Cream to Hide Stretch Marks: 5 Compared

Why you should trust this guide

I approached this guide the way I would shop for myself, by separating what actually hides stretch marks today from what slowly improves them over weeks. Those are two very different jobs, and most marketing blurs them together. Hiding a mark means adding pigment on top of the skin or changing the color of the skin around it, while improving a mark means working on collagen and hydration over time. I sorted these five products by which job they really do so you do not buy a moisturizer expecting instant coverage, or a body makeup expecting a permanent fix.

I built each section from the product’s own stated features and the editorial notes I was given, not from invented claims. Where a formula leans on DHA, makeup pigment, or retinol, I say so plainly, because the mechanism tells you how fast it works and how long it lasts. I also flagged the honest trade-offs, since every one of these has a catch, whether that is transfer onto clothing, an orange cast, dryness, or a slow timeline. My goal is that you finish reading knowing exactly which product fits your event, your skin, and your patience.

How we researched

My evaluation here is research-based rather than a physical trial, so I want to be upfront that I did not personally apply these to my own stretch marks or run a lab. Instead, I weighed each product against the criteria that matter most for concealing or softening marks, then matched those criteria to the manufacturer’s stated specs and the known behavior of the active ingredients. The four things I cared about were coverage or color payoff, longevity and transfer resistance, ease of application for a non-professional, and skin feel, including hydration and any irritation risk.

For the makeup products, I focused on opacity, water resistance, and how forgiving the formula is to blend, because body skin is harder to cover evenly than a face. For the tanning products, I focused on how DHA shifts the contrast between pale marks and surrounding skin, plus streak risk and the time a tan takes to develop. For the treatment cream, I looked at the active ingredients and how they realistically perform on a short timeline versus a multi-week one. I treated all listed features as the product’s stated specs and avoided assigning numbers I cannot verify.

Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup

This is the strongest choice when you need full, immediate coverage. Dermablend is widely used in professional settings to conceal tattoos, scars, and hyperpigmentation, and that same opacity is what makes it work on the ridged or discolored look of stretch marks. The Leg and Body Makeup is a true body foundation, so it is formulated to sit on larger areas and survive movement, not just dab onto a single spot.

The features that matter most here are the up to 16 hours of full coverage and the transfer-resistant, water-resistant finish, which is why it holds up through sweat and light swimming when many concealers would not. The silica-heavy formula also blurs surface texture, so it softens the raised or indented feel of marks rather than just coloring them. It includes SPF 25, and the brand notes it is formulated without phthalates, which is a reasonable plus for something you wear over a wide area.

The honest trade-off is effort and upkeep. Body makeup this opaque needs careful blending and usually a setting step to reach its full transfer resistance, and you have to color-match it to your skin tone, which takes some trial. It is also a cosmetic, so it washes off and has to be reapplied, and on very textured marks the finish can look flat or makeup-like up close. For an event or a photo, that is a fair price for the coverage.

St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Lotion

This is the pick if your stretch marks are lighter than your skin, which is the most common situation once marks have matured. St. Tropez is the benchmark for self-tanning, and the Classic Lotion works by reducing the visible contrast between pale marks and the surrounding skin rather than covering anything. The DHA reacts with amino acids in the surface cells of your skin to build a natural-looking golden tan over roughly four to eight hours, and as the surrounding skin darkens, the pale marks become much less obvious.

St. Tropez lists a sun-kissed buildable glow, a fast-absorbing and streak-free finish, and added skincare benefits, and it is vegan with what the brand calls clean, natural tanning actives. The buildable part is genuinely useful, because you can layer gradually toward the depth that best masks your marks instead of committing to one strong result. The brand’s own guidance is to apply it sparingly in place of your regular body lotion, which keeps the result even.

The trade-off is that this only helps light marks. If your stretch marks are darker or redder than your skin, a tan can deepen the contrast and make them stand out more, not less. DHA tans also fade in a few days and need re-application, and any self-tanner can streak or grab unevenly on dry patches or over the marks themselves if you skip exfoliation and even application. It is a color trick, not coverage, so it will not survive close inspection the way makeup does.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover Concealer

For small, targeted areas this is the most precise option. MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Full Cover Concealer is built for professional-grade opacity in a compact format, which suits a defined patch of marks on the inner arm or bikini line rather than a whole thigh. The high pigment load means you can hide a mark in a single thin layer instead of building up multiple coats that look heavy.

