17 best pregnancy skincare heroes, from face masks to stretch mark creams (2024)

We can’t recommend this product enough as we’ve been so delighted with the results from several months of testing. We started using the three-in-one prevention wear kit from week 12 of pregnancy and at 34 weeks, we are delighted to have avoided any tummy stretch marks so far. The day gel is so cooling and refreshing, which we were particularly grateful for on hot days, and the evening cream oozes calming, spa-like aromas to help send you off to sleep.

We used the prevention kit daily, alternating between wearing the briefs, leggings and bands, depending on wash load and outfit options. The prevention wear’s derma dot technology has been carefully crafted by doctors to help prevent your skin developing those pesky lines as it stretches. While we loved this product for that exact purpose, we were also blessed with the bonus back support of the thick band and grateful that we experienced zero itching throughout pregnancy, thanks to constantly feeling moisturised from the creams.

We were gifted this life-saver of a set at our baby shower and we couldn’t have been more grateful for it, especially in the third trimester. Having tested the products for a few weeks, it came as no surprise that it had been gifted from a mum of two as the creams quickly became integral in our newfound pregnancy skincare routine. Oh, how naive we were to think we wouldn’t need the nipple balm until our baby was actually born and nursing!

Our unexpectedly dry nipples were instantly moisturised with even the tiniest amount of ointment applied. We were grateful that it didn’t have a synthetic smell to it, feeling reassured that we were applying a safe, natural product to such a sensitive area of our body. The travel size balm is ideal for discreetly packing in your handbag for everyday use, too.

Palmer’s Cocoa butter had always been a go-to moisturiser for nourishing our skin pre-bump, so we were incredibly grateful when we checked the ingredients were pregnancy-safe for continued pampering and found the gorgeous cream in the form of tummy butter, specifically designed to help prevent stretch marks.

Most likely thanks to our sweet tooth cravings, the iconic and delicious cocoa scent had never smelt so good when applying throughout our trimesters. We’d always make the time for some self-care when there was an opportunity to get a whiff of chocolate heaven while gently massaging our bump in the evenings.

At such a bargain price, and without the greasy, oily texture of other popular stretch mark treatments, you really can’t go wrong with a tub of tummy butter and at £3.99 it means you feel far less guilty slathering it on.

Our go-to for soothing swollen legs and cankles in the summer heat, thanks to its cooling gel feel, which we were grateful was not sticky at all. We found that applying this with a well-deserved massage on our legs and feet really helped reduce swelling at the end of the day, allowing us to wake up feeling a lot more normal and less elephant-like.

The gorgeous peppermint and menthol aromas, and silky aloe vera ingredients instantly make you cooler and refreshed. We also loved rubbing this on our thighs to ease chaffing and used this daily throughout the heatwave. It’s 125ml so pack it in your suitcase or decant into a smaller bottle for hand luggage if you’re travelling abroad – trust us you won’t want to leave this at home.

Inside this little green tube is an all-purpose skin saviour. Tried-and-treasured since 1926, Skin Food is Weleda’s natural answer to dry, rough patches. The Swiss company hasn’t veered far from its beginnings as a pharmaceutical laboratory and plant garden with its range of field-to-shelf cosmetics. Sitting somewhere between a balm and moisturiser, the texture is thick and heavy, but it feels immediately healing on pregnancy eczema flare-ups.

It combines a rich base of pure plant oils and beeswax with extracts of gentle pansy, calendula and chamomile – and has even been shown to increase moisture by over 17 per cent in 28 days. It’s helped heal angry areas of dry, itchy and red skin – an intensive redeemer that’s nourished and restored a healthy barrier at an affordable price.

When the co-founder’s wife reacted to her staple beauty products in pregnancy and found little “safe skincare” on the shelves, REN Clean Skincare was born. The London-based brand still formulates all products to be suitable for sensitive skin – a maternity magic bullet. Its purifying clay cleanser is among the most gentle and earthy-smelling products we’ve tested with rich kaolin clay, willow bark to minimise pores and mayblossom extract for clear skin.

