Unlike, say, retiring our corkscrew, the changes that mothers-to-be are supposed to make in the beauty realm aren’t clearly laid out by most doctors. Many of the “rules” around “pregnancy-safe” beauty are frustratingly debatable, open to interpretation, and more cryptic than any crib assembly instructions. It’s a puzzle worth solving, though, because beauty matters. Our favorite products have the power to inspire and uplift, to deliver joy in a lipstick bullet or zen in a pot of cream. It’s never about prioritizing our looks over our baby’s health — whether we’re scrutinizing sunscreens, weighing concealer options, or mulling a root touch-up, we want to get it right. For both of us.

But how can we make smart decisions when the information available to us is inconsistent, unclear, or, worse yet, tainted by sneaky marketing claims and scare tactics? This question is precisely what inspired us to create Romper’s first-ever Pregnancy Beauty Awards. Over the past several months, our team has enlisted a veritable village of discerning medical professionals, makeup artists, hair stylists, beauty editors, brand consultants, and entrepreneurs to nominate the products they found to be safe, effective, and even luxurious, both during pregnancy and after. And we asked a team of experts to vet all the ingredients in our winners so we were sure what we could give you all the necessary information to make the right choice for you.

— Romper Editors

Read more about what we really think about pregnancy beauty, our product vetting process, and how we decided what ingredients are off limits.

Photographer: Graydon Herriott

Art Director: Shanelle Infante

Set Stylist: Amy Elise Wilson