The Best Nipple Creams for Breastfeeding Moms in 2024

Are your nipples sore after breastfeeding? Are you struggling with dry, cracked, and itchy skin around the nipple area? It’s a common complaint among pregnant and breastfeeding women, but it’s one that has an easy solution: Nipple cream!

I struggled with itchy, dry, and sore nipples. When I was pregnant, when I was breastfeeding—even when running. I’ve been there, and I’ve got the t-shirt (which, ironically, also itches my nipples!). I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to nipple creams, and these are my best picks.

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Nipple Creams Quick Recommendations

1. Best Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding  

Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream is designed for conscientious mothers seeking the most natural creams. It’s 100% lanolin, with nothing added to preserve, color, or otherwise change the product.

Buy Our Top Pick For Breastfeeding

2. Best Lanolin Nipple Cream

Medela Nipple Cream is a lanolin nipple cream in a handy little bottle. It is very well-rated, reasonably priced, and has been well received by mothers.

Buy This All Natural Cream

3. Best Lanolin-Free Nipple Cream

Motherlove Nipple Cream is 100% organic and lanolin free. It comes in little 1-ounce and 2-ounce jars and features a blend of natural oils, including olive oil and beeswax.

Buy This Motherlove Nipper Cream

4. Best Nipple Numbing Cream

Another winning product from Lansinoh, this time it’s a spray that contains a blend of herbal extracts and 4% lidocaine for soothing and fast-acting relief.

Buy The Lansinoh Postpartum Spray

5. Best Cream for Dry and Cracked Skin

The Medela Purelan 100 Nipple Cream is a Swiss-made product that is kind to the skin and helps to replenish lost oils. If you suffer from dry and cracked nipples, this hydrating cream is perfect.

Buy The Medela Nipple Cream

6. Nursing Nipple Cream

This organic nipple cream was developed by the Tiny Human Supply Co and is made from natural and completely odorless ingredients. It is USDA-approved organic and comes in small jars of 1.8 ounces.

Buy Organic Nipple Cream

7. Organic Nipple Cream

Created by Earth Mama, this organic nipple butter breastfeeding cream is completely free of petrochemicals, parabens, and lanolin. It’s all-natural and is a very effective moisturizer for sensitive areas.

Buy The Earth Mama Nipple Cream

8. Best Pregnancy Nipple Cream

Mama’s Choice Soothing Nipple Cream is an alcohol-free, paraben-free product that features a natural blend of coconut oil, shea butter, and date palm, creating a very effective cream that won’t harm your baby and is not harsh on your skin.

Buy Soothing Nipple Cream

9. Best Relieving Nipple Cream

Made for breastfeeding moms and pregnant women, this cream follows through with its promise to provide relief from chapped and sore nipples. It’s scent-free, lanolin-free, and USDA organic, with a blend of ingredients that include aloe vera, sunflower oil, and shea butter.

Buy Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding

10. Best Hypoallergenic Nipple Cream

There are just three ingredients in this Tommee Tippee nipple cream: avocado oil, beeswax, and shea butter. If you want a cream that is lanolin free but still keeps things simple and clean, give it a go.

Buy Tommee Tippee Nipple Cream

11. Best Vegan Nipple Cream

Not all nipple creams are vegan, but Angry Nips definitely is. It provides relief for sore and chapped nipples and uses 100% plant-based ingredients, including coconut oil, sunflower oil, and olive wax.

Buy Vegan Nipple Cream

But How Did We Rank The Best Nipple Creams?

There are a few things to consider when looking for the best nipple creams:

• Safety: Will the cream harm your skin and your baby?
• Cost: Most nipple creams are priced at around $10, but with varying sizes, the price per gram differences can be substantial.
• Natural: Is the cream organic? Is it made from natural ingredients?
• Odors and Fragrances: Odorless and flavorless creams are best, and you also want something devoid of preservatives and potentially toxic ingredients.
• Trust: Is it a brand that you can trust? Has it been certified as safe or organic, and do the reviews confirm its efficacy and safety?

All of these things have been considered in creating these nipple cream reviews and recommendations.

