It’s 2025 and we are blessed with many, many, many retinol-containing skincare products. Between Vitamin A creams, serums and peels – beauty professionals regularly encounter questions regarding vitamin A safety during pregnancy. In fact, we’ve been asked this a lot ourselves recently. We thought it was time to seperate fact from fiction.
Many pregnant clients arrive concerned after being advised to completely avoid vitamin A. Google’s AI search tells us, “No, retinol use is not recommended during pregnancy, as it’s a derivative of vitamin A, and excessive vitamin A intake can cause serious birth defects and developmental issues in the fetus.” Gosh! No mother wants that. As always, the answer isn’t that simple. And, of course, Dr Google is slightly misleading.
Firstly, it depends on the type of Vitamin A in the product
Understanding the difference between vitamin A forms is essential for understanding pregnancy safety:
Retinyl palmitate cannot cross the placental membrane, making it the safest option for use during pregnancy.
Retinyl palmitate – the less “harsh” derivative – is the natural storage form of vitamin A found in skin cells. When applied topically, this is absorbed into the cells where it remains until metabolized as needed. As retinyl palmitate remains within the skin cells, it is unable to enter the bloodstream in significant amounts. Retinyl palmitate cannot cross the placental membrane, making it the safest option for use during pregnancy. It also happens to be the most commonly used derivative in everyday skincare (such as our moisture creams), in lower concentrations.
All our skincare products containing Retinol Palmitate are deemed safe to use during both pregnancy and lactation.Â
Retinol and Retinoic Acid: Higher Potency Forms of Vitamin A
Unlike retinyl palmitate, both retinol and retinoic acid can cross the placental barrier. These are more potent and are more commonly found in peels and treatment serums. Retinol converts to retinoic acid within the skin, while retinoic acid (tretinoin) is available only through medical prescription. These are the types of Vitamin A to be concerned with during pregnancy. However, it’s worth nothing, Vitamin A causing fetal abnormalities specifically relates to oral cis-retinoic acid medications (which require prescription and can deliver up to 300,000 IU), not cosmetic skincare products.
The EU (yes, the one’s who banned everything from blue tattoo ink to synthetic fragrances) ruled vitamin A in cosmetics, when used at regulated concentrations, is safe. In December 2021, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) of the European Union conducted a comprehensive revision of their scientific opinion on vitamin A (retinol, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate). The SCCS noted that consumers should be more mindful of vitamin A from other sources like food, supplements, and medications.
Putting Vitamin A levels into perspective
When discussing vitamin A with concerned clients, context is helpful:
- A slice of liver: 20,000-50,000 IU
- A Scone: 200 IU
- One egg: 260 IU
- Canned apricots: 2,900 IU (as beta-carotene)
- A Meat Pie 2,967 IU
In contrast, when applying 1 gram of a skincare product containing 5,000 IU vitamin A per gram, approximately 300 IU maximum will reach the keratinocyte layer over about 260 square centimetres – roughly 0.13-1.3 IU per square centimetre. Importantly, this vitamin A remains trapped in the skin.
Even with higher-concentration products (10,000 IU per gram), the absorbed amount remains minimal compared to recommended daily dietary allowances.
The Bottom Line
While professionally formulated vitamin A products are generally considered safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding, pregnancy hormones can alter skin sensitivity. Beauty professionals should note:
- Always have your client consult their GP/Doctor (not Google)
- Lower vitamin A concentrations should always be used (while up to 0.5% retinol palmitate in a moisture cream is safe, nothing stronger should be used), especially during the first trimester
- After pregnancy or extended breaks, reintroduction of any stronger Vitamin A products (particularly serums) should begin at lower concentrations with gradual increases under professional guidance
References
(AKA the scientific studies we read so you don’t have to)
- SCCS (Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety). Revision of the Scientific Opinion (SCCS/1576/16) on vitamin A (Retinol, Retinyl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate), preliminary version of 10 December 2021, final version of 24-25 October 2022, SCCS/1639/21.
- Mastroiacovo, P., et al. High vitamin A intake in early pregnancy and major malformations: a multicenter prospective controlled study. Teratology, 1999. 59(1): p. 7-11.
- Nohynek GJ, Meuling WJ, Vaes WH, Lawrence RS, Shapiro S, Schulte S, et al. Repeated topical treatment, in contrast to single oral doses, with Vitamin A-containing preparations does not affect plasma concentrations of retinol, retinyl esters or retinoic acids in female subjects of child-bearing age. Toxicol Lett. 2006;163(1):65-76.
- Wiegand, U.W., S. Hartmann, and H. Hummler. Safety of vitamin A: recent results. International journal for vitamin and nutrition research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Vitamin- und Ernahrungsforschung. Journal international de vitaminologie et de nutrition, 1998. 68(6): p. 411-6.
- Bendich, A. and L. Langseth. Safety of vitamin A. Am J Clin Nutr, 1989. 49(2): p. 358-71.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 2006. 2024 Sep 15.