes before products. Results may not be the same for every skin type. Product information is on the Revive Therapy N.F Cream product page.

Sources

1. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Adult acne: causes and what you can do. AAD public information.
2. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Guidance on managing acne during pregnancy. AAD public information.
3. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). Adult acne self-care guidance. AAD public information.
4. American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). 10 skin care habits that can worsen acne. AAD public information.
5. British Association of Dermatologists (BAD). Patient information on patch testing.
6. Noiesen E, et al. Survey of cosmetic ingredient labeling among patients with contact allergy to preservatives and fragrances. Contact Dermatitis, 2007.

This guide is general skincare information, not medical advice. SKIN9HARI products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. If a skin problem is painful, spreading, or persistent, see a dermatologist.