If you’ve been searching for wild yam cream benefits, wild yam cream UK, Barbara O’Neill wild yam cream or even asking “what does wild yam cream actually do?”, you’re definitely not alone. Wild yam has become increasingly talked about, particularly amongst people navigating perimenopause, menopause and changing skin.
It’s also one of the products I’m asked about most at Farmstead Naturals — and our own Wild Yam Cream has now been named a Skincare Best Buy in The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards 2026.
Why I made my own Wild Yam Cream
My original interest in wild yam came from listening to Barbara O’Neill talk about it.
Barbara discusses wild yam in relation to progesterone, oestrogen and hormonal balance, referring to the relationship between hormones as their “natural dance” and progesterone as the “great mother hormone”. Those discussions made me curious enough to start looking much more closely at wild yam for myself.
But when I decided to create my own, there was something I really wanted to do differently.
I wanted a simple, fragrance-free Wild Yam Cream that I would genuinely enjoy using as skincare. No heavy fragrance, no essential oils and no unnecessarily complicated formula — just a beautiful moisturiser centred around wild yam extract and nourishing ingredients for dry, sensitive and hormonally changing skin.
And that fragrance-free decision has turned out to be incredibly important.
A repeat customer who has now ordered from us twice messaged me today saying:
“Really love your cream. The one I used changed the formula and became too floral.”
That little message sums up exactly why I wanted ours to remain fragrance free. When your skin is already sensitive or reactive — or you simply don’t want perfume sitting on your face every day — simple can be a very good thing.
What are the benefits of Wild Yam Cream?
First, it’s useful to separate the traditional conversation around wild yam from what our Farmstead Naturals cream actually is.
Our Wild Yam Cream is a cosmetic moisturiser containing wild yam root extract. It does not contain added progesterone or other hormones. Human research into wild yam for menopausal symptoms is still very limited and results have been mixed, so we don’t make claims that our cream alters your hormone levels or treats menopause symptoms. Memorial Sloan Kettering notes that studies in humans are limited and mixed, while NCCIH says too little research has been carried out to draw conclusions about wild yam for menopausal symptoms.
What I can tell you about our cream is what it was actually formulated to do: nourish, moisturise and comfort dry, sensitive and reactive skin.
The formula combines wild yam root extract with mango butter, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil and vitamin E, while remaining completely fragrance free and essential-oil free.
What does Barbara O’Neill say about Wild Yam Cream?
This is clearly something lots of you are searching for — and Barbara genuinely was part of the inspiration behind me making mine.
Barbara O’Neill discusses wild yam extensively in the context of traditional herbal use and hormonal change. Her own material makes stronger claims around diosgenin, progesterone and hormonal balance.
The scientific position isn’t as certain. Wild yam naturally contains diosgenin, and diosgenin can be used as a starting material to manufacture steroid hormones in a laboratory. However, there isn’t evidence showing that the human body converts diosgenin from wild yam into progesterone.
So rather than trying to make Farmstead Naturals Wild Yam Cream into a hormone treatment, I took the ingredient that had sparked my interest and created the kind of natural, gentle moisturiser I actually wanted for my own skin.
Is Wild Yam Cream the same as HRT?
No — they’re very different things.
HRT is a regulated medical treatment containing hormones. Farmstead Naturals Wild Yam Cream is a cosmetic moisturiser containing wild yam extract and no added progesterone or hormones. Research into wild yam and menopausal symptoms is still limited, so we don’t position it as an alternative to HRT.
If you’re taking prescribed HRT, or considering changing your medication, that is something to discuss with your doctor or pharmacist rather than replacing it with a cosmetic product.
Why is Wild Yam Cream popular during perimenopause and menopause?
Your skin can change considerably through perimenopause and menopause. As hormone levels change, many people notice that skin becomes drier, thinner or more reactive than it used to be.
That’s where I think our Wild Yam Cream really comes into its own.
It isn’t about promising to change your hormones. It’s about giving changing skin a rich but non-greasy, fragrance-free moisturiser that feels lovely to use every day.
And customers seem to agree.
At the time of writing, our Wild Yam Cream has 12 customer reviews — all five stars. Customers have described it as “like velvet on the skin”, “a great base for my makeup” and “an absolute staple in my routine”.
That last one particularly means a lot to me because I never wanted this to be something people bought because Wild Yam Cream was trending, used once and forgot about. I wanted to create a moisturiser people genuinely wanted to keep in their bathroom and reorder.
Does Wild Yam Cream work under makeup?
This has actually become one of my favourite unexpected benefits of the formula.
Despite being nourishing, it absorbs beautifully rather than leaving a thick greasy layer behind. One customer with extremely sensitive skin specifically told us it gives her “a great base for my makeup”, while others mention how quickly it absorbs without leaving greasy residue.
So you can use it as a morning moisturiser before makeup as well as part of your evening skincare routine.
When should you use Wild Yam Cream?
Our Wild Yam Cream doesn’t need to be used according to a hormonal cycle because it isn’t a progesterone cream.
Simply apply a small amount to clean, dry skin once or twice daily and gently massage until absorbed. It can be used on the face or other areas where skin feels dry and needs moisturising.
Who can use Wild Yam Cream?
I originally created it with hormonally changing skin in mind, but you absolutely don’t have to be menopausal to enjoy it.
It’s particularly lovely for people looking for:
- a fragrance-free moisturiser
- sensitive or reactive skin care
- dry or mature skin care
- a moisturiser without essential oils
- rosacea-prone or redness-prone skin care
- a richer moisturiser that still sits nicely underneath makeup
Our formula is also vegan and handmade in small batches here in the UK.
Now an award-winning Wild Yam Cream 🏆
One of my proudest moments this year was seeing our little jar of Wild Yam Cream recognised by The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards 2026 as a Skincare Best Buy.
The official 2026 winners list places Farmstead Naturals Wild Yam Cream amongst its selected Skincare Best Buys — alongside established natural beauty brands.
When I first became curious about wild yam after hearing Barbara O’Neill talk about it, I certainly wasn’t thinking that one day I’d be formulating my own version, having customers repeatedly reorder it and then seeing it recognised in a national natural beauty award.
That really is the loveliest full-circle moment. 🤍
Looking for Wild Yam Cream in the UK?
If you’re searching for a natural, fragrance-free Wild Yam Cream in the UK, ours is handmade in small batches using wild yam root extract and carefully selected skin-loving ingredients.
No added hormones. No essential oils. No perfume. Just a gentle moisturiser that has become a staple in so many of our customers’ routines — and is now officially award-winning too.
Ready to see why so many customers have made it a staple? 🤍
Shop our award-winning Wild Yam Cream — Green Parent Best Buy 2026 →