Travel frequently enough and your skincare routine becomes just as important as your plane outfit or boarding ritual. After all, a dehydrating airplane cabin combined with a dose of jet lag can do a number on even the clearest of skin types. Everyone takes care of their skin in different ways, of course: For some of us, it means a strict regime of moisturizers and serums slathered onto clean skin, while for others the focus is more about keeping hands hydrated after being dried out by sanitizer or cold weather. Then, of course, there are those of us who feel no shame in applying an under-eye mask once the plane reaches cruising altitude. We asked our editors for their best travel skincare tips—and which products they use just as much at home as they do on the road.
This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Tinted moisturizers and micellar wipes
Being much more homebound during the pandemic has really changed my relationship with makeup, in that I don’t wear it anymore unless I really have to. When I do pack a Dopp kit, my travel-size products are a lot more dedicated to keeping my face clean and moisturized these days: A tinted moisturizer is all I will put on for the dry plane, and before going to bed I want to make sure every drop of makeup is off with a good micellar wipe (the only time I’ll use wasteful wipes is on the go and for this purpose). A night time routine I’ll sometimes squeeze in on a plane if my skin is feeling dry: a really cool-feeling face moisturizer like Tatcha’s The Water Cream, plus a concentrated eye cream or gel, like this one from Clinique that has lasted me so long now–a tiny dab goes a long way for tired, dry eyes. —Shannon McMahon, destinations editor
Gua Sha and cleansers
Nothing dries out my skin quite like traveling, so I call in my A-team of products to give my skin the extra boost of hydration it needs. I always pack a mini Clinique Moisture Surge 100 Hour Hydrator—it’s made for locking in extra moisture and perfect before a long flight. I love using my favorite lip mask every morning and night on any trip. I find that when I’m eating a lot of salty food on vacation, I wake up looking extra puffy; to combat that, I keep my jade roller and Gua Sha in the mini fridge (if it’s available) to de-puff after my skincare routine. If any blemishes pop while I’m on a trip, I place a tiny dot of the Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Gel directly on the spot right before bed. A little bit goes a long way—this Clearing Gel is my secret weapon for clearing pimples overnight and the bottle is small enough to fit in any makeup bag. When I get back from a vacation, I use the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Cooling Mask to reset my skin with extra hydration. —Meaghan Kenny, editorial assistant
Sunday Riley treatments
I have become a die-hard supporter of Sunday Riley's ICE ceramide moisturizer—it works very, very hard and absorbs very deeply. Your skin feels super nice to touch and has a bit of shine, too. I also use the brand’s all-in-one lactic acid treatment once a night: It supports elasticity and retextures skin, which is good news for frequent fliers who are exposed to various degrees of dry, recycled air, and all types of temperatures in a single journey. —Erin Florio, executive editor
Facial spray and the Jet Lag Mask
Pre-pandemic, I foolishly chose to take a lot of red eyes, but the one silver lining was that it helped me master my in-flight skin routine. (Getting off a plane at 6 a.m. with a full face of slept-in makeup is a unique brand of gross.) Before boarding, I like to clean my face with a TSA-friendly face wipe, then apply a blob of Summer Fridays’ Jet Lag Mask for the duration of the flight. It’s incredibly hydrating and works overtime on long journeys to keep skin looking plump and dewy—better still, it works as a great night mask at home if your skin is feeling tired from travel or whatever else the world has thrown at you that week. I also love spritzing myself with Mario Badescu’s travel-size facial spray—it gives you a refreshing little pick me up whenever you need one. —Lale Arikoglu, articles director
Hydration and blemish control
I have two main skincare priorities when traveling: hydration and blemish control. I have a slew of products for keeping my face and body hydrated, and on the way to my destination, that starts with eye masks, like the brightening and wrinkle-minimizing patches from Loops. Packed with niacinamide and a light retinol, they’re the perfect thing to de-puff after a long day of travel. Once I’m at my destination, it’s all about Weleda Skin Food lotion, an incredibly thick paste-like formula that really hydrates your skin, whether that's on your face, elbows, or knees. I also love packing Aesop's hand balm; it the same lush scent as the brand's most popular hand soap, with notes of mandarin orange, lavender, and rosemary leaf, and is packed with cocoa butter, shea butter, and sweet almond and coconut oils for maximum hand hydration. Plus, it doesn't leave that slippery residue that most hand lotions do, so you won’t have to worry about your phone slipping out of your hands after applying.
Finally, my skin always, always breaks out on vacation, especially after flights, so I pack a sheaf of CosRx’s acne patches, which not only serve as a hydrocolloid spot treatment to draw out impurities, but also as a mostly sheer protector, to ensure I’m not touching my face or blemishes throughout the day. They’re almost invisible enough to wear out and about—but if I’m in a mask, I usually pop them on as needed underneath. —Meredith Carey, travel bookings editor
Eye balms and de-puffing serums
After every red-eye, I say I'll never fly overnight again, but then it comes time to fly cross-country and the late-night trip just makes the most sense. As such, I'm always on the lookout for products to de-puff and soothe my tired eyes. An absolute staple that I've used for a decade-plus: Clinique’s All About Eyes serum, which feels so soothing post-flight, when I have a headache, or when I'm in need of an afternoon pick me up back at home. A newer favorite that I've incorporated into my daily routine is Tula's Glow and Get It brightening eye balm; a few swipes of the stick after my moisturizer and I'm good to go. (At night, I'll sometimes switch to the Rose Glow and Get It for a slight rosy shimmer.)