The formula uses a smooth-skin complex that the brand says moisturizes, smooths, and provides a blur and color-correcting effect, and the texture is described as ultra-thin and lightweight so it does not cake. The silicone polymer base gives a seamless, skin-like finish, and it becomes waterproof once it is set, so a small concealed area can hold through more than a regular concealer would. It blends easily with a brush or a fingertip, which keeps it practical for awkward spots.

The limitation is scale and longevity in use. A concealer this pigmented is excellent for a small zone but impractical and expensive to spread across a large area, and like any makeup it needs setting and will rub off without it. You also have to match the shade well, since high opacity makes a wrong tone more obvious, and on raised marks the smooth finish can still catch light differently than the skin around it.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

This is the easiest entry point if you want to fade mark visibility without learning to self-tan. Jergens Natural Glow is a daily moisturizer carrying a low concentration of DHA, so it builds a subtle, natural-looking tan over several days of consistent use instead of all at once. That slow build is exactly what makes it forgiving, because there is far less streaking risk and no sudden color jump to get wrong.

The product is positioned as a gradual sunless tanner and a flawless self-tanner that also delivers daily skin hydration, with a fresh scent and the goal of healthy-looking skin. Because it doubles as a moisturizer, it folds into a normal routine, and the hydration itself can make skin look a little plumper and the marks a little softer. Used as directed, the brand emphasizes there is no orange cast and no streaking, which is the main reason beginners reach for it.

The trade-off is patience and strength. The low DHA level means coverage of contrast is mild and takes days to show, so it will not rescue a last-minute event the way a stronger tan or makeup can. The same caution applies as with any DHA product, that light marks benefit but darker marks can be emphasized, and the effect fades as skin turns over, so you have to keep using it to maintain the look.

Body Merry Stretch Marks and Scars Defense Cream

This is the one to choose when you care more about improving marks over time than hiding them today. Body Merry’s cream sits between active treatment and visual smoothing. Retinol works to stimulate collagen and gradually improve the depth of marks over weeks, while argan oil and shea butter deliver deep hydration that plumps the skin and visually softens marks in the short term.

The brand describes it as a stretch mark butter meant to help the appearance of stretch marks and scars, and it lists gotu kola, a plant ingredient high in triterpenoids that is commonly associated with skin repair support. It is described as fast-absorbing and non-greasy, so it penetrates rather than sitting sticky on the skin, and the brand states it is safe for pregnancy and nursing and clinically tested for zero allergy reactions, which matters for the many people whose marks came from pregnancy. The finish is sheer and skin-tone-neutral, which can reduce the stark white or reddish color of marks somewhat.

The honest limitation is that this is not coverage. It will not hide a mark for an event, and the retinol benefits build slowly and require weeks of steady use to show, plus retinol can cause dryness or sensitivity for some skin, which is worth easing into. Think of it as the long-game product you use daily alongside one of the makeup or tan options when you need an immediate result.

What to look for

The right product depends entirely on whether you need to hide marks now or fade them over time, and on the color of your marks relative to your skin.

• Job: Makeup (Dermablend, MAKE UP FOR EVER) covers instantly, tanners (St. Tropez, Jergens) reduce contrast, and treatment cream (Body Merry) improves marks slowly.
• Mark color: DHA tanners help only when marks are lighter than your skin, and can worsen darker or red marks.
• Area size: Body makeup suits large areas, a high-pigment concealer suits small defined spots.
• Longevity and transfer: Look for water-resistant and transfer-resistant finishes if you will sweat, move, or swim.
• Ease of use: Gradual moisturizers are the most forgiving, full-coverage makeup takes blending and setting.
• Skin feel and safety: Check for hydration, non-greasy absorption, and pregnancy-safe formulas if relevant, and ease into retinol.
• Maintenance: Makeup reapplies each wear, tans fade in days, and treatment creams need weeks of consistency.

The verdict

If you need coverage you can rely on for an event, Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup is my top pick, because it is built to conceal scars and texture and is water and transfer resistant across large areas. For a small, defined patch, MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover Concealer gives cleaner, more precise opacity without spreading body makeup everywhere. If your marks are paler than your skin, St. Tropez Self Tan Classic Lotion blends them by darkening the skin around them, and Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer does the same job more gently for beginners who want a no-fuss daily routine. And if your real goal is to improve the marks over weeks rather than mask them, Body Merry Stretch Marks and Scars Defense Cream is the one to use daily, ideally alongside whichever instant option fits your moment.