Should I Avoid dimethyl lauramine During Pregnancy? | VeriMom

What to use instead

Pregnancy-safe ingredients that serve a similar function:

Pregnancy-safe products to use instead

Products built around the safer ingredients above, scored "no known risks" or "low risk".

Mew mew tweet

100

Mew mew tweet Cedar Spruce Baking Soda Free

Avero

100

Avero Solid Deodorant

Unknown

100

schmidts here now

Sustain Yourself

100

Sustain Yourself Natural Deodorant

L'Occitane

100

L´Occitane Powder To-mousse Facial Exfoliator

Bitamin

100

Bitamin Natural Deodorant N'orange

Dr Teals's

99

Dr Teals's Aluminum Free Deodorant Charcoal

900care

99

Déodorant stick parfum embruns

HappySoaps

99

Happysoaps Neutraal

bareMinerals

99

Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Pregnancy-Safe Alternatives to dimethyl lauramine | VeriMom

Ingredients — Pregnancy-Safe Ingredients Database — 28,000+ Ingredients Rated

See also

• Is dimethyl lauramine safe during pregnancy?
• Is dimethyl lauramine safe for babies?
• What are pregnancy-safe alternatives to dimethyl lauramine?

FAQ

Is dimethyl lauramine safe during pregnancy?

EU Cosmetic Regulation (COSING / Annex III) restricts dimethyl lauramine (N,N‑dimethyldodecylamine, CAS 112‑18‑5) in cosmetic products (maximum 2.5% in leave‑on products and strict purity/secondary‑amine/nitrosamine limits), which creates a regulatory reproductive/contamination concern (nitrosation risk). No clear harmonised CLH (Annex VI) Category 1 CMR (H360/H350/H340) was found; no robust reproductive/developmental animal studies locating direct teratogenicity or fertility effects were located in PubMed or primary dossiers. Therefore hazard is scored as a regulatory/class‑based concern (h=1). Sources: COSING / Annex III restriction, ECHA substance pages, OECD SIDS, PubChem.

Is dimethyl lauramine safe while breastfeeding?

Same basis as pregnancy: regulatory restriction (Annex III) and nitrosamine/impurity concerns drive conservative flagging. No data located showing transfer into breastmilk or specific lactation/developmental toxicity; mechanism concern is theoretical (nitrosamine formation from amine impurities). Exposure from topical cosmetic use is low but measurable. Sources: COSING (Annex III restriction), ECHA/CHEM listings, PubChem.

Is dimethyl lauramine safe for baby skin?

Hazard and mechanism same as for adults (regulatory restriction due to nitrosation risk and impurity control) so h and m remain 1. Exposure is increased for infants because skin barrier immaturity and higher surface‑area‑to‑weight markedly increase potential systemic uptake for substances with measurable dermal absorption (here estimated as low→adult e=1, increased by +1 for infant skin → e=2). No infant‑specific reproductive or developmental toxicity studies were found. Sources: EU Annex III/COSING restrictions and ingredient listings (supporting exposure/purity limits) and ECHA registration/dossier listings.

How does VeriMom score dimethyl lauramine?

VeriMom scores dimethyl lauramine at 27/100 (high risk) based on EU CosIng status, ECHA hazard classifications, and peer-reviewed PubMed studies. Our scoring pipeline is fully transparent.

What are pregnancy-safe alternatives to dimethyl lauramine?

See our curated list of pregnancy-safe alternatives to dimethyl lauramine based on similar function and a no-known-risks safety band.