Aloe vera when pregnant: what's safe and what helps

Aloe is one of the few skincare ingredients that comes with a genuine pregnancy warning attached and almost none of it applies to the aloe in your bathroom cabinet. The confusion comes down to two different parts of the same leaf. If you want the wider picture first, start with skincare ingredients to avoid during pregnancy.

Is aloe vera safe to use when pregnant?

Aloe vera applied to the skin is considered appropriate to use throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding. The caution you may have read about attaches to aloe taken orally, not aloe in a serum, gel or cleanser.¹

Skincare in pregnancy rests on a simple principle. Ingredients applied to the skin act mostly where they land and reach the bloodstream, which is why a list of ingredients to set aside exists.²

Aloe is not on that list. It appears in leave-on and rinse-off products used by pregnant women every day and pregnancy medicines services do not flag it for caution.

What makes aloe unusual is that the same plant is also sold as a drink and as a laxative. That is where the warnings come from.

Why you may have read that aloe is unsafe in pregnancy

The pregnancy warnings you will find online refer to aloe taken orally, which comes from a different layer of the leaf than the aloe used in skincare.

What is the difference between aloe gel and aloe latex?

Aloe gel and aloe latex come from separate layers of the same leaf and behave very differently in the body. An aloe leaf has three layers, and only one of them raises a question in pregnancy.

The inner clear gel is about 99% water. The remainder is made up of sugars, amino acids, lipids, sterols and vitamins.¹

Between that gel and the tough outer rind sits a thin layer of bitter yellow sap called latex. The latex carries compounds known as anthraquinones, including aloin.¹

Anthraquinones are potent laxatives. They draw water into the bowel, increase mucus secretion and stimulate the contractions that move everything along.¹

Skincare uses the inner gel, which appears on an ingredient list as Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice. Purified gel of that kind is processed to remove the latex, so the part of the plant carrying the caution is not the part sitting in your serum.

Can you drink aloe vera juice when pregnant?

Oral aloe is not recommended during pregnancy. The concern is theoretical rather than demonstrated, but it is the reason the caution exists.¹

Anthraquinones stimulate contraction of smooth muscle in the bowel, and there is a theoretical concern about uterine contractions alongside it. Aloe taken by mouth can also cause abdominal cramps, diarrhoea and low potassium. While breastfeeding, it has been reported to cause digestive upset in the baby.¹

Herbal products are not gentle by default simply because they come from a plant.

In a multinational study of nearly 2,700 pregnant women who used herbal medicines, 27 of the 126 products identified were classified as contraindicated in pregnancy, and 1 in 5 of those women had taken one.³

If you are drinking aloe juice or taking it as a supplement, raise it with your midwife or GP. Aloe in skincare is a separate question with a different answer.

What aloe vera does for your skin in pregnancy

Aloe is a hydrating, calming ingredient with real evidence behind it.

Does aloe vera help with dry skin in pregnancy?

Aloe vera raises the water content of the skin's surface layer, which makes it useful for dryness without making it a replacement for a barrier moisturiser.

In a controlled study using skin measurement instruments, creams containing freeze-dried aloe extract increased the water content of the outer skin layer compared with the same formula without it. After two weeks of daily use, every concentration tested produced the effect.⁴

The same study measured how quickly moisture escaped through the skin surface and found no change at all.⁴

That tells you something useful about how aloe behaves. It draws water into the surface, much as hyaluronic acid during pregnancy does, rather than reinforcing the barrier that holds water there.

Dryness in pregnancy usually involves both. Pairing aloe with ceramides and squalane in a moisturiser during pregnancy covers the second half.

Can aloe vera soothe irritated skin in pregnancy?

Aloe can calm mild irritation.

A systematic review of aloe for burn wound healing reported shorter healing times.⁵

And a meta-analysis of 23 trials found no significant effect on pain scores, although psoriasis severity improved with aloe gel in two of the studies.⁶˒⁷

So this is an ingredient with a mild calming effect. In pregnancy skincare that is often exactly what you want. Aloe earns its place in the comforting base of a formula, but using it alone won't do the heavy work.

When itchy skin in pregnancy needs more than a soothing gel

Persistent itching without a rash should be checked by your midwife or doctor rather than treated with a gel.

Most itching in pregnancy comes from dry, stretching skin and settles with consistent moisturising.

There is one pattern worth knowing. Itching without a rash, often worst on the palms and soles and at night, can indicate intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. It affects roughly 6 or 7 in every 1,000 Australian pregnancies.⁸

It is identified with a blood test measuring bile acids and is well managed once diagnosed.⁸

This is not a reason to worry about every itch. It's a reason to mention itching at your next appointment rather than reaching for a soothing gel and leaving it at that.

How to use aloe vera during pregnancy

Use aloe as part of a formulated product rather than as a standalone gel, and always patch test the first time.

Reactions to aloe are uncommon, and where they happen they are usually traced to the anthraquinones rather than the gel itself. Apply a small amount to one area and wait a day before using it more widely.

Pregnancy skin is often more reactive than usual, so read the rest of the label as closely as the aloe. Many products sold as pure aloe gel also contain alcohol and fragrance, which are the more likely source of any stinging.

One practical note. Aloe applied to the skin can increase how much a steroid cream such as hydrocortisone is absorbed.¹ If you have been prescribed one, ask your doctor before layering the two.

nātelle uses Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice in the bakuchiol serum during pregnancy, alongside centella asiatica and sodium hyaluronate, to boost comfort while the other ingredients do the work.

This article is intended as general educational information and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or dermatologist before making changes to your skincare routine during pregnancy.