Can personal care products during pregnancy slow your baby's growth?

What's actually in it

Shampoo, lotion, makeup, and soap contain chemicals like phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and UV filters. These get absorbed through your skin and enter your bloodstream. During pregnancy, they cross the placenta and reach your developing baby.

Most people use 10 or more personal care products daily. Each one adds a small dose, but the combined exposure adds up fast. Pregnant women absorb these chemicals just like everyone else, but their baby has no way to break them down efficiently.

What the research says

A 2026 systematic evidence map in Environ Int reviewed dozens of studies on personal care product exposure during pregnancy and fetal growth. The researchers combed through evidence on phthalates, parabens, phenols, and other chemicals commonly found in these products.

The findings were consistent: several chemicals showed links to lower birth weight, shorter birth length, and smaller head circumference. Phthalates were the most frequently studied, and the evidence connecting them to reduced growth was the strongest.

Parabens and triclosan also showed worrying patterns. Babies born to mothers with higher levels of these chemicals tended to be smaller than expected for their gestational age.

The researchers noted that most people are exposed to many of these chemicals at once, not just one at a time. The combined effect of multiple endocrine disruptors during pregnancy could be bigger than any single chemical alone.