Is deodorant and antiperspirant safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about deodorant and antiperspirant during pregnancy?

1. Deodorant and antiperspirant are classified as both a cosmetic and a drug in the US, and no adverse health hazards have been identified for pregnant people from exposure to parabens, sulfates, or phthalates, chemical classes sometimes found in personal care products. 1
2. Parabens, preservatives used in some deodorants and lotions, are rapidly transported across the placental barrier, meaning fetal exposure follows whenever a pregnant person absorbs them; research on placental weight effects has produced mixed results that vary by the infant's sex. 2
3. In a study of 129 pregnant women, urinary paraben concentrations were 25 to 45 percent lower during pregnancy than the same women's levels before pregnancy, a pattern the researchers linked to changes in personal care product and medication use during pregnancy. 3
4. Measured dermal penetration of aluminum chlorohydrate, the active ingredient in most antiperspirants, is extremely low, around 0.01 percent of the applied dose, rising to about 0.06 percent when tested on pre-damaged skin, such as skin irritated from shaving. 4
5. In a cohort of pregnant women in Taiwan, more frequent use of leave-on personal care products like makeup was associated with significantly higher urinary concentrations of several parabens, showing that overall personal care product habits, not any single item, drive most of this exposure. 5

Is deodorant and antiperspirant safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Smell sensitivity often spikes right when nesting and hygiene habits are top of mind. Switching scent or formula for comfort is fine; there's no first-trimester-specific restriction on ordinary deodorant or antiperspirant use.
• Second trimester. Sweating tends to increase as blood volume and metabolism rise, a normal pregnancy change rather than a sign anything is wrong. Reapplying deodorant more often through the day is a reasonable response.
• Third trimester. No trimester-specific cutoff is documented for typical use. If you're planning to breastfeed, the same ingredient questions carry over, since giving birth doesn't change how these compounds are absorbed through skin.