The Best Belly Oils to Pamper Your Bump, According to Dermatologists

Once upon a time, the celeb-praised Hatch Belly Oil had a 1,000-person waitlist—which says a lot about its fan base (plus it’s frequently sold out). Made of super hydrating ingredients, the seven-oil blend includes jojoba (which soothes skin and is anti-inflammatory), argan (vitamin E packed, improves fine lines and wrinkles) and olive (full of antioxidants, protects skin from free radicals). There’s a light citrus fragrance (a plus if you’re not sensitive to scented body care) and it won’t leave you feeling like a greaseball applying it. One Babylist parent said, “I used it religiously. It smelled and felt great and was a little luxury moment each day during a time when you don't often feel luxurious. Bonus - it worked! No stretch marks.” 

Hatch’s fan base raves about its dry, fast-absorbing properties which is especially nice if you are not usually a body-oil user. The full size is pricey so if you want to try before you commit, consider grabbing the mini roller ball size (when it's back in stock).

If you want to target stretch marks by preventing them or treating any that have popped up, Evereden Golden Belly Serum is an option worth considering—an in-house study found that more than half of the volunteers reported an improvement of the look and feel of their stretch marks. Moisturizing oils like avocado, coconut and sunflower, help skin feel hydrated, while rosehip oil and marula oil repair the skin and encourage collagen production. One Babylister called the Evereden belly serum the best oil they’ve ever used, saying, “My stretch marks were getting worse during the last few months of pregnancy. After using this, they are fading back to normal!” This one is also scented, so keep that in mind. Bonus—this belly oil is EWG-certified.

Similar to the Evereden serum, this unscented version of one of the original belly oils, Bio-Oil, is formulated to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. In a trial, almost all of the participants noticed an improvement of their stretch marks. The oil blend helps to improve skin elasticity and ingredients like rosehip oil improve the overall feel of your skin (read: makes it baby soft) and pomegranate seed oil supports collagen production (read: makes it bouncy and supple). One reviewer said, “It makes my skin feel soft and moisturized. It’s also significantly eased the itchiness that I experience.” 

While similar to the Evereden serum, Bio-Oil is hyper-focused on healing scars while Evereden works on elasticity and moisturizing.

Ok, this is not exactly belly oil, but this solid body butter melts into your skin like an oil would and is packed full of skin-nourishing ingredients that your belly will love. The top two ingredients, cocoa butter and shea butter, are fatty and rich moisturizers that’ll combat dryness, irritation and soothe inflamed skin. The blend of plant-based oils, like sweet almond, marula and avocado, helps to protect your skin barrier while your skin stretches to accommodate your growing baby. Since it’s in a solid bar form, the ingredients are concentrated, it glides across your skin easily and is mess-free (and it’s perfect for traveling, too!). And once you’ve had your baby, you can use it during postpartum and beyond.

If your skin is extra sensitive outside of pregnancy, it’s fair to assume that it’ll be just as sensitive during pregnancy. If that's the case for you, Dr. Castilla says "it can be helpful to use simple fragrance-free formulations without too many ingredients.” Castilla's recommendation is the Honest Glow On Body Oil, with its short and sweet list of mostly organic oils, including sunflower, olive, coconut and jojoba seed oil. Despite having a short list of ingredients, every oil helps to protect and hydrate skin. And as far as the feel of this oil, a reviewer commented that "It absorbs fast and doesn't leave me feeling like I need to wipe my hands off before I touch anything else. Highly recommend."

Osea’s oil nourishes your skin’s barrier and helps to actually improve your skin’s firmness and elasticity, which is helpful when your skin is stretching like a rubber band. Filled with plant-based ingredients like seaweed (for skin elasticity and hydration), rice bran extract (for skin texture and brightening) and linseed oil (for skin regeneration), the oil naturally seals in moisture and deeply hydrates. While this one is scented, the fragrance is derived from essential oils and other aromatic compounds pulled from plants, flowers and fruits and one reviewer describes the scent as "light and refreshing and leaves my chronically dry and sensitive skin so happy." This is a pricey option, especially if you're using it daily so that's worth considering too.

When I asked what ingredients a pregnant person should look for in a belly oil, Dr. Castilla said that cocoa butter was at the top of the list. Here’s why: cocoa butter is full of fatty acids that moisturize skin and lock in naturally occurring moisture and protect your skin barrier. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula is also formulated with vitamin E, lecithin (a natural humectant that draws moisture into your skin from the environment) and elastin (helps to improve elasticity, stretch and recoil of skin). A personal favorite of mine, even though I’m nearly two years postpartum, I still use this oil in my regular rotation because of how lightweight and moisturizing it is.