Trying to Conceive
Skincare ingredients to avoid when trying to conceive
Trying to conceive is the profile that covers the gap between a pregnancy starting and anybody knowing about it. 673 ingredients carry a flag here, 203 of them marked avoid, and much of the list is the pregnancy list moved a few weeks earlier.
Flagged means avoid, high risk or medium risk. Many of these flags are precautionary by design rather than by accident: the whole point of the profile is to keep something off your skin during the fortnight where a pregnancy exists and no test would show it yet. Every ingredient below has its own page with the level, the evidence behind it and the safer options the catalogue names. The full index is at all ingredients, A to Z.
Flagged
673
Ingredients carrying avoid, high risk or medium risk for trying to conceive.
Not Recommended
203
Avoid and high risk together. Use something else while this profile applies.
Caution Advised
470
Medium risk. Worth reading the assessment before the product goes in the basket.
Catalogue read 15 September 2026. Every figure on this page comes out of that snapshot.
Not Recommended
203 of the 673 ingredients flagged for trying to conceive.
Avoid and high risk both land here, matching how the Truva app rates the same ingredients. The recommendation is to use something else for as long as this profile applies to you.
- Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Symphytum Officinale Leaf Extract
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - CI 26100
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Triclosan
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Sodium Borate
Fertility effects, Endocrine disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Tosylamide/Epoxy Resin
Fertility effects, Endocrine disruptor, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - CI 11680
Carcinogen concern, Genotoxicity concern
Avoid - Styrene
Fertility effects, Endocrine disruptor, Carcinogen concern
Avoid - Basic Brown 17
Carcinogen concern, Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Isopropyl Cloprostenate
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
Avoid - Basic Violet 2
Carcinogen concern, Fertility effects
Avoid - Phenol
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Formaldehyde
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Placental Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
Avoid - Acrylamide
Fertility effects, Carcinogen concern, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Asarum Sieboldii Root Extract
Fertility effects
Avoid - Convallaria Majalis Bulb/Root Extract
Absorbed into the body
Avoid - Methyl Alcohol
Fertility effects
Avoid - 1-Naphthol
Fertility effects, Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Acrylonitrile
Known teratogen, Carcinogen concern, Systemic toxicity concern
Avoid - Hydrolyzed Placental Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Tosylamide/Formaldehyde Resin
Known teratogen, Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Chlorine
Irritant
Avoid - Chloroacetamide
Absorbed into the body
Avoid - Convallaria Majalis Extract
Absorbed into the body
Avoid - Disperse Violet 1
Carcinogen concern, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Basic Orange 1
Carcinogen concern, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Triclocarban
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Oleyl Adapalenate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Nonoxynol-9
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Toluene
Known teratogen, Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Ammonium Vanadate
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - CI 14290
Carcinogen concern, Absorbed into the body
Avoid - Coal Tar
Absorbed into the body, Carcinogen concern, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Dimethylacrylamide
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Chelidonine
Absorbed into the body
Avoid - CI 11270
Carcinogen concern, Fertility effects
Avoid - Tazarotene
Known teratogen, Fetal development, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Basic Green 4
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Diethylene Glycol
Fertility effects
Avoid - Saussurea Lappa Root Extract
Fertility effects, Carcinogen concern, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - 5-Bromo-5-Nitro-1,3-Dioxane
Carcinogen concern, Absorbed into the body
Avoid - Saccharomyces/Podophyllum Peltatum Ferment Filtrate
Known teratogen, Fertility effects
Avoid - Artemisia Absinthium Oil
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Methyldibromo Glutaronitrile
Common allergen
Avoid - Nicotiana Tabacum Leaf Extract
Fertility effects, Implantation
Avoid - Sodium Chlorate
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Sodium Perborate
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Acorus Calamus Rhizome Extract
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Linoleamide DEA
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Mentha Pulegium Extract
Liver toxicity concern, Fertility effects, Uterine effects
Avoid - Mipa-Borate
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
Avoid - Phenacetin
Carcinogen concern, Fertility effects
Avoid - Tanacetum Vulgare Flower Oil
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Tripterygium Wilfordii Callus Extract
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
Avoid - Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
Endocrine disruptor, Hormone disruptor
High risk - Retinyl Palmitate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Retinol
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Benzophenone-4
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Benzophenone-3
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Cocamide DEA
Absorbed into the body, Fertility effects, Carcinogen concern
High risk - Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Common allergen
High risk - Camphor
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Retinal
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Polygonum Multiflorum Root Extract
Hormone disruptor, Absorbed into the body
High risk - Isobutylparaben
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Acorus Calamus Root Extract
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid
Builds up in tissue, Organ toxicity concern, Fertility effects
High risk - Symphytum Officinale Root Extract
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Retinyl Acetate
Known teratogen, Fetal development
High risk - Azadirachta Indica Seed Oil
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
High risk - Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract
Fertility effects
High risk - Vitex Agnus Castus Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
High risk - Perfluorodecalin
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Resorcinol
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Benzophenone-1
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Menadione
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Retinyl Propionate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - TBHQ
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Methyl Perfluoroisobutyl Ether
Builds up in tissue, Fertility effects
High risk - Colloidal Silver
Builds up in tissue, Absorbed into the body
High risk - Tretinoin
Known teratogen, Fetal development
High risk - Angelica Polymorpha Sinensis Root Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - P-Phenylenediamine
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Benzophenone-5
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
High risk - Cinnamomum Camphora Leaf Oil
Builds up in tissue
High risk - Tussilago Farfara Leaf Extract
Builds up in tissue
High risk - P-Aminophenol
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Hydroquinone
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Silver Oxide
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Placental Protein
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Stephania Tetrandra Root Extract
Alkaloid content
High risk - Retinyl Linoleate
Fetal development, Known teratogen
High risk - Perfluorohexane
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Phenyl Salicylate
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Gaultheria Procumbens Leaf Oil
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - 2-Methylresorcinol
Endocrine disruptor, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Ethylhexyl Dimethyl PABA
Endocrine disruptor, Absorbed into the body
High risk - Thymus Mastichina Flower Oil
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Symphytum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract
Liver toxicity concern
High risk - Pueraria Mirifica Root Extract
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Octoxynol-9
Hormone disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Benzophenone
Endocrine disruptor, Fertility effects
High risk - Basic Brown 16
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Sodium Retinoyl Hyaluronate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Lavandula Hybrida Grosso Herb Oil
Hormone disruptor, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Diethanolamine
Hormone disruptor, Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Larrea Divaricata Extract
Absorbed into the body
High risk - Psoralea Corylifolia Fruit Extract
Hormone disruptor, Increases sun sensitivity
High risk - Trisodium NTA
Carcinogen concern, Fertility effects
High risk - Glaucine
Absorbed into the body
High risk - Retinyl Retinoate
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Boric Acid
Absorbed into the body, Builds up in tissue, Fetal development
High risk - Adapalene
Known teratogen, Builds up in tissue
High risk - Tabebuia Impetiginosa Bark Extract
Fertility effects, Hormone disruptor
High risk - Xanthium Strumarium Fruit Extract
Fertility effects, Builds up in tissue
High risk
The same ingredient, answered four other ways.
An ingredient is not safe or unsafe on its own. It is safe or unsafe for a person at a point in their life, which is why the same name sits in one list and not in another.
The short way
Make the swap before the test, not after it.
Truva treats trying to conceive as its own profile, so you are not reading a pregnancy list and guessing which parts apply to you yet.
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