When you’re pregnant, you can be positively glowing. But you might already be thinking about how you’re going to look afterward. Or maybe you’re itching to get into a nice bikini for the summer months.
Many partners are put off by large pregnant tums. But you don’t want them to be put further off by unsightly stretch marks. The skin over your belly really has to stretch to accommodate your little one, and nasty-looking stretch marks through pregnancy are very common.
And these stretch marks can appear dark red or purple after giving birth.
But the good news is that you can avoid nasty stretch marks and loose, visibly stretched skin on the belly, and be beach-ready in no time at all. All you have to do is look after your skin on your belly (and your overall health of course).
But the thing is, you’ll need the right skin firming lotion for best results. You don’t want to put your trust into something that’s not going to work.
That’s where we come in. We’ve been checking out some of the best skin firming lotions on the market, and after much deliberation, we were able to handpick our top 5 favorites.
We’ll be showing you our shortlist very shortly. And after that, we’ve also got a buying guide for you. It will walk you through all the key things you need to think about before you buy.
You might also want to stick around for our last section at the end, where we tackle some of your most frequently asked questions.
So, without further ado, let’s get straight to it!
OUR TOP PICK
This is the belly firming cream you’re looking for!
It’s a firming lotion that’s specifically designed for women post-pregnancy. And it really has a lot going for it.
It basically rehabilitates the skin, increasing the skin’s elasticity and returning it to its original tightness. And at the same time, it also helps to reduce the appearance of any stretch marks you might have acquired while you were pregnant. It even reduces wrinkles too!
It’s packed with ingredients that are great for your skin, and they’re all organic too. They include avocado, shea butter, sunflower oil, olive oil, and jojoba oil. But despite containing so many beneficial oils, the lotion does not feel oily at all, and will not clog your pores.
It absorbs easily into your skin, with its shea butter and avocado oil penetrating the upper layers of skin, for a truly nourishing and moisturizing feeling over your entire belly.
For best results, we recommend using the lotion twice a day, massaging in circular motions until the lotion is absorbed. You’ll just love the way it feels!
And it contains no hidden nasties. No SLS, no mineral oil, no parabens, and no petrochemicals.
And if that’s not enough, it turns out that this lotion is 100% cruelty-free, meaning it’s not tested on animals.
It’s a best seller in maternity skincare with online retailers, and nearly half of those who bought through Amazon rated it at 5 stars out of 5.
Pros
- Designed for postpartum belly firming
- Reduces the appearance of stretch marks
- Packed with great organic ingredients
- No hidden nasty chemicals
- Cruelty-free, and not tested on animals
Cons
- Customer feedback has been quite mixed
Some would argue it’s expensive
EDITORS CHOICE
Now, here’s a skin firming lotion that’s just flying off the shelves. And it’s been met with great customer feedback too.
Technically it’s not so much a lotion as a gel-cream. We love the texture - very lightweight, fast-absorbing, and non-greasy. And it feels really nice and cool when you put it on.
You can apply it to your belly post-pregnancy to get your sexy slimline appearance back. And you can apply it to your butt too, and thighs.
And you’ll get visible results really quickly. In as little as 2 weeks in fact!
It has several important ingredients, including Q10, L carnitine, and lotus extract.
It’s available for a wide range of skin types, from oily and combination skin to normal and dry skin.
The cream has been tested by dermatologists and has been fully approved for use on the body’s skin.
For best results, the manufacturer recommends using it twice a day and pairing it with NIVEA Body Wash for a complete skin care regimen.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this product. To see if there’s one on now, simply click on “Check price”.
Pros
- A bestseller from a trusted brand
- Excellent customer feedback
- Nice texture, feels great
- Skin looks firmer in just 2 weeks
- Dermatologist tested and approved
Cons
- Not suitable for those with sensitive skin
- Not designed to solve stretch marks
BEST VALUE
Now, the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter brand is best known for its stretch mark lotions (which we’ll come onto later). But they’ve expanded their product range to include this amazing firming butter.
It sells incredibly well and has been met with overwhelmingly positive customer ratings and reviews. On the Amazon page, for example, more than three-quarters of customers rated it at 5 stars out of 5.
