Are Cosmetics Safe To Use During Pregnancy?

by Left Brain on September 6, 2008

Yesenia’s yes or no: I‘m three months pregnant and I want to know If I can use the Bio Ionic treatment in my hair. I’m worried about what it could do to my baby.

The Left Brain writes back:

The Right Brain has blogged before about the Bio Ionic hair straightening system and there doesn’t seem to be anything unusually dangerous about it compared to a regular permanent wave type formula. But as the two of us have said many times, we can’t give you medical advice. Just to be safe you need to check with your doctor.  (You might also want to read our post on 5 Facts About Pregnancy and Skin Care.)

If it’s any consolation to you, there’s a recent article at ScienceDaily, written by Katie Bird, that indicates not all scientists are buying into the hype about cosmetics being bad for your health. Specifically the article states that the risk of fragrance use for pregnant women has been unfairly exaggerated.

Fragrances and fetuses

The controversy was based on research conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, which focused on common disorders of the male reproductive systems. The media reported their findings and warned pregnant women to stop using cosmetics products and fragrances. But, according to the professor Richard Sharpe the scientist who led the research, this “scare story” does not accurately reflect the findings of his team.

Scary story

What Sharpe’s team DID find is that a male rat’s reproductive system may be affected if the rat fetus is exposed to enough hormones during a certain developmental period. However, Sharpe says that there is no evidence that this occurs in humans. Follow the link above to read the full story for yourself. To me this looks like another case of lazy reporting standards on the part of the media.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Only you and your doctor can make decisions about what is right for your baby. But try to get all the information and weigh facts instead of jumping to conclusions based on sloppy media reporting.


What do YOU think? Are you worried about the effects of cosmetics on pregnancy? Leave a comment and share your concerns with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Nster.com

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Rose September 19, 2008 at 7:30 am

I got completely paranoid while I was pregnant about cosmetics. The only one I really found that could potentially be nasty was my nail strengthener, which contained formaldehyde, toluene, and DBPs. Fortunately the eco- and health-friendly trend has brought some companies out that make strengtheners without this stuff. Nervous pregnant moms should try Nail Aid– http://www.nailaidworks.com– for treatments, and Zoya for polish.

David September 28, 2009 at 3:10 am

Very useful post…
My wife is pregnant now, and I’ve leared a lot from here
http://www.pregnancy-online.com
Thanks for sharing

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