Here is an In-Depth Look at our picks for the best nipple creams right now:

1. Best Nipple Cream for Breastfeeding

Editor’s Choice

Lansinoh is one of the most respected names in the mother care sector, one that has produced a number of great products. It focuses on simplicity above all else, and this nipple cream is a prime example.

It’s 100% lanolin, and it’s a highly refined, bacteria-resistant form of lanolin. Not only is it soothing, but it’s safe for babies so it can be left on when you are breastfeeding.

The lanolin is naturally sourced from New Zealand and there is no animal testing.

Why We Like It

• Simple and natural
• Can be left on while breastfeeding
• Great for those early days when the baby is latching

Verdict = Editor’s Choice

2. Best Lanolin Nipple Cream

User Favorite

Medela nipple cream, just like Lansinoh, is a very well-respected brand that focuses on quality and simplicity above all else. This cream is a prime example of that as it’s 100% lanolin. There are no parabens, fragrances, preservatives, or anything else. It’s just the highest-quality lanolin that money can buy.

If that’s what you’re looking for, you can’t go much wrong with Medela nipple cream.

Why We Like It

• Lanolin-only nipple cream
• No harmful ingredients
• Easy-to-use tube

Verdict = User Favorite

3. Best Lanolin-Free Nipple Cream

Best Range

The options above both contain lanolin, but there are many others that don’t, and Motherlove Nipple Cream is the best of them. The Motherlove range is beautifully presented and well-considered. There are some fantastic products in this range and the organic lanolin-free nipple cream is one of the best.

In place of lanolin, Motherlove uses a blend of extra virgin olive oil, beeswax, shea butter, marshmallow root, and calendula flower. They are all-natural ingredients and they work incredibly well together.

Why We Like It

• Blend of natural ingredients
• Absolutely no lanolin
• Proven-effective ingredients

Verdict = Best Range

4. Best Nipple Numbing Cream

Best for Pain Relief

It’s Lansinoh again, and this time it’s a 4% lidocaine spray that also contains aloe vera and witch hazel. In combination, these ingredients help to relieve pain and soothe the nipple area. It has been dermatologically tested and works incredibly quickly.

If you’re struggling with sore nipples and need some fast relief, this is probably the best product on the market. And don’t just take our word for it, as there are over 1,000 reviews on the Amazon storefront and the vast majority of these are positive.

Why We Like It:

• Fast-acting pain relief
• Lidocaine and natural ingredients
• Misting, non-aerosol spray

Verdict = Best for Pain Relief

5. Best Cream for Dry and Cracked Skin

Best Compact Option

This is another Medela nipple cream, and it’s one that comes in a very compact tube that you can pop into your pocket or bag. The cream is natural but strong, and it provides instant soothing protection for dry and cracked skin.

After a little dab of this cream on dry and cracked nipples, you’ll understand why it has been so highly rated. Your skin just soaks it up and you’ll feel better right away. Make sure you keep using it though as the issue won’t go away with one application.

Why We Like It

• Instantly soothing
• Great for dry and cracked nipples
• Portable and handy tube

Verdict = Best Compact Option

6. Best Nursing Nipple Cream

Made with Care

Created by the Tiny Human Supply Co, this is a small bottle that packs a big punch and is one of our best picks for nursing nipple creams. 

First up, it’s USDA-certified organic, so you know you’re getting something that’s all-natural and made with care. It also has a buttery smooth texture and is a pleasure to apply and use, without any greasiness that gets onto your clothes.

And then you have the ingredients, which are a blend of natural oils and extracts, including coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter. The icing on the cake for this excellent nipple cream is that it’s made in the United States with fair wages, so you can promote a very important industry and help a considerate company.

Why We Like It

• Made with care
• Blended with 7 natural ingredients
• Soft and doesn’t make a mess of clothes

Verdict = Made with Care

7. Organic Nipple Cream

Excellent Organic Choice

Our pick for the best organic nipple cream is the Organic Nipple Butter Breastfeeding Cream by Earth Mama. It’s hard to separate this from the Tiny Human Supply Co option outlined above, but as we have categories for both of them, we didn’t need to pick favorites!

