What products are safe for pregnancy & little ones?

One of the most important questions our customers ask is, "Which products are safe for little ones and which ones should be avoided?" Another important query is, "Which products should I avoid using while I'm pregnant?" Keeping our children safe is so important and we know how difficult it can be to find the information you need online. There's a lot of contradictory information online, which makes things confusing. Consulting your doctor or pediatrician is important, but most Western trained physicians aren't familiar with a lot of the ingredients we use in skincare, so here are a few simple rules that I hope will be helpful.

Are Essential Oils Safe for Pregnancy and Little Ones?

The use of high percentages of many essential oils, such as basil, clary sage, clove, cedarwood, cypress, juniper, sweet marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, rose and thyme is commonly classified as contra-indicated (not recommended) during pregnancy. Some oils are known to stimulate uterine contractions or worse.

One important note: I never recommend applying undiluted essential oils topically, as they can cause skin irritation and/or allergy. A safe rule of thumb that we follow at aos, is to formulate skincare products with 1% or less essential oils (with the exception of our Blue Sapphire Concentrated Brightening Oil, which is designed to be diluted in other products). Of course, always consult with your doctor about which products and ingredients to use and avoid.

Products to avoid during pregnancy:

The one essential oil we use that is contraindicated for pregnancy, even in very small amounts, is clary sage. Clary Sage essential oil has been known, in high doses, to induce uterine contractions. While we use 1% or less of clary sage essential oil in our formulas, you may want to avoid using the Verbena & Clary Sage Cleanser and Blue Sapphire Illuminating Body Oil out of an abundance of caution.

We've formulated a few products that we specifically recommend to use during pregnancy and on your little one's skin:

• Three B's Butter, for your Breasts, Belly & Bootie, all areas that are prone to stretching quickly during pregnancy.
• Chamomile Dream Ultrarich Body Cream was originally formulated for our Mama & Baby collection and is a very calming blend for the skin and nervous system.
• Zinc Rescue Cream was originally called the Maximum Strength Diaper Ointment! It's been a favorite with new parents for about two decades now. We changed the name several years ago at the requests of doctors who recommend and gift it to their cancer patients to use in between radiation treatments to keep the skin healthy. Since then, we've also had many customers report that they're using it successfully to treat symptoms associated with eczema, psoriasis and contact dermatitis - and it's still our favorite diaper cream.

 
Zinc Rescue Cream