Best skincare gifts for pregnancy and postpartum recovery

Postpartum care continues beyond the first 12 weeks after birth.

1. HATCH MAMA Belly Oil Stretch Mark Smoothing Therapy, $28 to $68

HATCH MAMA's Belly Oil Stretch Mark Smoothing Therapy is the splurge. Ulta prices HATCH MAMA's Belly Oil at $28 to $68, while Bio-Oil's stretch-mark oil sits at $7.99 to $34.99, so the difference is less about basic function than the ritual, the bottle, and the sense that someone chose well. Keep the expectation honest, though: there is very little evidence that oils or creams prevent stretch marks, and stretch marks usually fade over time rather than disappear completely.

2. Luna Daily The Post Birth Soothing Spray With Aloe, £10 to £14

Pack this before the hospital bag is zipped. The perineum is the skin and muscular area between the vagina and rectum, and the NHS advises avoiding soap or wipes after birth because they can irritate the area. Luna Daily sells the spray for £10 in 30ml and £14 in 80ml, and M&S also bundles the brand's Pregnancy & New Mum Kit at £75 in a quilted bag that can be reused as a travel wash bag or nappy bag.

3. Medela Purelan Lanolin Cream, $8.39

For early feeding recovery, this small gift gets used immediately. Many women deal with nipple soreness and dry skin in the first few days and weeks of frequent breastfeeding, and the 1.3-ounce tube sells for $8.39 at Target; a randomized controlled trial in Hamilton, Ontario, enrolled 186 breastfeeding women with nipple pain or damage. Lanolin is traditionally used on sore, cracked nipples, but it should be avoided in people with a known wool allergy.

4. Luna Daily The Everywhere Lotion for Dry Skin, £12 to £20

Not every pregnancy or postpartum skin complaint needs a targeted rescue product; sometimes what she needs is a good body hydrator that makes tight, itchy skin feel normal again. Luna Daily's body care is for pregnancy, menopause, or everyday life, and the M&S hydrating edit includes its body lotion at £12, with the larger 200ml bottle at £20, alongside a £23 Thirst-Aid Kit for anyone who likes a set. If you want a more indulgent alternative, HATCH MAMA's Down, Girl Cooling Leg + Foot Cream is $46, a smart pick when swelling and heaviness are the real complaint rather than surface dryness.

5. The Pregnancy & New Mum Kit, £75, or Frida's recovery kits from $49.99

When you want the gift to do the curation for you, the best answer is a kit. Luna Daily's Pregnancy & New Mum Kit is designed to support every stage of motherhood from pregnancy to postpartum recovery, with gentle, clinically tested body care products in a quilted bag that can be reused beyond the nursery; Frida has split the same idea into more specific bundles, from the Pregnancy Body Skincare Relief Set at $49.99 to the Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit at $49.99, the Labor and Delivery + Postpartum Recovery Kit at $69.99, and the C-Section Recovery Kit at $99.99.