If glycolic acid is part of your routine, you do not automatically need to stop because you are pregnant. Low-strength glycolic acid is considered low risk, and the real answer depends on how strong your product is and how you use it. This article grades that evidence honestly. For the ingredients that genuinely do need to go, see our guide to skincare ingredients to avoid during pregnancy.
Is glycolic acid safe for pregnancy?
Low-concentration glycolic acid, the kind found in over-the-counter cleansers, toners and serums, is widely considered low risk during pregnancy.¹⁻³ MotherSafe, the NSW Health medications-in-pregnancy service, includes alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid among the skincare ingredients regarded as suitable while pregnant.¹
The conflicting advice you find online mostly traces back to animal studies that used high oral doses, far beyond anything a skincare product applied to skin could deliver.² Topical skincare acts locally, and only minimal amounts of glycolic acid reach the bloodstream through the skin.²
Current dermatology guidance reflects this, placing low-strength glycolic acid among the ingredients considered appropriate while pregnant, in contrast to retinoids and hydroquinone, which are excluded.³
So the short answer is reassuring. The longer answer, covered next, is about strength, contact time and how much skin you are covering.
What the evidence says
The glycolic acid question is really three questions, one for each way you might be using it.
Why is glycolic acid considered low risk on the skin?
Glycolic acid works in the top layers of the skin, loosening the bonds between dead surface cells so they shed more easily, and very little of it gets past those layers.²˒⁴
An expert safety panel that reviewed the ingredient concluded glycolic acid is safe in consumer products at concentrations of 10% or less, at a skin-appropriate acidity.⁵ Most over-the-counter products sit comfortably inside that range.
One caveat in that review is worth knowing: glycolic acid can make skin more sensitive to sun exposure.⁵ Daily sunscreen matters more than usual while you are using it, and pregnancy skin is already more prone to pigmentation triggered by sunlight.
Pregnancy can also make skin more reactive in general, so if your usual product suddenly stings, that is your skin renegotiating, not a safety signal.
What about glycolic acid peels during pregnancy?
Professional glycolic acid peels are regarded as one of the safer peel options during pregnancy, although the data behind that position is limited.⁴
A systematic review of cosmetic procedures in pregnancy deemed glycolic peels relatively safe because even at in-clinic strengths of 30 to 70%, the acid shows limited penetration beyond the surface layers of skin.⁴ The same review advises caution with salicylic acid and trichloroacetic acid peels, which absorb more readily.⁴
There are no controlled trials of cosmetic peels in pregnant women, and many practitioners prefer to defer strong peels until after birth for that reason.⁴ If a peel matters to you now, raise it with your dermatologist and let them tailor the strength.
Do you need to stop using your glycolic acid product?
If you are using an over-the-counter glycolic acid product at 10% or less on your face, the evidence does not point to a need to stop.¹⁻³˒⁵
Think of exposure as three dials: how strong the product is, how long it stays on your skin and how much skin it covers. A rinse-off cleanser used on the face sits at the lowest setting on all three. A leave-on facial serum within the consumer range is still low. High-strength at-home peels, or daily application over large areas of the body, is where the reasonable-caution conversation starts, and where MotherSafe or your doctor is the right next call.¹
The evidence here is reassuring rather than extensive. If you would simply feel calmer switching to a gentler acid for these nine months, that is a legitimate choice too, not an overreaction.
The gentler acid we formulate with instead
We formulate with mandelic acid and gluconolactone rather than glycolic acid, because pregnancy skin deserves exfoliation with the widest possible comfort margin.
Mandelic acid molecules are larger than glycolic acid's, so they enter the skin more slowly and cause less irritation. In clinical studies of melasma, mandelic acid combinations matched glycolic acid peels for results and were better tolerated.⁶ Gluconolactone, a polyhydroxy acid, measurably reduced oil while supporting the skin's moisture barrier in clinical testing.⁷
Both work together in our gentle cleanser for pregnancy, giving skin its surface renewal in rinse-off form, the lowest-exposure format there is. If you are rebuilding your routine around gentler actives, our guide to niacinamide during pregnancy covers the ingredient we pair with them most often.
References
- MotherSafe, Royal Hospital for Women, NSW Health. Skin care, hair care and cosmetic treatments in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Updated April 2021.
- Bozzo P, Chua-Gocheco A, Einarson A. Safety of skin care products during pregnancy. Can Fam Physician. 2011;57(6):665–7.
- McMullan P, Yaghi M, Truong TM, et al. Safety of dermatologic medications in pregnancy and lactation: an update - Part I: pregnancy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024;91(4):619–48. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2023.10.072.
- Trivedi MK, Kroumpouzos G, Murase JE. A review of the safety of cosmetic procedures during pregnancy and lactation. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2017;3(1):6–10. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2017.01.005.
- Andersen FA. Final report on the safety assessment of glycolic acid, ammonium, calcium, potassium, and sodium glycolates, methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl glycolates, and lactic acid, ammonium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and TEA-lactates, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and butyl lactates, and lauryl, myristyl, and cetyl lactates. Int J Toxicol. 1998;17(1 Suppl):1–241. doi:10.1177/109158189801700101.
- Sarkar R, Garg V, Bansal S, et al. Comparative evaluation of efficacy and tolerability of glycolic acid, salicylic mandelic acid, and phytic acid combination peels in melasma. Dermatol Surg. 2016;42(3):384–91. doi:10.1097/DSS.0000000000000642.
- Jarzabek-Perz S, Dziedzic M, Rotsztejn H, et al. Evaluation of the effects of 10% and 30% gluconolactone chemical peel on sebum, pH, and TEWL. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2023;22:3305–12. doi:10.1111/jocd.15864.
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.