This Earth Mama nipple cream is trusted by users and hospitals across the United States and features a soothing and protective blend of natural ingredients. You’ll find olive oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, mango butter, shea butter, and calendula extract. Not only does it make for a smooth and fantastic nipple cream, but it sounds like it would make a great dessert, as well.

As with most of the other nipple creams on this list, the Earth Mama cream is baby-friendly, so you don’t need to wipe or wash it off before breastfeeding.

Why We Like It

• Trusted by users and hospitals
• Made with natural ingredients
• A blend of butters and oils

Verdict = Excellent Organic Choice

8. Best Pregnancy Nipple Cream

Best Protective Cream

The Mama’s Choice nipple cream contains just a few simple ingredients, but all of these are well-considered. It contains coconut oil and shea butter to hydrate and protect; vitamin E to soothe and reduce inflammation, and date extract to help with dry and cracked nipples.

Maybe it’s the date extract (not commonly seen in other nipple creams), but something about this cream makes it more effective at preventing cracks/soreness than other creams.

They all hydrate, and as long as you’re using them properly, they should all protect. But this one just seems to have the edge in that department. It might not be as soothing as some of the others, but if your nipples are relatively problem-free and you want them to stay that way, check it out.

Why We Like It

• Great for avoiding nipple soreness/dryness
• Simple but effective ingredients
• Easy-squeeze tube

Verdict = Best Protective Cream

9. Best Relieving Nipple Cream

Best for Blistering Nipples

We mentioned that Mama’s Choice was great for preventing issues, but what if you already have them? That’s where the Nipple Nurture Balm comes in.

Created by Calm A Mama, it’s a lanolin-free, USDA-certified balm designed for blistering and chapped nipples. It is incredibly fast-acting and soothing and consists of a blend of calendula, sunflower oil, aloe vera, shea butter, coconut oil, and honeycomb.

Why We Like It

• Good for blistering and sore nipples
• Soothes very quickly
• All natural ingredients

Verdict = Best for Blistering Nipples

10. Best Hypoallergenic Nipple Cream

Best Hypoallergenic Nipple Cream

Most of the nipple creams discussed in this guide should be okay if you have very sensitive skin. They all use basic ingredients and create a product that is kind to both baby and mother. But we find that the Tommee Tippee Made for Me Hypoallergenic Nipple Cream is especially helpful for this.

It keeps things very simple and sticks with just three ingredients: avocado oil, beeswax, and shea butter. There are no plant extracts, no chemical additives, and nothing that could cause problems. It’s safe for use when breastfeeding, can be used on dry and cracked nipples, and is even used by runners and other people who struggle with very sensitive and sore nipples.

Why We Like It

• Hypoallergenic nipple cream
• Just three natural ingredients
• No extracts—all fats

Verdict = Best Hypoallergenic Nipple Cream

11. Best Vegan Nipple Cream

Best for Vegans

The Angry Nips nipple cream doesn’t include any beeswax, lanolin, or other non-vegan ingredients. It’s made from sunflower oil, coconut oil, olive wax, candelilla wax, babassu oil, and a plant-based source of vitamin E.

It also comes in a cool little tin and is handcrafted in the United States.

Why We Like It

• The best vegan nipple cream
• Made in the United States
• Only plant-based ingredients

Verdict = Best for Vegans

Nipple Cream FAQs

What Does Nipple Cream Help With?

Nipple cream can help to soothe dry and cracked nipples caused by breastfeeding. It can also protect you against these issues if you use it after every feed.

What Else is Nipple Cream Used For?

Nipple cream is not just for breastfeeding mothers. It can also be used by runners, who often struggle with dry, cracked, and irritated nipples due to the friction caused by their t-shirts moving up and down when they run. Furthermore, as nipple cream often consists of a few basic moisturizing ingredients, it can also be used as a general moisturizer on other parts of your body.

How Much Does Nipple Cream Cost?

Nipple cream is usually very cheap. It costs between $5 and $15 on average, though it depends on the contents, brand, and size. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s worth noting that we’re talking about something that contains very few basic ingredients, so it makes sense.

