5 Pregnancy Skin Care Lines for Moms, by Moms
When you’re pregnant, the skin care products you use become more important than ever. After all, not only are you dealing with crazy sensitivity, a heightened sense of smell and a slew of unexpected skin issues (hello, acne), but you also want to make sure the ingredients are safe for you and baby. Finding the right creams and oils isn’t always easy—something these entrepreneurial women can attest to. Frustrated when they couldn’t find the safe yet effective products they wanted during their pregnancies, they went ahead and launched new pregnancy skin care lines of their own. Check out these five amazing brands that’ll take you from pregnancy and beyond.
Belli Skincare
What it offers: Belli is one of the most comprehensive pregnancy skin care lines on the market, serving up paraben-, phthalate- and fragrance-free products for pregnant and new moms. Their offerings include a range of facial skin care products targeting everything from acne facial wash to spot treatment for women who don’t necessarily experience the “pregnancy glow.” Plus, you’ll find body washes, lotions, oils, and even an exfoliant.
What we love: Every Belli product is specifically screened to ensure it’s free of ingredients linked to birth defects or ones that may be harmful when passed through breast milk.
What’s the story: While expecting their first child, husband and wife team Jason and Annette Rubin had questions about which beauty products were safe to use and which were off-limits— and began working together to find answers and solutions. It didn’t hurt that he was a doctor and she was a beauty industry pro. After Annette read an article about the risks of using hair dye while pregnant, she started questioning whether her skin care routine needed to change too. That led her and husband to take a deep dive into researching and refining pregnancy skin care.
Where to shop: BelliSkinCare.com and Amazon.com
basq NYC
What it offers: basq has a robust selection of pregnancy skincare products, including face cream, cooling body lotion, eye brightening cream, body scrubs, belly butter and body stretch oil. Light aromas, rich, fast-absorbing textures and ingredients that bolster skin strength are the base of all their products.
What we love: basq products harness the power of essential oils and plant extracts to not only rebuild and replenish the skin, but also stop damage before it sets in. Everything is rigorously tested for allergy and sensitivity, and the entire line is paraben-, phthalate- , sulfare- and mineral oil-free.
What’s the story: Founders Kelli Kenny and Lauren Parisier met at work and became good friends. They talked about starting a business focused on women and run by women, but the idea for basq was born when the two women became pregnant and struggled to find the right skincare products. “We couldn’t find anything worth using: Everything felt too greasy or smelled too strong,” Parisier says. “I had the added problem of breakouts, and everything at shelf had ingredients that weren’t really safe. …This was our chance to create safe, effective products you could literally fall in love with.”
Where to shop: basqNYC.com
Nine Naturals
What it offers: From shampoo and conditioner to body wash, lotion, belly butter and deodorant, Nine Naturals offers a range of pregnancy hair and body care lines. If you’re looking for pregnancy-safe hair products, this is definitely one to try!
What we love: Whether you’re trying to conceive, pregnant or a new mom, you’ll appreciate the transparency of the brand’s ingredient glossary, which breaks down all of the fruit and vegetable extracts, vitamins and minerals in their products.
What’s the story: As a vice president on Wall Street and a business school grad, Grace Lee never thought beauty products would be her calling. Then she got pregnant. “I realized a lot of the products on the market were unsafe for women to use during pregnancy,” she says. “I was running into two problems: products claimed to be natural but really weren’t (right now, a product can call itself ‘natural’ as long as there’s one natural ingredient, like lavender), and even when I found a product that was safe, it didn’t perform very well.” Her solution? “To create a line that was both safe and high performing.”
Where to shop: NineNaturals.com
Zoe Organics
What it offers: Their all-organic pregnancy skin care line includes belly butter and belly oil, a refresh oil to help with morning sickness and fatigue, and nipple balm. Zoe Organics also offers organic body washes, lotions and oils for babies, kids and moms.
What we love: Not only is the line 100 percent certified organic, but the ingredients are ethically sourced, the packaging is made from recycled paper and reusable glass and plastic, and the formulations are never tested on animals. Not to mention, the products are free of synthetic chemicals, fragrances, dyes, parabens, surfactants, phthalates, GMOs and fillers.
What’s the story: “The Zoe Organics Pregnancy products were developed during my own third pregnancy, using remedies I created for my own morning sickness, itchy skin and postpartum healing,” says founder and CEO Heather Hamilton. “I knew that what I put into and onto my body could potentially end up in my baby’s blood, so my standards were incredibly strict. What resulted was a line of 100 percent organic and natural products that were not only safe and nourishing, but they out performed anything else I had tried previously.”
Where to shop: ZoeOrganics.com
Bee Maternal Organics
What it offers: You’ll find organic pregnancy skincare products such as stretch mark cream, stretch mark belly serum and even a calming spray to ease those pregnancy nerves, plus postpartum products including nipple cream, peri spritz and more.
What we love: These organic, natural products smell delicious and feel divine, going on smoothly, absorbing quickly and leaving your skin feeling luxurious. The thoughtful line takes you through pregnancy to postpartum recovery and beyond.
What’s the story: Founders Lindsay Sullivan & Lou Ann Cane launched this organic pregnancy skin care line to help moms-to-be look and feel their best. “As a doula and as moms we realized how important it is to have a sense of normalcy during and after pregnancy,” they say. “Our products not only give moms a clean, natural option, but also allow their bodies to have a jumpstart at healing themselves quickly and effectively, leaving them feeling like themselves, only better!”
Where to shop: BeeMaternalOrganics.com
Updated August 2019
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, some of which may be sponsored by paying vendors.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Top 6 Annoying Pregnancy Skin Issues (and How to Deal)
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