The lotion works to visibly improve your skin’s firmness, restoring it after pregnancy or weight loss. But not only does it work to firm up your skin, it also helps to improve the appearance of stretch marks and other skin imperfections too.
It’s composed of only the best ingredients, all-natural and plant-based. The main ingredients include cocoa butter (of course), collagen, elastin, ginseng, Q10, and shea butter.
It is the collagen and elastin that get to work on your skin’s elasticity and firmness, and this, in turn, can lead to better skin tone, and keep your skin nice and supple.
The butters help to naturally moisturize the skin and supply the necessary vitamin E, to help soften and rejuvenate the skin. And similarly, the Q10 is an antioxidant that can really help to smooth and revitalize your skin.
We also love the scent given off - it’s amazing!
You can massage it all over your body, including your post-pregnancy belly and your bust. Twice a day is recommended for best results.
And you can pair it with other Palmer’s products for a more thorough skincare and body care regime.
Pros
- Comes from a top brand, specializing in pregnancy and post-pregnancy skincare
Packed with skin-loving ingredients that boost both firmness and appearance
Reduces appearance of stretch marks
Smells amazing (delicious even!)
Delivers the results you’re looking for
Cons
- Some customers have reported problems using the bottle’s pump
RUNNER UP
Here’s another firming cream that comes highly recommended by those who’ve tried it. It’s a bestseller with online retailers, and about two-thirds of the customers who bought it through Amazon rated it at a full 5 stars out of 5.
Its main ingredient, as the name suggests, is collagen. Collagen is a major component of your skin, and it plays a crucial role in the strengthening of your skin, and it can also boost its elasticity and hydration.
Bloom Collagen cream softens the appearance of sagging skin and helps to firm up problem areas such as your tummy after pregnancy. And it can help reduce the appearance of your stretch marks too.
You can use it all over your body, including on your face too, which most people do because of the amazing anti-aging effects and how it can help diminish the appearance of wrinkles.
In addition to the collagen, this cream also features other useful natural ingredients, such as green tea extracts, which have antioxidant properties that are great news for your skin.
In addition to being intensely firming, Bloom Collagen is also intensively moisturizing, which is great news for those of you with dry skin.
It’s manufactured right here in the good old USA, and is 100% cruelty-free, meaning it is not tested on animals.
It’s also free of certain nasty chemicals, such as parabens.
If you decide to give the product a go, and if for whatever reason you’re not 100% happy with it, you can get your money back no questions asked.
Pros
- Firms up saggy skin on problem areas
- Contains powerful skincare ingredients
- Diminishes the appearance of wrinkles
- Also works to moisturize the skin
- Made right here in the good old USA
- 100% cruelty-free, not tested on animals.
- Money-back guarantee
Cons
- Contains mineral oil
RUNNER UP
If you have money to burn (wish I did!) then you might be interested in this product. The only reason it only got as far as number 5 on our shortlist was because of its hefty price tag.
It has been specially formulated to tighten your loose skin after pregnancy or weight loss.
But that’s not all, it also helps to reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.
It comes packed with 7 key ingredients, namely Caffeine, Aminophylline, L-Carnitine, Glycolic Acid, vitamin E, Yohimbe, and Gotu Kola.
It’s the Aminophylline that really tightens the skin. Plus it also has the added benefit of being a fat-burning ingredient. It penetrates deep into fat cells and also helps to remove uneven skin texture.
In fact, a clinical study has shown that Lipoxyderm Is 42.7% more effective than a placebo at reducing fat mass! So it’s both firming and slimming too. A win-win.
It’s a scientifically-derived formula, and the manufacturer uses pharmaceutical-grade ingredients combined with a natural AHA delivery mechanism of glycolic acid.
And we can also confirm that the lotion is made in a GMP Certified and FDA-approved facility.
There’s no unpleasant scent given off to be concerned about. It’s 100% fragrance-free, which means you can wear it with any perfume you like.
And it feels nice to put on, not at all greasy.
We also like that it’s covered by a no-questions-asked full money-back guarantee. So you’ve really got nothing to lose by buying it and giving it a try.
It’s aimed at body-building men as well as at women, but don’t let that put you off.
