My Picks for Stretch Mark Prevention in Pregnancy

Stretch marks and pregnancy… that pair just seems to go together and seems inevitable, doesn’t it? Well, there are some things that you can do to prevent stretch marks (more on that in my Ultimate Stretch Mark post).

Keep in mind that topical products don’t have a lot of data behind them, and some of the more highly marketed ingredients (I’m looking at you, Cocoa Butter) have repeatedly been shown to not be helpful for prevention or treatment of stretch marks. Having said that, they won’t hurt the situation, there’s nothing in particular to avoid.

Ingredients that do have a bit of evidence for stretch mark prevention:

• Centella asiatica
• Almond Oil
• Hyaluronic Acid

The AAD recommends nightly massage with a moisturizer, and really the massage likely does just as much as any particular ingredients do to prevent stretch marks. When I was pregnant I just picked my favorite pregnancy safe moisturizer of the moment, though I know some of my readers want to use products that are more specific for stretch mark prevention.

Here are the products I would be looking at using if I was pregnant today. I’ve called out the 3 stretch mark specific ingredients if they’re present in the product. In general, supporting collagen production through gentle anti-aging ingredients such as peptides, will also help. So I’ve looked for products with those in mind.

• Belli Elasticity Belly Oil (at ULTA): Almond Oil, Vitamin E
• Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter (at ULTA, Amazon)
• Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream (at Sephora, Nordstrom)
• Clarins Extra-Firming Body Lotion (at Sephora, Nordstrom): Centella
• Mommy Knows Best Stretch Mark Cream (at Target): Centella
• Mustela Stretch Marks Cream Fragrance Free (at Target, Amazon)
• Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks (at Target, Amazon): Centella, Almond Oil
• StriVectin SD Advanced ™ PLUS Intensive Moisturizer For Wrinkles & Stretch Marks (at Sephora, Nordstrom)
• Summer Fridays Babymoon Belly Balm (at Sephora)
• Weleda Stretch Mark Body Oil (at Target, Amazon): Almond Oil

Note these products are all pregnancy safe as of publication (8/23/2021), and this list is by no means inclusive of all possible products. Please check the pregnancy friendly brand list for your favorite product’s safety information. I’m going to turn comments on this post off to avoid too much duplication of places to ask/check for information.

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