One of the first questions we get asked
Pregnancy changes everything — including your relationship with beauty products. Suddenly you're reading every label, questioning every habit, and Googling things you never thought you'd need to know. Fragrance is often on that list.
Is it safe to keep wearing perfume when you're pregnant? The honest answer is: it depends entirely on what's in your perfume.
Why pregnancy changes the calculus
During pregnancy — particularly in the first trimester — foetal development is exquisitely sensitive to hormonal signals. This is why endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are of particular concern. These are substances that can interfere with the body's hormonal system — mimicking hormones, blocking them, or altering their production. And several of the EDCs most commonly flagged in research are found in conventional fragrance products. For a comprehensive guide to what those chemicals are: The Toxic Ingredients Hiding in Your Favourite Perfume.
The ingredients that warrant the most caution
Phthalates top the list. Research has linked prenatal phthalate exposure to reduced anogenital distance in male infants — a marker of disrupted reproductive development — as well as associations with preterm birth. Parabens, which mimic estrogen, have also been studied in the context of pregnancy. Synthetic musks are another consideration — some have been detected in umbilical cord blood and breast milk, suggesting they can cross placental barriers. For a full explanation of how these chemicals work in the body, read: Why Your Perfume Might Be Messing With Your Hormones.
What about sensitivity to scent during pregnancy?
Separate from the toxicology question, many pregnant women find they become acutely sensitive to scents during pregnancy — particularly in the first trimester. This hyperosmia (heightened sense of smell) is driven by hormonal changes and can make even beloved fragrances suddenly unbearable. This is your body's response to the hormonal environment, not an indication that fragrance is harmful. But it does mean that even clean, gentle fragrances might need to be approached more gently during early pregnancy.
What the conventional wisdom says
Most major health bodies take a cautious but not prohibitive stance on fragrance during pregnancy. General guidance tends to be: choose products with the fewest and safest ingredients, avoid anything with a long list of synthetic additives, ensure good ventilation, and when in doubt, consult your healthcare provider. This aligns well with the clean fragrance approach: removing the ingredients that carry the most documented risk and being fully transparent about what's in the formula.
Recreation Beauty and pregnancy
Our fragrances do not contain any of the ingredients that are contra-indicated for pregnancy based on current evidence. No phthalates, no parabens, no harmful synthetic musks, no siloxanes, no PEGs, no phenoxyethanol. We use organic, sugar-cane derived alcohol. We always recommend checking with your doctor or midwife, particularly in the first trimester. But from a formulation standpoint, we've done everything we can to remove the ingredients the science most consistently flags as concerns. If you're also concerned about skin sensitivities during pregnancy, read: Why People Who Are Allergic to Perfume Can Often Wear Ours — many of the same principles apply.
Start with our Discovery Set to find the scents that resonate with you — and your changed senses — during pregnancy.
The broader takeaway
Pregnancy is a season of heightened awareness. It's natural to want to simplify, to remove anything unnecessary or potentially risky. But it's also a season when smelling gorgeous and feeling like yourself matters. You don't have to choose between the two. Clean fragrance exists precisely for this.
Related reading
→ Why Your Perfume Might Be Messing With Your Hormones — The hormone-EDC connection
→ The Toxic Ingredients Hiding in Your Favourite Perfume — What to avoid and why
→ What Does 'Clean Fragrance' Actually Mean?
→ Why People Who Are Allergic to Perfume Can Often Wear Ours