A lot of time, you’re just paying for the branding, but the same could be said for everything else these days.

If you are very budget conscious, you can try making your own nipple cream. But it’s probably not worth the hassle. For less than $10, you can get a cream that will last you for weeks. The bottles and tubes are very small, but you only need to use a pea-sized amount each time, so they last for a long time.

What is the Lanolin Used in Nipple Cream?

Lanolin is extracted from sheep’s wool. It is a natural ingredient and it has some unique properties, including an incredible ability to repel water. As a result, it has properties similar to substances like petroleum jelly, but it’s all-natural.

Does Nipple Cream Work?

Yes, it is very effective! Nipple cream is ideal if you are breastfeeding and need some relief. It is especially useful during the latching phase when your nipples can take a bit of a beating.

Of course, it won’t work for everyone. It might not be as soothing as you need it to be or you might find it to be far too greasy. But that’s why there are so many different nipple creams on the market.

Take a look at our guide above. Check the reviews, pay attention to the ingredients, and choose a cream that you think will be most suitable for you.

Is Nipple Cream Safe When Breastfeeding?

Yes, most nipple creams are safe to use when you are breastfeeding. It’s something that you will need to check, as there are exceptions, but you should be okay.

Most nipple creams use safe and natural ingredients, including olive oil, beeswax, and shea butter, so you don’t need to wipe them off before feeding your baby.

Can Nipple Cream Be Used for Diaper Rash?

Yes, you can use nipple cream to soothe diaper rash. Make sure the area has been cleaned and dried before applying the cream.

Does Nipple Cream Expire?

Most products expire, and this is as true for skin and beauty products as it is for anything else. But there could be an exception for some nipple creams.

Many creams will simply lose their scent and some of their color after a while, but that’s not so much of an issue for a product that often advertises itself as free of fragrances and colorants. What’s more, some brands, including Lansinoh, state that they use ultra-purified and bacteriostatic lanolin, which means it prohibits bacterial growth and shouldn’t really expire.

But we’re talking about a sensitive area of your skin that will be used to breastfeed, potentially putting yourself and your little one at risk. Even if the risk is minimal, it’s still not worth it.

Check the expiration date on the bottle/tube and get rid of it once this date has passed.

All products will have one of these dates, but some of them simply show an image of an open tub followed by a number and “M”. This indicates the use by date after it has been opened. For instance, if it says “6M” (as is the case with the Tommee Tippee Hypoallergenic nipple cream highlighted in this guide) it means it will expire in 6 months.

Are Nipple Creams Vegan?

If you’re not clued up on the subject, you could be forgiven for thinking that all nipple creams were vegan. After all, they don’t use animal fats or gelatin, so what could be the issue? They’re also natural and clearly put a lot of thought into creating natural, cruelty-free products.

But believe it or not, the majority are not vegan.

There are a couple of problem ingredients here and they just happen to be two of the most common ingredients in nipple creams: lanolin and beeswax.

Beeswax, as you probably know, is produced by bees and is not considered vegan. Some vegans argue otherwise, but many don’t class honey or beeswax as vegan.

As for lanolin, it’s extracted from wool, which obviously comes from sheep.

Both of these ingredients are vegetarian, but they are not vegan. Of course, there are vegan nipple creams out there and we have highlighted a couple of them in this guide, including the Angry Nips Vegan Nipple Cream.

Is Lanolin Safe to Use?

Lanolin is very safe for both baby and mother. However, it’s not for everyone, and that’s why there are many lanolin-free products on the market.

For instance, you may decide to avoid lanolin if you are vegan. You should also avoid it if you or your baby have an allergy to wool, as it comes from sheep’s wool.

Conclusion: The Best Nipple Creams for 2024

Nipple creams are low-cost, baby-safe, skin-safe creams and balms that can provide some much-needed relief when you’re breastfeeding. And that’s not all—as noted above, they can also be used by pregnant women, runners, and anyone else who needs a little protection.

There are many great nipple creams out there, as well as a few bad ones. We have highlighted the best of the best above to make your life easier, so take a look, click the links, and buy one or more of these great nipple creams today!