Can You Use Bath Bombs During Pregnancy?

 Abby McCoy Profile Photo
By Abby McCoy | Updated on Dec 8, 2023
Image for article Can You Use Bath Bombs During Pregnancy?

Bath bombs are generally safe to use during pregnancy, but they may cause irritation or mild infections.

A luxurious soak with a fizzing bath bomb may sound like just the ticket after a long day of being pregnant. During pregnancy, bath bombs won’t affect your baby, but you may notice skin irritation 1 and even yeast infections after you use them. 

Pregnancy causes skin changes 2 and can make already-existing skin problems a little worse for a while. Bath bomb ingredients 3 like citric acid, baking soda and Epsom salts can flare up these skin issues even more. When pregnant, you’re also at a higher risk for yeast infection 4 , and the soaps and oils in bath bombs could contribute to getting one. Not everyone experiences these symptoms, though, so check with your healthcare provider and, if they give the okay, try it out. 

Keep in mind before a nice warm bath that your baby doesn’t like it too hot. As long as your core body temperature stays below 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit 5 , you can relax and enjoy.

Pregnant woman holding her stomach on a bed with a plant in the background

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Expectful uses only high-quality sources, including academic research institutions, medical associations, and subject matter experts.

  1. Susan Massick"Are bath bombs good for skin? The dermatologist verdict"https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/bath-bombs-yay-or-nay-a-dermatologist-weighs-in.

  2. MARC TUNZI, M.D., AND GARY R. GRAY, D.O."Common Skin Conditions During Pregnancy"Jan 15, 2023https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2007/0115/p211.html#.

  3. "Sizzle and Fizzle of Bath Bombs: An Inexpensive and Accessible Kinetics Experiment"J. Chem. Educ., vol. 96, no. 6, pp. 1629–1632https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01110.

  4. Ranjana M. S. Gigi, Diana Buitrago-Garcia, Katayoun Taghavi, Cara-Mia Dunaiski, Janneke H. H. M. van de Wijgert, Remco P. H. Peters & Nicola Low "Vulvovaginal yeast infections during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis"BMC Women's Health, vol. 116Mar 21, 2023https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-023-02258-7.

  5. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health"Heat – Reproductive Health"May 1, 2023https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/heat.html.


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Abby McCoy
Updated on Dec 8, 2023

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Can You Use Bath Bombs During Pregnancy?

 Abby McCoy Profile Photo
By Abby McCoy | Updated on Dec 8, 2023
Image for article Can You Use Bath Bombs During Pregnancy?

Bath bombs are generally safe to use during pregnancy, but they may cause irritation or mild infections.

A luxurious soak with a fizzing bath bomb may sound like just the ticket after a long day of being pregnant. During pregnancy, bath bombs won’t affect your baby, but you may notice skin irritation 1 and even yeast infections after you use them. 

Pregnancy causes skin changes 2 and can make already-existing skin problems a little worse for a while. Bath bomb ingredients 3 like citric acid, baking soda and Epsom salts can flare up these skin issues even more. When pregnant, you’re also at a higher risk for yeast infection 4 , and the soaps and oils in bath bombs could contribute to getting one. Not everyone experiences these symptoms, though, so check with your healthcare provider and, if they give the okay, try it out. 

Keep in mind before a nice warm bath that your baby doesn’t like it too hot. As long as your core body temperature stays below 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit 5 , you can relax and enjoy.

Pregnant woman holding her stomach on a bed with a plant in the background

Want evidence-based health & wellness advice for fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum delivered to your inbox?

Your privacy is important to us. By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Expectful uses only high-quality sources, including academic research institutions, medical associations, and subject matter experts.

  1. Susan Massick"Are bath bombs good for skin? The dermatologist verdict"https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/bath-bombs-yay-or-nay-a-dermatologist-weighs-in.

  2. MARC TUNZI, M.D., AND GARY R. GRAY, D.O."Common Skin Conditions During Pregnancy"Jan 15, 2023https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2007/0115/p211.html#.

  3. "Sizzle and Fizzle of Bath Bombs: An Inexpensive and Accessible Kinetics Experiment"J. Chem. Educ., vol. 96, no. 6, pp. 1629–1632https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b01110.

  4. Ranjana M. S. Gigi, Diana Buitrago-Garcia, Katayoun Taghavi, Cara-Mia Dunaiski, Janneke H. H. M. van de Wijgert, Remco P. H. Peters & Nicola Low "Vulvovaginal yeast infections during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis"BMC Women's Health, vol. 116Mar 21, 2023https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-023-02258-7.

  5. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health"Heat – Reproductive Health"May 1, 2023https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/repro/heat.html.


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