Pregnancy has a way of turning your skincare shelf into a question mark. Products you've used for years suddenly feel uncertain, skin that used to behave one way starts doing something else entirely, and every search seems to end in a different opinion. So let's simplify it.
This isn't medical advice — always check with your OB or dermatologist about anything specific to you — but here's the general landscape, and how a simpler, oil-first routine tends to fit into it well.
Ingredients many people choose to avoid during pregnancy
A few categories come up again and again as ones many pregnant people are advised to skip or limit:
Retinoids and retinol — the vitamin-A family used for anti-aging and acne, generally set aside during pregnancy. Salicylic acid in high concentrations — a common BHA exfoliant, usually fine in small amounts (like a face wash) but often avoided at higher strengths. Hydroquinone — a skin-brightening ingredient absorbed at higher rates than most topicals. Certain essential oils — some, like clary sage, are commonly flagged for pregnancy.
None of this is a diagnosis of what's in your specific routine — it's just the short list that tends to come up. Your provider is the real source of truth here.
What to look for instead
The simplest approach is often the safest one: shorter ingredient lists, fewer synthetic actives, and formulas built around plant oils rather than lab-designed exfoliants. Fewer products also means fewer ingredients to second-guess — which is one of the quieter benefits of a minimal routine during pregnancy.
Why an oil-first routine tends to work well here
This is really the whole idea behind izé. The Everywhere Oil is built from apple seed, strawberry seed, and avocado seed oils plus squalane — no synthetic fragrance, no water-fillers, nothing designed to actively resurface or exfoliate skin. It's the kind of formula that's easy to feel good about using during pregnancy, and one of our own customers has told us exactly that:
"I love that this oil is pregnancy safe — I have been lathering my baby bump with it and using it both morning and night." — Veronika
How to use it while pregnant
Belly and hips: As skin stretches, it can get drier and tighter. Smooth the oil onto damp skin after a shower, focusing on areas that feel taut. Face: Pregnancy can shift your skin in either direction — drier or oilier than usual. A lightweight, non-comedogenic oil like this one adapts either way, since it's designed to signal your skin has enough moisture rather than adding a heavy layer on top. Chest and hands: Often overlooked, often just as dry. A drop or two goes a long way.
One extra step worth taking: patch test
Skin sensitivity can change during pregnancy even for products you've used before without issue. Before using anything new — including this one — patch test on a small area of skin and wait 24 hours.
Quick reference
Commonly flagged during pregnancy: Retinoids, high-strength salicylic acid, hydroquinone, some essential oils (check with your provider). Look for instead: Short ingredient lists, fragrance-light formulas, plant-based oils. How to use The Everywhere Oil: Damp skin after showering for the belly and body, 2-4 drops pressed into the face morning or night. Before anything new: Patch test for 24 hours.
If you're looking for a simpler routine right now, The Everywhere Oil is pregnancy-safe, clean, and cruelty-free — one bottle for the belly, the face, and everywhere in between.
