When you're pregnant, you often start looking at ingredients very differently, and I completely understand why. Things that were once just part of your routine might feel a little less straightforward. Salicylic acid is a good example of this, precisely because you find it in a lot of skincare for blemish-prone skin, such as exfoliants, cleansers, and serums. Then the question quickly arises: can you still use salicylic acid during pregnancy, or is it smarter to put it aside for a while?
The honest answer is that this is not a simple black and white story. In the EU, there are clear rules for salicylic acid in cosmetics, but there isn't one simple pregnancy rule that says it's always allowed or never allowed. Therefore, many people in practice choose to make their routine during pregnancy a bit milder, calmer, and simpler.
Also, read our blog about skincare during pregnancy on our website.
In short
My short advice is simple: if you want to keep things extra calm during your pregnancy, it makes sense to temporarily avoid salicylic acid or at least critically assess how often you use it, what type of product it's in, and how many other active ingredients you have in your routine. Not because every product with salicylic acid is inherently wrong, but because simplicity often works best during this period.
What is salicylic acid?
Salicylic acid is an exfoliating ingredient often found in products for blemish-prone skin. It helps loosen dead skin cells and is widely used in products designed to keep pores clear and make the skin feel smoother.
You'll find it in, for example:
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cleansers
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toners
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exfoliants
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spot treatments
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products for acne-prone skin
Precisely because it is such a widely used ingredient, it is also logical that there are so many extra questions about it during pregnancy.
Why do some people choose to avoid salicylic acid during pregnancy?
What I think is important is to be honest and clear about this. The EU Cosmetics Regulation does not provide a separate pregnancy list for cosmetic products containing salicylic acid. What the EU does do is set clear limits on how much salicylic acid can be used in certain product categories and requires that cosmetics be safe under normal and reasonably foreseeable use.
At the same time, in Europe, there is also recent information from the medical field about topical (on the skin) products with salicylic acid, and this shows that pregnancy is indeed a reason for extra caution. This doesn't directly apply to regular cosmetics, but it does explain why many women prefer not to push the boundaries of what is just acceptable during their pregnancy. Especially if your skin has become more sensitive, you are already using multiple active products, or you simply need a calm routine, it is very logical to temporarily opt for milder options.
What about salicylic acid in skincare?
In the EU, salicylic acid is not a freely usable ingredient without conditions. Maximum concentrations apply per product category. For certain applications, a maximum of 2% applies, for rinse-off hair products it is higher, and for some other categories, lower limits apply.
That's important to know, but it's just as important to understand what this doesn't mean. Such a legal product limit is not personal pregnancy advice. It says something about the permitted use in cosmetics within the EU, not automatically what you find most pleasant or sensible during your pregnancy.
That's why I prefer not to just look at a percentage on the label, but at the whole picture. Do you use one product occasionally, or do you have a routine with multiple exfoliating steps in a row? Is it a product you rinse off, or does it stay on your skin for a long time? And how is your skin reacting at the moment?
Leave-on or rinse-off makes a real difference
A nuance that I find very important here is the difference between products you leave on the skin and products you rinse off. That difference seems small, but in practice, it is very relevant when you are trying to keep your routine simple during pregnancy.
A product you rinse off feels more straightforward for many people than a leave-on product that stays on your skin for hours. Especially if you also use other active ingredients, it can be smart to critically look at what you are actually layering. Precisely during pregnancy, I am more a fan of peace in a routine than of an approach where you want to correct many things at once.
Milder alternatives for exfoliation during pregnancy
If you still want to do something about dull skin, texture, or impurities, there are milder alternatives. So you really don't have to cut everything out immediately. What works well for many people is switching to a softer form of exfoliation while keeping the rest of the routine calm.
Our Apple Peeling is a mild at-home peel with approximately 5 percent AHA. This is quite different from a BHA product with salicylic acid, and precisely for this reason, many people find it a more logical alternative when they want to simplify their routine during pregnancy.
Here too, of course, milder does not automatically mean that everything is always fine for everyone. If you have extremely sensitive skin or a skin barrier that is already out of balance, less is still the best choice.
Skincare during pregnancy, keep it simple
As a co-founder of Food for Skin, this is what I always come back to: during pregnancy, simpler is often just better. Not because your skin can't handle anything anymore, but because hormonal changes can make your skin more unpredictable, and then you usually benefit more from a calm base than from a complicated routine with many active steps.
So if you're in doubt about salicylic acid, my practical advice would be: step out of the reflex of wanting to immediately solve, correct, and exfoliate, and first see if your skin primarily needs gentle cleansing, hydration, and calming. That often provides much more peace, both literally and figuratively.
For this, also read our blog about skincare during pregnancy on our website.
How to check if a product contains salicylic acid yourself
If you want to know whether a product contains salicylic acid, always look at the INCI list. It tells you what is actually in a product. You can read all sorts of things on the front of a package, but the ingredient list shows what was actually used.
In any case, look for:
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Salicylic Acid
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Salicylate
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Sodium Salicylate
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Willow Extract
If you are unsure about what you are seeing, read our blog on how to read an INCI list on our website. This really helps you look at products much more targeted and calmly, especially in a phase where you'd rather not rely on marketing.
Conclusion: salicylic acid and pregnancy
Salicylic acid is a well-known ingredient in skincare for blemish-prone skin, but during pregnancy, it's not a topic I want to give a strict yes or no to. In the EU, there are clear product limits for cosmetic use, but no simple pregnancy rule for cosmetics. Precisely for this reason, I find a cautious and practical approach often the best route.
If you want to keep things calm and straightforward during your pregnancy, it makes perfect sense to temporarily choose milder alternatives and not combine too many active products in one routine. If you are already using a product with salicylic acid and are in doubt, don't just look at the ingredient itself, but also at the product type, how often you use it, and how your skin is currently reacting.
Sources for editing and fact-checking
The core of this article is based on EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009, which states that cosmetic products must be safe under normal and reasonably foreseeable use and that a cosmetic safety report is required. In addition, Regulation 2019/1966 and the SCCS opinions on salicylic acid, which detail the permitted concentrations and safety conclusions for the cosmetic use of salicylic acid, have been consulted. For the nuance regarding pregnancy and topical salicylic acid, recent EMA documentation on topical salicylic acid as a medicine has also been included. For the reference to Apple Peeling and the AHA percentage, our own website was used.