Ditch the bottles of stripping and drying varieties; this non-foaming alternative instead feels immediately soothing and intensely hydrating. It has a lush creamy consistency and is silky to apply, which is a surprise given it’s still a powerful acne-fighter and can calm pregnancy predicaments like redness and inflammation. And if that isn’t enough, it doubles as a ten-minute mask when needed to mattify and nourish skin without drying it out.

Blended in small batches in Hertfordshire, de Mamiel’s heady collection of potions are designed to treat stressed skin – and prenatal preoccupations can bring plenty. Formulated for pregnancy, this silky facial oil packs in powerful botanicals like borge, calendula and amaranth to help restore the skin’s barrier function, boost collagen and enhance elasticity.

Open the little black box secured with a blue ribbon to find instructions on the bottle inviting a meditative slowing down: “Pause a moment, cup hands… inhale deeply”. Heady (but not overwhelming) scents of frankincense, patchouli, rosehip and rosemary are zen-inducing. It absorbs quickly without an oily or sticky aftermath. It’s a small bottle for the price tag, but if you have the cash, this is a gorgeous aromatherapy pause that brightens hormonal skin.

While currently out of stock, you can sign up to be notified once the De Mamiel’s pregnancy oil is back.

Arriving in a sapphire blue glass bottle, mothers bath oil from Neal’s Yard feels like it’s selected from an apothecary, a nod to the company’s Covent Garden beginnings. Its products are now handcrafted at an eco-factory in Dorset using organic and ethically sourced essential oils, herbs and botanicals. Plus, the brand even has a whole mother and baby care line with gentle and natural ingredients.

This bath oil indulgently cares for skin: a tablespoon under a warm tap works magic. Hot baths can be drying, but these waters are transformed with healing and vitamin-rich olive, sweet almond and apricot kernel oils. The aroma of bergamot, lavender and ylang-ylang is relaxingly subtle, which is a benefit as potent scents can often overwhelm while pregnant. We emerged dewy, lightly oiled and moisturised without any nasty irritation. We’ll be using this oil long after the baby arrives.

Homeopathic, organic, natural: the shelves of The Organic Pharmacy are full of impressive formulas. It even stocks an organic line of mother and baby products using delicate ingredients like calendula and chamomile. The British beauty brand was co-founded by pharmacist and homeopath Margo Marrone, who champions the benefit of toxic-free skincare on our general wellbeing.

The brand’s reef-safe, mineral-based cellular protection sunscreen is not only a highly protective broad-spectrum SPF50 to shield against UVA and UVB rays, but it packs in hydrating helpers like shea butter, aloe, marigold and rosehip. It’s so effective it’s clinically proven to increase skin’s moisture by 18 per cent after 28 days of use. The scent is lightly floral and the consistency is thicker than most sunscreens, so it can be a little heavy on very hot days. It rubs in balm-like without oily residue or white cast (a plus for a mineral sunblock), but it takes a minute or two to spread and blend evenly. This is a staple chemical-free SPF for sun-sensitive skin in pregnancy – it’s so gentle, it can even be shared with baby.

Given that London-based Pai’s ethos is effective organic skincare, it’s no wonder there’s a huge range of maternity-safe products. Its pregnancy perfect skincare collection includes formulas that treat concerns like melasma and are free from ingredients that could be harmful to your baby’s development. Online skincare advisors can even recommend the best products based on trimester.

An easy win for stretch mark prevention is “the gemini”: a hydrating morning cream and omega-rich evening oil duo. These warriors help skin stretch without itching or scarring due to antioxidant-rich ingredients like pomegranate and pumpkin seed oils. They’re fragrance and essential oil-free, instead having a herbaceous, tea-like aroma. Fast and easy to apply, they absorb quickly without sticky leftovers and feel soothing on irritated skin. Both are needed for full benefit, so they’re only sold as a bundle – a potential drawback if you have a preference or use one more quickly. We’ve been lathering these on day and night with no sign of stretch marks; instead, tight skin feels more supple and elastic.

Launched by the founder of Daylesford Organic Farm in the Cotswolds, Bamford brings conscious living full circle with a gorgeous range of ethical clothing, homeware and natural body care. In addition to a soothing baby skincare range, it also offers serums, cleansers and scrubs with active botanicals and natural ingredients.

