Is Retinyl Palmitate Safe During Pregnancy?

Updated September 14, 2026

The Answer

Avoid retinyl palmitate in routine cosmetic skincare during pregnancy. This follows guidance to avoid topical retinoids, despite usually low absorption and more reassuring human evidence than for oral retinoid medicines.

Topical exposure is not equivalent to taking oral retinoid medicines: inadvertent low level skin exposure is generally more reassuring, while oral medicines such as isotretinoin are established causes of fetal harm.

EMA and teratology guidance recommend avoiding topical retinoids despite usually low absorption and a meta analysis and Nordic cohort showing no clear increase in major congenital malformations after first trimester topical exposure.

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What Is Retinyl Palmitate?

Retinyl palmitate is a form of vitamin A used in skincare for anti aging and skin renewing purposes. You may find it in face creams, serums, body lotions, skincare oils, makeup, and cleansers. It also appears in some vitamins, foods, and drinks, which require a separate assessment from cosmetic skin use.

What Other Ingredients Should You Look Out for in Products With Retinyl Palmitate?

A product's full ingredient list determines whether it's pregnancy-safe or not. These ingredients also appear in some of the retinyl palmitate products we analyzed and may deserve a closer look.

Retinol

Avoid

Look for retinol as a separate vitamin A ingredient in creams, serums, and makeup. Guidance generally recommends avoiding cosmetic retinol during pregnancy, so check the full ingredient list rather than looking only for retinyl palmitate.

Flagged in 47 products (3.8%) in this analysis.

Butylphenyl Methylpropional

Avoid

Look for butylphenyl methylpropional or Lilial in scented skin and hair products; regulatory reproductive toxicity concerns rely largely on animal evidence, and the EU prohibits it in cosmetics. Check leave on and frequently used products in particular, and avoid formulas listing it.

Flagged in 44 products (3.6%) in this analysis.

Benzophenone-1

Avoid

Check nail polish, removers, and strengtheners for benzophenone-1, a formula light stabilizer that SCCS considered unsafe for that cosmetic use because of genotoxicity potential and endocrine activity. Confirm the number on the label: benzophenone-1 is not oxybenzone, or benzophenone-3.

Flagged in 6 products (0.5%) in this analysis.

Methylparaben

Caution

Methylparaben or methyl paraben is a preservative found in creams, makeup, and other personal care products; pregnancy findings are mixed, while reviewed cosmetic levels are considered low concern. If you prefer to reduce exposure, check for this exact name rather than assuming all parabens have the same evidence.

Flagged in 145 products (11.8%) in this analysis.

Calendula

Caution

Calendula or Calendula officinalis extract appears in lotions, oils, and balms; ordinary use on intact skin is lower concern than concentrated oral use, but daisy family allergy is possible. Check whether your product is ordinary skincare or a medicinal wound or mouth preparation, since those uses lack pregnancy specific safety data.

Flagged in 80 products (6.5%) in this analysis.

Does Retinyl Palmitate Strength or Product Type Matter During Pregnancy?

The recommendation here concerns routine topical cosmetic use. Human research on first trimester topical retinoid exposure has not shown a clear increase in major congenital malformations, but this does not establish retinyl palmitate specific safety. The evidence does not establish a safe cosmetic concentration or a rinse off exception. Findings about oral retinoid medicines should not be used to judge retinyl palmitate in foods or prenatal vitamins.

What Products Contain Retinyl Palmitate?

Pregnancy Safe has looked at 1,232 products that have retinyl palmitate as an ingredient. The category and grade breakdowns below use 1,232 products with an exact ingredient match.

What Types of Products Contain Retinyl Palmitate?

Face Cream 57 products
Unknown 56 products
Body Scrub 51 products
Body Lotion 39 products
Moisturizer 35 products
Serum 32 products
Sunscreen 31 products
Shampoo 30 products
Multivitamin 27 products
Conditioner 26 products

Products You May Have That Contain Retinyl Palmitate

Grade Product Brand Type
F Bio-Oil Skincare Oil For Scars And Stretchmarks, Serum Hydrates Skin And Reduce Appearance Of Scars Bio-Oil Skincare Oil
F Hawaiian Tropic Lime Coolada Aftersun - 16Oz Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Lotion
F Olly Essential Prenatal Multi Gummies Sweet Citrus Olly Vitamin
F One A Day Women'S Prenatal 1 With Dha & Folic Acid Softgels One A Day Prenatal Vitamin
F Tree Hut Shea Sugar Vanilla & Jasmine Body Scrub - 18Oz Tree Hut Body Scrub
F Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Hand And Body Lotions Gold Bond Body Lotion
F One-A-Day Womens Prenatal Advanced Vitamins With Choline, 90+ One A Day Vitamin
F Nourish All In One Facial Cleanser Trader Joe'S Facial Cleanser

How Do Products Containing Retinyl Palmitate Score?

It can be helpful to see how products containing retinyl palmitate generally score during pregnancy. This does not tell you whether your exact product is safe, but it gives you a general idea of what we found. In this breakdown of 1,232 products, 100% receive an F grade. An F grade means the complete formula contains an ingredient Pregnancy Safe recommends avoiding during pregnancy. The reason may be an established risk or a precaution based on limited evidence; check the ingredient guidance and exposure context.

A
0 (0%)
B
0 (0%)
C
0 (0%)
D
0 (0%)
F
1,232 (100%)

Frequently Asked Questions About Retinyl Palmitate During Pregnancy

Is retinyl palmitate the same ingredient as retinol?

No. Both are vitamin A forms used in skincare, but they are distinct ingredients. Retinol is not an alternative label name for retinyl palmitate.

What if I used retinyl palmitate skincare before knowing I was pregnant?

Inadvertent low level topical exposure is generally more reassuring than oral retinoid medicine exposure. Human topical retinoid studies have not shown a clear increase in major congenital malformations, but they cannot guarantee an individual outcome or establish retinyl palmitate specific safety.

Does the advice change in the second or third trimester?

The recommendation to avoid routine cosmetic topical retinoids applies during pregnancy, not only the first trimester. The available evidence does not establish a later trimester exception for retinyl palmitate.

Does this warning mean retinyl palmitate in a prenatal vitamin is unsafe?

This skincare conclusion does not establish the safety of a prenatal vitamin. The oral medicines discussed in the evidence, such as isotretinoin, are not interchangeable with nutritional retinyl palmitate, and the evidence here does not establish a nutritional dose limit.

What about retinyl palmitate in Bio Oil?

Some listed Bio Oil skincare oils contain retinyl palmitate. Check your exact formula: when it contains this ingredient, the recommendation to avoid routine cosmetic topical retinoid use applies. A brand name alone does not establish the safety of the complete product.

Does the recommendation also apply when trying to conceive?

Yes. EMA and teratology guidance recommend avoiding topical retinoids when planning pregnancy as well as during pregnancy. The evidence here does not specify a waiting period for cosmetic retinyl palmitate.

How Do We Score Products for Pregnancy Safety?

We analyze each product's ingredients and category to flag known risks and provide cautionary notices for general category safety concerns.

Sources

  1. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=993a5325-cd10-4450-b5ea-1c0a90510df6
  2. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9f1c8971-c6dc-4708-848b-5cee50b6c32a
  3. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=34d79c31-1568-4797-a4f5-31200c7788db
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26215715/
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36447117/