How Indie Brands Are Redefining Maternal Beauty

When Ariane Goldman founded maternity brand Hatch in 2011, conversations about perinatal wellness were few and far between.

“It was taboo to show your belly,” she said. “You weren’t telling your boss you were pregnant until about five or six months in fear of getting fired. The whole conversation has shifted so much in the last 10 years.”

Goldman launched her brand with a collection of 10 key maternity clothing items when she couldn’t find a resource to learn what she might need when she herself was pregnant. As she grew the brand, she noticed a similar lack of trusted sources for maternity beauty recommendations, and released a capsule of skincare products, such as Hatch’s $68 Belly Oil — of which it sells thousands every week — in 2018. Thanks to its more accessible price point, she said, beauty continues to grow at a faster rate than the brand’s clothes, which can go for around $250 for a pair of jeans.

Beauty has also become a key area of innovation and opportunity as maternity fashion has become more fluid. When Rihanna announced her first child in 2022 with her iconic Harlem photoshoot, pregnancy became an aspirational aesthetic. Bare bellies and form-fitting clothes became socially widespread, with women opting to show their bumps rather than hide them. Labels like Hatch have adapted by adding more versatile pieces like cardigans and even crop tops to their stocks of stretchy staples.

Amid increasing transparency around pregnancy and perinatal care — boosted by celebrities, social media and mumfluencers, there is a gap in the market for safe and enjoyable care products. Around the globe, a cast of women who, like Goldman, were pregnant and could not find brands equipping mums-to-be with the tools to care for their bodies in this new stage, stepped in to bring a more elevated, science-backed and emotionally resonant approach to a space once dominated by a few clinical pharmacy products.

The segment is not as niche as it seems. According to Pew Research Center, in 2016, 86 percent of American women aged 40–44 had given birth. And while pregnancy and postpartum seem like a short period, it is, next to puberty and menopause, the most hormonally impactful time in a woman’s life. Everything she consumes changes overnight, once those two lines appear.

“At pregnancy, women are making all kinds of choices to better their life and to better their health. It is a pivotal turning point for women,” said Shirley Pinkson Mañas, co-founder of clean cosmetics brand Well People. The line, which was acquired by E.l.f. Beauty in 2020, often sees women try its products for the first time due to its pregnancy-friendly badge and EWG verification — but can then keep them on as long-term customers given its positioning as a beauty brand for all.

As newer brands cater to a previously underserved market and evolve the ways in which they can serve mums in the long-term, several, like Well People, have been attracting investors who can amplify their R&D resources and make it easier for them to reach more parents, further driving their impact in the category.

Room to Grow

Lara Henderson, founder of New Zealand-based Pure Mama, started her brand when she was expecting in 2019. Shocked by the scarcity of effective, pregnancy-safe skincare options, Henderson developed her label, which now leads the maternal body care category in Australia and New Zealand.

Kenza Keller, a veteran of the luxury world with a decade of experience at Hermès, LVMH and Byredo, created her label Talm when she, too, struggled to find products that supported women — and made them feel indulged — during and after pregnancy. “Everything I found was dusty and uninspiring,” Keller recalled.

“Coming from the luxury world, I wanted something elevated, safe, and emotionally supportive,” she continued. Founded in 2021, Talm quickly gained traction for its Mega Oil and Mega Balm, each $44, combining scientific rigour, sustainability and refined aesthetics. Since then, the line has expanded to include postpartum supplements that are breastfeeding-safe.

By delving into the category based on their own experiences, these founders have crafted an offering that was simply never as targeted or refined in the past. While pharmacy lines may have large budgets, they are less focused on this specific period of a woman’s life.

“It’s the companies that are smaller and nimble, that actually care specifically around this journey, that can listen and create products that solve those problems,” said Goldman. “That’s where you’re seeing that focus and that ability to react. Some of these older school entities just don’t have that nimbleness.”

These founders’ experience on the consumer end also fed their drive to simplify the educational journey surrounding safety in maternity beauty, especially as shoppers are bombarded with information on social media. Ritual, for example, which has the top-selling prenatal supplement in the US — a category that is rife with regulatory issues in the US — clearly labels the product as clinically studied on its website to guide customers as they sift through options.

“You have to show the certifications and the proof behind what you’re doing,” said Katerina Schneider, who founded Ritual while pregnant in 2016.

Nurturing Next Steps

Investors have a “favourite question” when it comes to maternity wellness brands, said Hatch’s Goldman: Doesn’t pregnancy only last nine months?

But these brands are in it for a longer haul, appealing to customers whose lifestyles change with pregnancy. In 2024, retail group Go Global brought Hatch under its umbrella alongside childrenswear brand Janie + Jack: The brand can build a bridge between the trust it has with mothers-to-be and the next purchasing stage for their children.

As up-and-coming brands start to lead maternity wellness not only in research, but also in size, investors and partners have taken an interest in establishing a foothold in the growing category.

After an early partnership with Australian retailer Mecca Beauty, Pure Mama entered the US market through Goop, Revolve, Nordstrom and Erewhon and has seen 10-15 percent month-on-month growth in the region, said founder Henderson. Talm received a minority investment from skincare brand Caudalie’s founders, and now retails through Le Bon Marché, Oh My Cream and Skin Cosmetics. Sales are currently split 60 – 40 between online and wholesale. The European market is Keller’s top priority, with growth in the UK and the UAE via e-tailer Ounass underway.

Even the queen of cool pregnancies herself, Rihanna, reportedly uses her products. “I got a call from her PA one day,” Keller said. “It was one of those pinch-me moments.”

In October, Coterie was acquired by Mammoth Brands, which owns personal care brands like Harry’s and Flamingo. While its new parent company saw opportunity in the premium baby care space Coterie was operating in — it has driven $200 million net revenue in 2025 — Coterie is also working to build longer-lasting relationships with mums. On Wednesday, for example, it launched a collaborative line with womenswear brand Donni to create comfortable clothing for both children and mums, pre, during and post-pregnancy.

While remaining selective with its retail partners, the investment also enables Coterie to “show up for our customers where they need us,” said Grace Weingard, the brand’s president. Experts hope that with more investment and collaboration, the new guard of maternity brands can not only succeed but shine a spotlight on overlooked concepts in women’s health care.

“It does push women’s health research forward,” said Schneider. Ritual itself has received tens of millions of dollars in investments. “We’re in a space where we can’t just be asking the government for funding … We have to be doing it ourselves.”

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