A Lower-Tox Guide to Pregnancy

Simple swaps for your beauty routine, home + everyday life

Pregnancy has a funny way of making you question everything. Can I eat this? Can I use this? What's actually in my face cream? Why have I never looked at the ingredients in my laundry detergent before? It can become overwhelming quickly.

The goal here isn't to make you afraid of everything in your home—or convince you to throw away your entire bathroom cabinet the second you see two pink lines. Think of this instead as a starting point.

If you're pregnant, trying to conceive, or simply interested in being a little more intentional about the products you use every day, there are some relatively easy swaps you can make along the way.

And you certainly don't have to do them all at once.

A little note: This guide is based on personal experience and is intended for informational purposes only—not as medical advice. Every person, pregnancy, baby, and family is different. Please talk with your doctor, OB/GYN, pediatrician, or other qualified healthcare provider about any questions or decisions related to your health or your child's health.

A Note: At Pour Les Mères, every product we recommend is something we genuinely love, use, or would confidently suggest to a friend. Some links throughout this article are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through them—at no additional cost to you.

First, What Does “Lower-Tox” Actually Mean?

You'll notice we're calling this a lower-tox guide, not a non-toxic guide. That's intentional.

“Non-toxic” can imply that something is completely free of risk, and that's not a promise we want to make. Instead, I like to think about reducing unnecessary exposures where it's practical to do so. This isn't about perfection. It's about making better choices when and where we can—and figuring out which swaps make the most sense for your own family.

If You Only Change Five Things, Start Here

You absolutely do not need to order an entirely new life overnight. I'd start with the things you use constantly:

01. Simplify the personal-care products you use every day.

02. Swap heavily fragranced laundry and cleaning products for fragrance-free alternatives when possible.

03. Stop heating food in plastic.

04. Start reaching for glass or stainless steel for food storage and water bottles when practical.

05. Replace products as they run out instead of overhauling everything at once.

PERSONAL CARE

Your bathroom is an easy place to start because these are the products you're using directly on your body, often every single day.

Rather than replacing everything at once, look at your routine in categories.

Skincare

Pregnancy is a good excuse to simplify. Think:

• gentle cleanser

• hydrating serum

• simple moisturizer

• mineral sunscreen

• lip balm

• body moisturizer or oil

Makeup

You don't necessarily need an entirely new makeup bag either. Start with what you actually use every day:

• skin tint/foundation

• concealer

• mascara

• cream blush

• bronzer

• lip balm or lip color

I've included some of our favorite more ingredient-conscious beauty brands in the edit, including ILIA, Saie, RMS, Kosas and Westman Atelier.

Sunscreen

This is one category worth taking a closer look at during pregnancy.

We've focused primarily on mineral SPF, including options for your face, body and on-the-go.

Hair + Body

These are especially easy to replace one by one as you run out:

• shampoo

• conditioner

• body wash

• deodorant

• hand soap

• body lotion

• belly oil

• body oil

Fragrance-free versions are an easy place to start if reducing fragrance is one of your goals.

Fragrance

I'm not going to tell you that you have to give up every beautiful-smelling thing you own.

You may decide to go fragrance-free during pregnancy. You may simply wear perfume less frequently. Or you might decide to be more selective about the fragrances you purchase.

I've included a few options in our edit rather than labeling any fragrance completely “non-toxic.”

That's the theme here: informed choices rather than absolutes.

Nails

Another category that can easily be forgotten. We've included more ingredient-conscious nail products for the days when you still just want your toes painted.

The Personal Care Edit - SHOP HERE

Skincare, makeup, mineral SPF, haircare, body care, deodorant, fragrance + nails — all in one place.

THE HOME

This is the part I think gets overlooked. We spend so much time researching our face cream while we're also washing our clothes, dishes, countertops and floors with products we're exposed to over and over again.

And the home category goes beyond cleaning products. Think about the things you're washing with, drinking from, cooking in and storing food in every day.

Laundry

Start with the basics:

• fragrance-free laundry detergent

• stain remover

• oxygen bleach, when needed

• wool dryer balls

This is one of those swaps I particularly like because once you find something that works, you don't really have to think about it again.

Cleaning

You really don't need a different spray for every square foot of your house. A simplified cleaning cabinet might include:

• all-purpose cleaner

• glass cleaner

• bathroom cleaner

• floor cleaner

• cleaning concentrate

• microfiber or reusable cleaning cloths

Dishes

Another very easy category:

• dishwasher tablets or powder

• fragrance-free dish soap

• dish brush

• bottle brush

Simple.

Water Bottles + Everyday Drinkware

If you're replacing something anyway, I tend to gravitate toward:

• stainless-steel water bottles

• glass water bottles

• stainless kids' cups

• glass or stainless travel mugs

You don't need to panic every time you drink out of plastic. One practical habit is simply avoiding heating food or drinks in plastic.

Food Storage

This is another category where you can slowly swap things over:

• glass food-storage containers

• glass jars

• silicone storage bags

• stainless lunch containers

• glass baking dishes

No need to ceremoniously throw away the 47 mismatched plastic containers in your cabinet tonight.

Just start replacing them as you need to.

Cookware

If you're already in the market for new cookware, you might also look more closely at what you're cooking with.

Some options to consider include:

• stainless steel

• cast iron

• glass bakeware

• certain ceramic cookware

• wooden or stainless cooking utensils

This is also a category where I would prioritize buying fewer, better pieces rather than replacing an entire cookware set just because you're pregnant.

A Few Other Things Worth Thinking About

Once you've tackled the things you use most frequently, you might also look at:

• candles + home fragrance

• air fresheners

• pest-control products

• water filtration

• plastic food storage

• heavily fragranced household products

Again, none of this needs to happen overnight.

The Home Edit - SHOP HERE

Cleaning, laundry, dishes, water bottles, food storage, cookware + the everyday things we use around the house.

Don't Let “Doing Better” Become Another Job

This may be the most important part of this entire guide. Pregnancy already comes with an endless list of things you're suddenly supposed to know. What to eat. What not to eat. What supplements to take. Which stroller to buy. How you're going to give birth. What goes in the hospital bag. What your baby actually needs.

You don't need “make my entire life non-toxic” added to that list. Start small.

• Use up the shampoo you already bought.

• Replace your laundry detergent the next time you're out.

• Get a stainless-steel water bottle you'll actually carry.

• Move leftovers into glass before reheating them.

• Choose a simpler moisturizer when your current one is empty.

One thoughtful change becomes another, and eventually your routine and home look a little different without ever requiring a complete overhaul.

That's the kind of lower-tox living we're interested in at Pour Les Mères.

Not perfect. Just more intentional.

[THE PERSONAL CARE EDIT →]Skincare, makeup, SPF, hair, body, deodorant, fragrance + nails.

[THE HOME EDIT →] Cleaning, laundry, dishes, kitchen, water bottles, food storage + cookware.

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