Our pregnancy favourite is the botanic nurture balm, a 100 per cent organic healing emollient made in England. It’s free from petrolatum and mineral oils, and so soothing it can even be used on allergy or eczema-prone skin. The white potion arrives in a little glass green jar, packed with omega-rich rosehip oil, shea butter and healing arnica Montana extract. While applying the thick balm, there are subtle, comforting notes of chamomile, lavender and tea tree. It sinks in well, but does leave behind a light buttery layer, so can be too heavy for the face and hands. This is a therapeutic redeemer for dry, sensitive skin.

This may be a mask, but we’ve been letting the magic happen all night. It can be applied for ten minutes twice a week or “used as an overnight cure”, which we’ve enthusiastically embraced. Susanne Kaufmann products are sustainably made in Austria using locally sourced Alpine flora and fine botanicals. Packed into this glass jar are delicate but powerful ingredients like beeswax, antioxidant-rich hazel seed oil, calming pansy extract and moisturising hyaluronic acid. A wand is available to lather on the velvety emollient, which gives an immediate hydrating kick.

Its nourishing effects are amplified come morning: we wake with baby soft skin, soothed irritations and minimised wrinkles. This is a drink for thirsty skin, which will thank you with plump, dewy, luminous results – especially when used as a potent night cream.

Accessible dermatological skincare from La Roche-Posay includes ranges tailored to allergic, sensitive and redness-prone skin, with many products gentle enough for babies. This delicate moisturiser in a small on-the-go tube suits all of the above, providing immediate hydration to dry areas while reducing irritation, tightness and itching after only a few days’ use.

Fragrance and alcohol-free, a prebiotic formulation using thermal water helps rebalance the skin’s microbiome. It has a lightweight consistency, absorbing slick and quick without any greasy or sticky residue, which is a huge bonus for such a rich, anti-inflammatory cream. This easy daily moisturiser is one of the few wonder products that seem to have near-immediate healing properties – a one-stop-shop solution to soothe sensitive skin.

Wild Science Lab hit the bodycare scene following the co-founder’s struggle with pregnancy-related hair loss. In addition to a CBD-enriched hair range, the British company also has a collection of natural, botanical skin products. Packaging is memorable, with bundles arriving in colourful, reusable pull-tie bags and pastel pink and green containers.

Infused with vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, moisturising betaine and organic aloe vera, this superhero serum gives a serious hydration boost with just 2-3 drops. It’s a tiny soldier, fighting against skin stressors that cause breakouts, fatigue and hyperpigmentation. We’ve noticed fine lines slowly fading after a few weeks, plus a more even and luminous skin tone and texture. It soaks in quickly, while a blend of six essential oils including grapefruit, orange and clementine give it an energising scent reminiscent of Italian lemon groves.

Our gut microbiome has had a lot of buzz recently, but our skin’s immune system needs TLC, too. This formula by South Africa-based organic and probiotic skin science brand Esse feeds the beneficial microbes that live on our skin to improve moisture retention, slow long term ageing and promote a healthy barrier. The moisturiser is an ideal pregnancy purchase – it’s 99 per cent natural, 78 per cent organic and has a whip-light texture of aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, probiotic extracts and prebiotic nutrients, including inulin.

This is a great option to rebalance skin that has been accustomed to harsh products. After evening cleansing, a pea-sized dollop has been plenty to infuse skin with plump hydration. Plus, it has a dreamy botanical vanilla scent. After a few weeks, it’s reduced redness, irritation and fine lines.

No astringent properties are allowed in this golden bottle. This alcohol-free toner has been a Kiehl’s staple since the 1960s and remains a pregnancy-safe, soothing way to cleanse sensitive skin of dirt and oil. Kiehl’s opened up shop as a hom*oeopathic pharmacy in New York City’s East Village back in 1851, and though the company has skyrocketed since, many of its products are still made with natural ingredients. You can even see them in this one: the toner is floating with calendula petals. It’s also formulated with comforting allantoin and great burdock root, which helps to reduce oil.

Though it’s for combination to oily skin, we found it was refreshing even on dry skin and great for those stubborn redness-prone patches that can crop up in pregnancy. With subtle herbal tea aromas, it is as gentle as it smells, leaving the face well-cleansed, hydrated and soft.