The best stretch mark creams that actually work to shrink and minimize the appearance of the stretch mark lines. 

Some women love their stretch marks and consider them honored battle scars that symbolize triumphant moments in their lives, such as building muscle, losing weight, or bringing a new life into the world. But if you find yourself staring down at your expanding belly watching for any signs of unevenness, worrying about how you’ll look in a bikini during next summer’s beach outing, or continuing to read this article, chances are you’re not one of them. You’re not alone either. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that nearly 90% of pregnant women will develop stretch marks, most typically during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy. The location and visibility of stretch marks depends on a number of factors, to include your genes, your skin complexion, how much weight you gain during the course of your pregnancy, and how quickly you gain. Here’s an excellent, detailed, yet easy-to-read article on WebMD explaining how stretch marks form. You may even already have a few stretch marks simply from going through adolescence. Nearly 70% of teenagers will develop stretch marks from the rapid changes that occur to the body during puberty according to the American Academy of Dermatology. But even if you’ve managed to avoid developing stretch marks thus far, chances are you’ve realized you won’t be able to avoid those stripes forever, so now you’re here looking for some sort of preventative or reparative treatment other than plastic surgery.

When it comes to stretch marks… most companies stretch the truth

You’ve probably seen A LOT of products out there that claim to treat stretch marks, and if you’ve done your homework, you’ve come to the disappointing realization that most are simply clever marketing with little to no verifiable evidence or clinical studies to support their claims. Activities such as massage or the use of dermal rollers (handheld devices with tiny, short needles designed to puncture your skin lightly with the goal of triggering your skin’s natural healing abilities) have failed to live up to their hype as effective treatments for stretch marks as well. Unfortunately, if you already have stretch marks there’s not much you can do to totally remove them without going under the knife (or laser, or surgical instrument of your choice.) You CAN lighten them however by tightening them, and to accomplish this, you need to exercise.

What does work? 3 skin care ingredients with documented results for stretch marks

The reason most cosmetic treatments marketed as solutions for stretch marks fail to live up to their hype is because they don’t penetrate deep enough into your skin to affect the root cause of stretch marks. Stretch marks are essentially scars that form within the deep layers of your skin when your skin’s elastin fibers become stretched to the point of tearing. Think of your skin’s elastin fibers like the elastic in your sweat pants – if you pull it too tight it will wear out and eventually snap. The same reaction happens inside your body when your skin can’t keep pace with your expanding belly. There are three skin care ingredients that we know of that actually do penetrate deep enough to affect stretch marks, provided you use them frequently enough, and in the correct quantities, accompanied by regular exercise. They are: aloe vera stretch marksAloe vera Many people claim natural aloe vera to be an effective skin care ingredient for the lightening and fading of stretch marks, citing its well-known healing and anti-inflammatory properties. There is some documented evidence in support of this herb lore, as aloe vera, in concentrations over 50%, has been shown to increase blood flow to the area of application according to Milady’s Skin Care and Cosmetics Ingredients Dictionary. This attribute, though helpful, does not address the root cause of stretch marks, and so we cannot say with any certainty whether it will or will not be effective for you. pure cocoa butterCocoa butter Many expecting moms endorse cocoa butter as a natural topical for stretch marks, citing its deep-penetrating, softening, and lubricating abilities. Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature but liquefies upon contact with the skin. However it is lightly cosmogenic (meaning it may cause allergic reactions) so we would not recommend using it while pregnant. Feel free to use it once the baby is born though, as it is indeed super-moisturizing. Shea butter Shea butter is well known for its ability to restore skin suppleness and elasticity according to Milady’s Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary, and since a breakdown of your skin’s elasticity is essentially what causes stretch marks to form, we believe shea butter stands the best chance of these three choices for improving your postpartum appearance.

…only [shea butter] purities of 20% or higher have shown any measurable effectiveness for lightening or fading stretch marks.

However, in order for any product to have hopes of passing this legendary elastin-restoring power onto your skin, the amount of organic, unrefined shea butter used in its formulation must be at least 20%. According to research, only purities of 20% or higher have shown any measurable effectiveness for lightening or fading stretch marks. The reason why we’ve singled out these three ingredients, and shea butter in particular, is because when we formulated our hand and body lotion over at Castle Baths we took this research into account and added a full 20% of organic shea butter into our product. We have two aromatherapy scented versions of our rich, creamy hand and body lotion that we particularly recommend for pregnant women: our sweet dreams vanilla and our sweet communion lavender. Our hand and body lotions are far from your ordinary moisturizers, and the reasons we recommend them specifically for pregnant women include:

  • These essential oils and extracts are safe for both mother and baby
  • They contain NO ingredients linked to cancer or birth defects (both ingredients and bottles)
  • They are hypoallergenic
  • They are formulated in the right percentages to meet YOUR skin care needs
  • Lavender and vanilla are the two most popular aromatherapy scents for new moms, according to our research.

Who knew the type of hand and body lotion you choose could make such a difference in your stretch marks and post-baby body?