I logged over 50 flights last year and am sitting in a hotel room on my first trip of this year right now. I’m an expert traveler at this point in my beauty editor career, including knowing exactly how to pack a makeup bag and skincare products. Here’s the thing, though: Curating the right toiletry bag isn’t just about space. It’s also about preventing your skin from freaking out the second you sit in your airplane seat.
No matter how on top of your skincare routine you are, travel is known for messing up your skin. “Any change to your typical humidity, air quality, temperature, or sun exposure levels can lead to things like dryness, redness, and acne,” says dermatologist Shari Marchbein, MD. Not to mention that skin can get super dry while on a plane and then compensate by overproducing oil when you land, leaving your face dehydrated but somehow also breaking out the entire time you’re on vacay and when you get home.
Plus, rushing beforehand to get everything together before you head out, then navigating the chaos that is the airport and landing in an unfamiliar place—it’s all pretty damn stressful. “And stress increases inflammation and causes the hormone cortisol to spike, which can stimulate sebaceous glands and lead to breakouts,” Dr. Marchbein says. Cortisol also gets unleashed by an erratic sleep schedule or vacation-y diet (hey, you did earn those rosemary French fries you keep adding to your lunch order).
But deep breaths. There’s a solution to all this madness, and it’s all right here. As a beauty editor, it’s not only my job to actually travel but also tell you how to do so without breaking out or arriving at the airport with an overweight bag. Below, I’ve included a mix of helpful tips and products to pack, especially to make do in the moments you realize you forgot something. Cosmo HQ are bonafide jet setters, so trust us.
15 Best Travel Skincare Tips:
1. Try moisturizer to remove eye makeup
If you forgot (or just didn’t wanna pack) separate eye makeup remover, your moisturizer can actually help. Put a bit of fragrance-free cream on a tissue and gently run it along your lids and lash lines. The lotion’s oils will help dissolve your eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow.
2. Focus on soothing, not smoothing
Even those without sensitive skin can end up with a face on the fritz while traveling. Keep the majority of your actives at home and amend your skincare routine to incorporate mostly the soft stuff. Now’s not the time to try out an intense peel or exfoliating treatment. The bulk of your toiletry bag should include hydrating and soothing serums, moisturizers, and cleansers.
3. Bring your sheet masks
Single-use products have their environmental downsides, but a biodegradable sheet mask is a great thing to stock up on before a trip. The tiny packages are easy to slide into the side of your makeup bag but usually pack a lot of ingredients, especially calming and moisturizing ones to help stave off irritation. Another one we love? Eye patches instead of a tub of eye cream. These can help depuff and brighten after a long flight or late nights.
4. Swap conditioner for shaving cream
Packing shaving cream is a nice luxury, but if you’re short on space in your luggage, just smooth on the hotel’s hair conditioner instead. It’s likely made with a lot of the same softening ingredients that’ll help your razor glide across your skin.
5. Use your ointments to their full potential
That Vaseline or Aquaphor you packed? Swipe a little on your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, and on your Cupid’s bow for a bit of shimmer.
6. Pack eye drops to color correct
Dab eye drops on an angry breakout—the active ingredient that reduces redness in your eyes can help reduce it on and around a breakout too.
7. Soothe a zit
Super angry breakout that just won’t go away and all of your spot treatments are at home? Get some plain Greek yogurt from the breakfast bar and use it as a 15-minute face mask. It’s anti-inflammatory and full of good bacteria to calm down your skin.
8. Hoard all your samples
A trip is the perfect excuse to pull out the baby sample perfumes you’ve been holding onto. “I hoard all of those little scent strips that come in magazines and use them as fragrance on trips,” Hayley, a reader, once told us.
Keep in mind, though, on the samples front: Travel isn’t always the best time to try something new. So although you really want to use that new baby cleanser you got in your last Sephora order, maybe wait to avoid any potential irritation. Rely on your go-to by either purchasing a mini size (I do this and then will refill it if possible with the same cleanser every time I run out), or decant some into a reusable travel size container.
9. Save space with a contacts case
“Instead of bringing my whole foundation bottle, I squeeze a few pumps into the left and right sides of a contact lens case and throw it in my bag,” a Cosmo reader, Cristina, once told us. And you could definitely try this with other liquids, like primer, moisturizer, serum. etc. Ofc, if you’re traveling for an extended period of time, you’ll potentially want more, but this should be enough for a long weekend.
10. Remember: All of your creams are multi-use
“I use Maybelline Super Stay Matte InkLiquid Lipstick in Seductress as my eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick,” a reader, Stephanie, previously told Cosmo. “It’s easy to pack and it never comes off, so you don’t have to worry about touch-ups,” she added.
11. Prevent maskne
When you’re wearing a sanitary mask on flights, in airports, or anywhere while traveling, you are protecting yourself against germs, but potentially causing a little irritation and inflammation underneath that could cause breakouts. Before and after a flight, spritz a hypochlorous acid mist on your face to help break down and reduce bacteria while soothing skin.
12. Always pack a cuticle nipper
These bbs keep your cuticles looking ~fresh~, yes, but they’re also clutch for removing rogue flakes from your face, pulling scabby skin off a pimple (gross, but IYKYK), or even cutting a tag off a dress.
13. Combine your facial and body moisturizer
A rich lotion for face and body, like CeraVe’s Moisturizing Cream, is genius to save space. Almost all skin types can use this face and body lotion after flights to stay hydrated. The formula is super basic (in the best possible way) and free of ingredients that cause irritation or clog pores.
14. Powder formulas are your friend
If you’re prone to travel breakouts, paring down your makeup routine is a good idea in general. But opting for powders instead of creams can not only help cut down on much-needed space but also help curb breakouts. Powders are, typically, not filled with the same heavy occlusives like butters and oils as a cream product would, meaning there’s less of a chance of pore clogging. Plus, powders are also usually more long-wearing, cutting down on the need for touch-ups.
15. Call ahead
Before you freak out and head to the nearest drugstore and spend $$$, call down to the hotel spa or front desk if you’ve forgotten something. Most hotels have shower caps, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, floss, and more essentials. But today, some even carry more ~advanced~ necessities, like makeup remover wipes and hairspray. And in doubt, the hotel spa probably has it too if you don’t want to or can’t leave the property. You can also call up the hotel before you leave to see what they’ll have and prevent you from packing stuff that’s already in your room.
QQ: Do you really need a whole in-flight skincare routine?
Yes, but not how you think. Dry cabin air sucks the moisture out of your skin, and UVA light (the kind that causes premature aging or even cancer) at high altitudes puts you at risk for skin damage, says Dr. Marchbein. But you should prep your skin before the flight, not necessarily during. Just before you board (or right before you leave your house, if you don’t mind showing up to the airport fresh-faced), use a cleanser, load up on moisture, and then slather on sunscreen with SPF 50 or more. And while you’re in the air, drink lots of water (ideally eight ounces for every hour). A rich moisturizer will help lock in all of the moisture that you’d potentially lose mid-flight, and it can help keep out the pollutants and icky air swirling around too. For this reason, we’re not super into doing a whole 10-step routine once the plane is wheels up. But you do you!
Why trust Cosmopolitan?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with more than seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories.
Lauren Balsamo is Cosmo‘s beauty director and has worked in beauty for more than a decade (meaning she’s traveled as a beauty editor a lot).
Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for more than a decade at Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you “have to try.” Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair ‘do every few months.
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