Essential Oils During Pregnancy: Understanding Their Place in Personal Care

Essential oils often sit at the centre of conversations about pregnancy and personal care.

Some people prefer to avoid them entirely. Others enjoy the sensory experience they bring to an everyday routine. The conversation can quickly become simplified into ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’, when in reality formulation decisions require more context.

At Matera, we use small, carefully considered amounts of lavender and neroli essential oils in our current formulas.

Why include them at all?

Because we believe personal care is not only functional. The way a product feels, smells and fits into a quiet everyday ritual can matter too.

Lavender and neroli are used to bring a subtle, comforting sensory dimension to the experience of using Matera. They are not the reason the products exist, and we do not treat them as the primary efficacy story.

The formula comes first. The sensory experience complements it.

When considering an essential oil, the name of the oil is only one part of the picture. Formulators also need to consider how much is used, what type of product it is used in, how the product is applied, the complete finished formula and potential individual sensitivities.

Fragrance-industry safety standards, including IFRA Standards, set restrictions and specifications for fragrance materials based on scientific safety assessment. Conformity with those standards is part of fragrance safety management, although it does not replace a complete finished-product safety assessment.

Matera develops its products with pregnancy and postpartum in mind and treats essential oils as part of the complete formulation rather than as an isolated marketing ingredient.

We also believe transparency matters.

Lavender Oil and Citrus Aurantium Flower Oil – neroli – appear clearly in our complete ingredient lists. We do not hide them behind a general ‘natural fragrance’ description.

If you know that your skin is sensitive to essential oils or fragrance components, review the full ingredient list before use.

Individual skin responses can differ, including during pregnancy.

For us, thoughtful formulation is not about pretending every ingredient is right for every person.

It is about knowing why an ingredient is there, using it deliberately, and giving mothers clear information about what they are choosing.