01 / ABOUTHow to read this guide.
This guide lists ingredients that come up often while nursing. For each one, we say what it is, how it shows up on a label, and what official sources say about it. We score ingredients, not products.
This is not medical advice. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
Many entries quote LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database. It is a reference database published by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is not a regulator. Where a regulator has a rule, we name it and link it.
02 / SKINCARESkincare ingredients to ask about.
Retinoids: tretinoin, adapalene, retinol, retinyl palmitate
Retinol, retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate are “collectively known as vitamin A”, says EU Regulation 2024/996. Cosmetics use them as skin-conditioning agents. Tretinoin (retinoic acid) and adapalene are related compounds. On a cosmetic label, look for the INCI names Retinol, Retinyl Acetate and Retinyl Palmitate.
The NIH’s LactMed database says “Tretinoin has not been studied during breastfeeding.” For skin use, it says: “Because it is poorly absorbed after topical application, it is considered a low risk to the nursing infant.” It also says not to apply tretinoin to the nipple and areola, and to make sure the baby’s skin does not touch treated areas.
For adapalene, LactMed says “Topical adapalene has not been studied during breastfeeding.” It says absorption should be kept low by applying it “to the smallest possible surface area of the body for the shortest time possible”, away from the nipple area.
We did not find a LactMed entry for retinol in skincare. LactMed’s Vitamin A entry covers diet and supplements. It says “Vitamin A (retinol) and provitamin A carotenoids are normal components of human milk.”
What regulators say:
- Health Canada lists retinoic acid (tretinoin) as a prohibited ingredient on its Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. Retinol and its esters are restricted to 0.2% retinol equivalents in leave-on products for the full body, and 1.0% in other cosmetics.
- The EU limits retinol, retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate in cosmetics under Regulation 2024/996: 0.05% retinol equivalent in body lotion and 0.3% in other products. The label must say “Contains Vitamin A. Consider your daily intake before use.”
Hydroquinone
Hydroquinone is used in skin-lightening products. On a label it appears as Hydroquinone.
The NIH’s LactMed database says “Topical hydroquinone has not been studied during breastfeeding.” It notes that “some experts feel that long-term use of hydroquinone should not be used in nursing mothers.” If it is used, LactMed says to make sure the baby’s skin does not touch treated skin and the baby does not swallow the product from the mother’s skin.
What regulators say:
- Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist allows hydroquinone in cosmetics only in hair dyes, nail products, and adhesives for eyelash and eyebrow extensions.
- The US FDA says there are “no FDA-approved or otherwise legally marketed OTC skin lightening products.” It says over-the-counter skin lighteners with hydroquinone are “deemed to be new drugs and are misbranded.”
Salicylic acid
Salicylic acid is used in acne products. On a label it appears as Salicylic Acid.
The NIH’s LactMed database says “No information is available on the clinical use of salicylic acid on the skin during breastfeeding.” It says salicylic acid is “unlikely to be appreciably absorbed or appear in breastmilk.” It says not to apply it where the baby’s skin may touch, or where the baby could lick it.
What regulators say:
- Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist limits salicylic acid in cosmetics to 2%.
- The US FDA’s rules for over-the-counter acne products allow salicylic acid at 0.5 to 2 percent (21 CFR 333.310).
Benzoyl peroxide
Benzoyl peroxide is an acne treatment. On a label it appears as Benzoyl Peroxide.
The NIH’s LactMed database says “Topical benzoyl peroxide has not been studied during breastfeeding.” It says: “Because only about 5% is absorbed following topical application, it is considered a low risk to the nursing infant.” It says to keep the baby’s skin from touching treated areas. It also says only water-miscible creams or gels should go on the breast, because ointments may expose the baby to mineral paraffins through licking.
What regulators say:
- Health Canada’s Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist allows benzoyl peroxide in cosmetics only in nail products for professional use.
- The US FDA’s rules for over-the-counter acne products allow benzoyl peroxide at 2.5 to 10 percent (21 CFR 333.310).
Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is a UV filter used in sunscreens. On a cosmetic label it appears as Benzophenone-3, its INCI name in EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 (Annex VI). US drug labels call it oxybenzone.
The NIH’s LactMed entry on sunscreens says “Most organic chemical sunscreens are detectable in breastmilk, but the amounts that an infant would ingest are usually lower than current limits of concern.” It also says: “Products containing octinoxate, enzacamene, and especially oxybenzone should probably be avoided during breastfeeding because of their possible endocrine-disrupting effects.”
03 / NOT ON THE LABELNot label ingredients: alcohol, caffeine and fish.
These are not ingredients we score on a product label. Official bodies give advice on them for people who are breastfeeding, so we include what they say.
Alcohol
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s postpartum guide says not drinking alcohol “is the safest approach, and it is especially important when your baby is very young.” For an occasional drink, it says: “Breastfeed or express your milk before you have a drink, then wait at least 2 hours per drink before breastfeeding again.”
The NIH’s LactMed database says “Breastmilk alcohol levels closely parallel blood alcohol levels.” It also says: “With casual alcohol use (such as 1 glass of wine or beer) it is best to wait 2 to 2.5 hours per drink before nursing.”
Caffeine
Health Canada’s caffeine page sets a recommended maximum daily intake of 300 mg for people who are breastfeeding.
The NIH’s LactMed database says “Caffeine appears in breastmilk rapidly after maternal ingestion.” It also says “Insufficient high-quality data are available to make good evidence-based recommendations on safe maternal caffeine consumption.” It notes that preterm and younger newborn babies process caffeine very slowly.
High-mercury fish
Health Canada’s mercury in fish Q&A says breastfeeding mothers can eat up to 150 g per month of fresh or frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, escolar, marlin and orange roughy combined. For canned albacore (white) tuna, the limit is up to 300 g a week. The advice does not apply to light tuna.
The same page says mercury levels in breast milk are low, and that nursing mothers should follow Health Canada’s fish advice.
04 / SUCRALOSESucralose.
The NIH’s LactMed database says the sweetener sucralose “has been found in the breastmilk of some nursing mothers” who reported drinking artificially sweetened drinks or using sweetener packets in the past 24 hours. It says sucralose is “not likely to cause immediate adverse effects in breastfed infants or result in a sucralose intake greater than the acceptable daily intake.” It adds that some authors suggest limiting sweeteners like it while breastfeeding, because their effect on nursing babies is unknown.
05 / SOURCESSources.
- NIH LactMed: Tretinoin
- NIH LactMed: Adapalene
- NIH LactMed: Vitamin A
- NIH LactMed: Hydroquinone
- NIH LactMed: Salicylic Acid
- NIH LactMed: Benzoyl Peroxide
- NIH LactMed: Sunscreens
- NIH LactMed: Alcohol
- NIH LactMed: Caffeine
- NIH LactMed: Sucralose
- Health Canada: Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist (retinoic acid, retinol and its esters, hydroquinone, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide)
- Health Canada: Caffeine in foods
- Health Canada: Mercury in fish, questions and answers
- Public Health Agency of Canada: Your guide to postpartum health and caring for your baby
- US FDA: FDA works to protect consumers from potentially harmful OTC skin lightening products
- US eCFR: 21 CFR 333.310, acne active ingredients
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/996 (retinol, retinyl acetate, retinyl palmitate)
- Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex VI (Benzophenone-3)
