Last update April 12, 2025
Likely Compatibility
Suggestions made at e-lactancia are done by APILAM team of health professionals, and are based on updated scientific publications. It is not intended to replace the relationship you have with your doctor but to compound it. The pharmaceutical industry contraindicates breastfeeding, mistakenly and without scientific reasons, in most of the drug data sheets.
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Hydroquinone is also known as
Hydroquinone in other languages or writings:
Hydroquinone belongs to these groups or families:
Main tradenames from several countries containing Hydroquinone in its composition:
Variable | Value | Unit |
---|---|---|
Oral Bioavail. | Dermat: 45 ± 11 | % |
Molecular weight | 110 | daltons |
Tmax | 4 | hours |
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e-lactancia is a resource recommended by La Liga de la Leche, España of Spain
Would you like to recommend the use of e-lactancia? Write to us at corporate mail of APILAM
Benzene derivative used topically in 2-4% creams and solutions as a skin bleaching agent in various skin disorders associated with hyperpigmentation. Used in industry as a photographic developer.
At the date of last update we found no published data on its excretion in breast milk.
It is well absorbed through the skin, not only as a therapeutic agent (Bucks 1998, Wester 1998, Westerhof 2005, Andersen 2010, Bozzo 2011), but also in industrial use (Barber 1995, McGregor 2007), but significant passage into milk is unlikely due to its lack of liposolubility.
There is controversy and doubts about its possible mutagenic and carcinogenic effect (Kooyers 2004, FDA 2006, Levitt 2007, Andersen 2010), so it does not seem prudent to use it chronically or continuously during breastfeeding. (Yaghi 2024)
If used, do not apply to the breast to avoid ingestion by the infant; if necessary, apply after a feeding and clean thoroughly with water before the next feeding. Do not apply over large areas or for prolonged periods to avoid excessive systemic absorption.
At the level of occupational risk to the breastfeeding mother (INSST 2025, EC Regulation 2008), only two risk phrases (former R-phrases, now Hazard H-phrases) or precautionary phrases (P-phrases) in the safety data sheet of a product are relevant for breastfeeding:
Six other phrases to consider during breastfeeding relate to the carcinogenic, mutagenic or cumulative potential of a product:
Hydroquinone has the phrase H351 (INSST 2025), so it will be necessary to remove the breastfeeding mother from her workplace, and it is not enough for the company to comply with the legal requirements of maximum environmental exposure values: VLA-ED < 2 mg/m3 (INSHT 2025, Flickinger 1976) and for the worker to comply with the recommended rules of prudence (gloves, hand washing, change of clothes, etc.).
According to current European regulations (EC Regulation 2008), when a product is carcinogenic and mutagenic, working nursing mothers must not be exposed to mixtures, whether of solids, liquids or gases, with concentration limits higher than 0.3%.