Nest ScanLook it up without scanning
Can I have brie? Is benzoyl peroxide okay? Type a food or ingredient and get the answer with its source.
Pregnancy ingredient checker
Check skincare and food labels in pregnancy. We'll read the fine print.
Scan the barcode or snap the ingredient list. Nest Scan shows what official pregnancy guidance says to avoid, limit or ask about, and links every flag to its source: NHS, ACOG or FDA.
Coming soon toApp StoreComing soon toGoogle Play
- Ratings from NHS, ACOG and FDA guidance
- AI reads labels, never rates them
- Your pregnancy details stay on your phone
Renew Night Cream
Not for nowNot for now.
1 ingredient isn't recommended in pregnancy, and 1 is worth asking about.
Not for nowRetinol
A form of vitamin A, in the same family as isotretinoin. ACOG: it is generally recommended that topical retinoids be avoided during pregnancy, including those in over-the-counter products.
Source: ACOGAsk firstLavender oil
Essential oils: no national guidance. Ask your midwife.
Source: NHS maternity servicesHow it works
Ten seconds in the aisle, not ten tabs.
Scan the barcode or the label
Barcode scans are free and unlimited. No barcode match? Photograph the ingredient list.
Check what we read
The phone reads the text itself first. Tap any ingredient to fix a misread before you see a result.
See what guidance says, and why
Every flag names the ingredient, explains the reason in plain words and links to the official source.
Four answers, always with a reason
What the ratings mean
Not for now
Official guidance says to avoid it while pregnant, such as topical retinoids or high-mercury fish.
Limit
Fine within a limit the guidance sets, such as 200 mg of caffeine a day or 4 cans of tuna a week.
Ask first
Guidance is limited, or the label doesn't say what we need, like whether a soft cheese is pasteurised. We tell you what to check.
No concerns
Nothing on our watch list. Not a promise that a product is safe: ingredients the guidance doesn't cover aren't on the list.
Made for the questions you actually have
From the bathroom shelf to the supermarket.
Check what you already use
Just found out? Scan the products on your shelf one after another and see them in one list, with what to look at first.
Gestational diabetes mode
Carbs for the portion you actually eat, compared with the targets from your dietitian. Numbers come from the label, never estimated.
Your shelf, kept up to date
Saved products are flagged if official guidance changes their rating, so you hear about it without re-scanning.
The full list the app uses
What official guidance says, ingredient by ingredient
Each rule is taken from the source next to it and was last checked on 7 October 2026. Not reviewed by a clinician. How we rate ingredients.
| Ingredient | In | Rating | What the guidance says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azelaic acid | Skincare | No concerns | ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. | ACOG |
| Benzoyl peroxide | Skincare | No concerns | ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. | ACOG |
| Clary sage oilsalvia sclarea oil, salvia sclarea flower oil | Skincare | Not for now | NHS maternity aromatherapy guidance: clary sage is not to be used in pregnancy until after 37 weeks. Ask your midwife. | NHS North Tees and Hartlepool |
| Glycolic acid | Skincare | No concerns | ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. | ACOG |
| Lavender oillavandula oil, lavandula angustifolia oil, lavandula angustifolia flower oil | Skincare | Ask first | There is no national guidance on essential oils in pregnancy. NHS maternity aromatherapy guidance: use them diluted in a carrier oil, and not at all with heart disease, epilepsy, recurrent bleeding or a history of premature labour. Ask your midwife. | NHS North Tees and Hartlepool |
| Retinolretinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, retinal, retinaldehyde, tretinoin, adapalene, tazarote | Skincare | Not for now | A form of vitamin A, in the same family as isotretinoin. ACOG: it is generally recommended that topical retinoids be avoided during pregnancy, including those in over-the-counter products. | ACOG |
| Salicylic acidbeta hydroxy acid | Skincare | No concerns | ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. | ACOG |
| Alcoholethanol, wine, beer, rum, brandy, whisky, vodka, liqueur | Food and drink | Not for now | NHS: drinking alcohol in pregnancy can cause long-term harm to your baby. It's safest to avoid alcohol. | NHS |
| Caffeinecoffee, coffee extract, guarana, guarana extract | Food and drink | Limit | NHS: no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, counting all drinks and foods. | NHS |
| High-mercury fishswordfish, shark, marlin, king mackerel, orange roughy, bigeye tuna, tilefish | Food and drink | Not for now | NHS lists swordfish, shark and marlin as foods to avoid. FDA adds king mackerel, orange roughy, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) and bigeye tuna: the highest in mercury. | NHS · FDA |
| Liverpork liver, chicken liver, beef liver, calf liver, lamb liver | Food and drink | Not for now | NHS: liver and foods containing liver have high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to your baby. | NHS |
| Mould-ripened or blue cheesebrie, camembert, chèvre, chevre, blue cheese, gorgonzola, roquefort, danish blue | Food and drink | Not for now | NHS: soft cheeses with a white coating (brie, camembert, chèvre) and soft blue-veined cheeses, pasteurised or not, must be thoroughly cooked before eating. | NHS |
| Soft cheesefeta, ricotta, mozzarella, paneer, cream cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, halloumi, bur | Food and drink | Not for now | NHS: pasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer and ricotta are fine. Anything made from unpasteurised milk must be thoroughly cooked. | NHS |
| Tunaalbacore tuna, light tuna, skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna | Food and drink | Limit | NHS: no more than 4 cans or 2 tuna steaks a week. FDA: albacore and yellowfin once a week; canned light tuna 2 to 3 times a week. | NHS · FDA |
Privacy by design
Your pregnancy stays on your phone.