Pros
- Tightens loose skin, including after pregnancy or weight loss
- Packed with pharmaceutical-grade ingredients
- Reduces appearance of stretch marks
- Odorless and non-greasy
- Money-back guarantee
Cons
- Premium product at a premium price
Best Skin Firming Lotion For Belly Buying Guide
As promised, here’s your buying guide for skin firming lotion for your belly.
Start Your Skincare Regime During Your Pregnancy, Not Afterward
Having great skin post-pregnancy starts with skincare during the pregnancy. You can use special lotions to prevent stretch marks from occurring during pregnancy.
But that’s not the only measure you can take. We also recommend that you take a special vitamin supplement designed for pregnant women. This will have all sorts of health and well-being benefits for both you and your baby.
What Skincare Ingredients to Avoid
If at all possible, you should really try to avoid lotions that feature hidden nasty ingredients. These include SLS, mineral oil, parabens, and petrochemicals.
What Skincare Ingredients to Look For
Fortunately, there are loads of perfectly natural lotion ingredients that can do wonders for your skin. And interestingly, not all skin firming lotions use the same skin firming ingredients.
But while some are great for your skin in general, certain ones are better for skin firming. We’ll cover some of the main ones for you here.
Collagen is one such valuable ingredient for skin firming. Collagen is a major component of your skin, and it plays a crucial role in the strengthening of your skin, and it can also boost its elasticity and hydration.
Aminophylline also helps to really tighten the skin. Elastin is another great skincare ingredient. It helps with your skin’s elasticity and firmness. Q10, L carnitine, and lotus extract are also important for skin firming.
Buy for Your Particular Skin Type
We also recommend that you buy your skincare products according to your skin type.
For example, a product that’s designed to be used on normal or average skin, simply won’t be moisturizing enough to be used on dry skin.
Other Things You Might Want to Think About Before You Buy
There are other things you might want to think about before you buy. Here are some examples.
- Is the lotion cruelty-free, was it tested on animals?
- Was the lotion made here in the USA?
- How often do I need to apply the lotion?
- How well has the lotion gone down with customers, how are the customer ratings?
- Is it readily available, can I buy it online?
- Does it have a nice scent or is it fragrance-free?
- Is it greasy, will it clog my pores?
- Does it also reduce the appearance of stretch marks?
- Is it affordable?
We think that the products that made our shortlist mostly have positive answers to the above questions.
Tips for Using Your Skin Firming Lotion
We recommend that you use your chosen lotion exactly as the manufacturer recommends.
Suggesting applying the lotion twice a day is not just some cheap marketing ploy, designed to make you buy more of the product. The manufacturers do their homework before putting the product to market, researching how to get the best possible results.
FAQ's
Can you firm up loose skin on your stomach?
We are pleased to confirm that you can indeed firm up loose skin on your belly. But, how you go about doing this depends on just how much loose skin there is.
If you have a lot of loose skin around the stomach area, you could opt for an invasive procedure, like a tummy tuck, or mini tummy tuck.
During this surgical procedure, fat cells are removed from your tummy via an incision along the bikini line, and the excess skin is sewn up tighter once the fat cells are removed.
If you just have a little loose skin, then this is often easily remedied by applying skin firming lotion such as the ones that made our shortlist of top 5 favorite skin firming lotions.
What is the best skin firming cream for the stomach?
We would argue that the best skin firming cream for the stomach area has to be our number one pick, the Mommy Care Shapely Post Pregnancy Firming Lotion. It has been specifically designed for women post-pregnancy, to firm up the stomach area after they have given birth.
Now that’s quite a task for a skin cream, but judging from the customer feedback, it seems to work really well for most people. Plus it has some other great qualities too. It reduces the appearance of stretch marks, it’s packed with some really great organic ingredients, there are no hidden nasty chemicals, and it's 100% cruelty-free, and not tested on animals.
Another really good skin firming cream is the Advanced Firming and Defining Lotion by Lipoxyderm. It’s such a powerful and effective skin firming cream that even bodybuilders and fitness models use it! Not bad hey? The only reason it only made it to number 5 on our shortlist was because of the hefty price tag.