Can I use Skin + Me if I am pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive?

If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, we can formulate a personalised solution for you that’s considered safe. When deciding whether to use a prescribed treatment during this time, it’s really important for you to weigh up any potential risks against the benefits.

Clindamycin (an antibiotic) and Tretinoin (a retinoid) are never used in our personalised solutions if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive. This is because the tablet versions of these active ingredients have been known to cause harm in certain cases.

There’s very little information in the medical world around how, when used in skincare creams, these active ingredients impact pregnant women – because studies aren’t allowed to be carried out on them. Your skin is a barrier organ, which means that only a very small amount of any active ingredients in a cream you apply will get absorbed into your bloodstream. Therefore, any potential risks to an unborn or breastfeeding baby are minimal, and mostly theoretical. The scientific evidence that is available, on the usage of these active ingredients in skincare creams, comes from animal studies (previously done by researchers, not us) and from women who have documented their use of these skincare ingredients whilst pregnant.

But while this is true, it’s better to always stay on the safe side – for mother and for baby. So, in our personalised solutions for those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, we only ever use the ingredients that are considered safe for you to use.

Below is the evidence for each of the ingredients you’ll get in your personalised solution. Please read this information, so that you can make an informed decision about whether you would like to proceed with this treatment to tackle your skin goal.

Azelaic Acid is a naturally occurring acid with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and pore-unblocking properties. It is considered one of the safest and most effective cream treatments that dermatologists offer pregnant or breastfeeding women for various skin concerns. There has been no increase in the number of birth defects seen in the limited number of pregnant women who have been studied using this medication.

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B3, used for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-ageing and oil-reducing properties. Vitamin B3 is an essential vitamin for us all – including pregnant women and their babies. It’s considered safe in pregnancy.

Our base cream contains no nasty ingredients like alcohol or parabens. A full list of base cream ingredients can be found in our FAQs.

We know that pregnancy is not always straightforward and that other factors often need to be taken into account. We’d always recommend that you discuss taking any new medication with the GP or healthcare provider looking after you during this time.