No account, no email
Start scanning straight away. Nothing to sign up for.
Health answers never leave the phone
Due date, diabetes answer and carb targets are never sent to us, to analytics or to the AI.
Photos only when needed
Sent only when the phone can't read a label, to read the text. We don't keep them.
Delete everything in one tap
Settings → Delete all my data removes it from the phone and our servers.
Pricing
Free to check. One pass for your whole pregnancy.
Free
$0
- Unlimited barcode scans and lookups
- 3 label photo reads a day
- Full results with sources, never blurred
- Gestational diabetes mode on 2 products
Pregnancy Pass
$29.99
Paid once. Covers 10 months, then simply ends. No auto-renewal.
- Unlimited label photo reads
- Gestational diabetes mode, with your own carb targets
Prefer a subscription? Yearly $34.99, monthly $6.99 or weekly $2.99, with the same features. Each renews until you cancel in your App Store or Google Play settings. Prices shown in US dollars; your store shows your local price.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is Nest Scan medical advice?
No. Nest Scan gives information to help you check labels. It summarises official pregnancy guidance and links to it. Always check with your doctor or midwife, especially for medicines and prescription products.
Who decides the ratings?
A fixed list of ingredient rules taken from official guidance (NHS, ACOG, FDA and NHS maternity services), each linked to its source and checked on a stated date. The same label always gets the same result. The list has not yet been reviewed by a clinician, and the app says so on every ingredient page.
Does AI decide whether a product is okay?
No. When the phone can't read a label clearly, an AI model only transcribes the ingredient list, and you can fix anything it misread. The rating always comes from the rule list, never from the AI.
What does "No concerns" mean?
None of the ingredients we could read are on our pregnancy watch list. It is not a promise that a product is safe, and ingredients official guidance doesn't cover are not on the list.
What happens to my data?
Your due date, diabetes answer and carb targets stay on your phone. There is no account or email sign-up. Label photos are only sent when the phone can't read the text, to Google's Gemini API to read it, and we don't keep them. You can delete everything from Settings in one tap.
How much does it cost?
Barcode scans, lookups and full results are free, with 3 label photo reads a day. The Pregnancy Pass is $29.99 once and covers 10 months with no auto-renewal. Yearly ($34.99), monthly ($6.99) and weekly ($2.99) subscriptions renew until you cancel. Your store shows the price in your currency.
How do I cancel a subscription?
In your iPhone Settings under your Apple ID and Subscriptions, or in Google Play under Payments & subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date. The Pregnancy Pass never renews, so there is nothing to cancel.
Can I use retinol while pregnant?
A form of vitamin A, in the same family as isotretinoin. ACOG: it is generally recommended that topical retinoids be avoided during pregnancy, including those in over-the-counter products. Source: ACOG. Nest Scan rating: Not for now.
Is salicylic acid okay during pregnancy?
ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. Source: ACOG. Nest Scan rating: No concerns.
Can I use benzoyl peroxide while pregnant?
ACOG lists it among over-the-counter acne ingredients that can be used during pregnancy. For peels or prescription strength, ask your ob-gyn. Source: ACOG. Nest Scan rating: No concerns.
How much caffeine can I have while pregnant?
NHS: no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, counting all drinks and foods. Source: NHS. Nest Scan rating: Limit.
Can I eat brie or camembert while pregnant?
NHS: soft cheeses with a white coating (brie, camembert, chèvre) and soft blue-veined cheeses, pasteurised or not, must be thoroughly cooked before eating. Source: NHS. Nest Scan rating: Not for now.
Can I eat feta or mozzarella while pregnant?
NHS: pasteurised soft cheeses such as mozzarella, feta, paneer and ricotta are fine. Anything made from unpasteurised milk must be thoroughly cooked. Source: NHS. Nest Scan rating: Not for now.
How much tuna can I eat while pregnant?
NHS: no more than 4 cans or 2 tuna steaks a week. FDA: albacore and yellowfin once a week; canned light tuna 2 to 3 times a week. Source: NHS, FDA. Nest Scan rating: Limit.