POV: you spend all year perfecting your skincare routine, maintaining that glass-skin glow, and finding the products that really work for you… until you board that flight. The dehydration hits, the breakouts break out, and everything feels tighter. Not this year though. Not. This. Year.
With hydrating products and travel-friendly beauty, there’s no excuse for letting that skincare routine slide when you’re on-the-go. From dewy serums to easy-to-apply face masks, we’ve got every essential nailed for your most hydrating, moisturising, and comfortable in-flight skincare routine. The only issue? Choosing which ones will squeeze into your carry-on bag. Scroll on to see our flight skincare routine recommendations…
What Happens to Your Skin on a Plane?
1. When you’re up in the air, the humidity is usually below 20% which is super drying for your skin
2. Cabin pressure above the clouds means there is less blood flow to your skin, which also contributes to a duller complexion
3. Cabin air also sends your oil glands into overdrive as they try to compensate, can cause breakouts when combined with the bacteria and germs circulating in the cabin
4. As you’re sitting for so long and dehydrated, puffiness is also a common result
How to Prep Your Skin for a Flight
As well as in-flight recommendations, there actions and prep you can put in place before a flight to ensure your skin stay hydrated, healthy, and moisturised:
– Hydrate: try drinking two to three litres of water a day in the days before the flight to ensure you’re hydrated when you step onto the plane. It’s also recommended to avoid salty foods and dehydrating drinks like coffee and alcohol pre-flight too.
– Pre-flight skincare: layer hyaluronic acid into your routine and try hydrating skin treatments pre-flight to really saturate your skin. This will boost your skin’s hydration and help with overall moisture retention.
Step 1: Clean Your Skin
Before you apply any lotions or potions to your face during your in-flight skincare routine, your skin needs to be clean. Because of the recycled air on a plane, you’re more likely to trap bacteria on your skin as you layer on hydrating treatments if you don’t clean it first.
We recommend bringing along a micellar water as your cleanser to use from the comfort of your seat. First, clean your hands with a sanitizer and then wipe the micellar water over your skin with cotton wool. We love the Bioderma Sensibio Cleansing Micellar Water, and it comes in a handy travel size. It will work to soothe skin and prevent inflammation – a godsend for your skin against those pesky plane conditions.
Once you’ve cleansed your skin, layer over your favourite toner to prep it for the hydrating products to follow. The By BEAUTY BAY Niacinamide & Vitamin C Toner will add glow and help tackle breakouts by controlling inflammation, excess oil, and enlarged pores. Plus, it will help boost your skin’s natural production of ceramides, helping to prevent moisture loss – ideal for in-flight skincare. We also love to throw some K-Beauty into the mix too, like the Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Essence Water. This adds an extra hit of hydration and leaves the skin feeling plumped and revitalised.
Step 2: Apply A Face Mask
A never-fail way to hydrate your skin on a flight is by applying a sheet mask. Viral for a reason, the Biodance Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask is one of our favoruite hydrating face masks to use on a plane as it delivers intense hydration and boosts moisture retention. Infused with ultra-low molecular collagen, they work to reduce the size of pores, enhance elasticity, and smooth fine lines and wrinkles.
If you’re on an overnight flight, you might prefer an in-flight face mask like the Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask. Simply apply it to your skin before sleeping and peel off before stepping off the plane. Your skin will be left moisturised, hydrated, plumper, and more radiant. Oh, and it’s perfect for sensitive skin.
For shorter flights, we recommend opting for under-eye masks. Ideal for a 15 minute-fix, they can revive the under eye area in no time. The florence by mills Surfing Under The Eyes Hydrating Under Eye Treatment Gel Pads deliver a surge of hydrolysed hyaluronic acid that helps hydrate and plump, whilst the adaptogen and survivalist plants help revive the skin’s natural moisture barrier.
Step 3: Apply Serums, Moisturisers, and Mists
Once you’ve used a mask during your travel skincare routine, it’s time to infuse your skin with hydrating serums and moisturisers to lock in all the mask benefits.
We’d recommend spritzing your face with a serum-mist like the Glow Hub Nourish & Hydrate Serum Mist. This one’s infused with plumping hyaluronic acid, hydrating peach extract, and nourishing coconut water to keep moisture locked in, help you feel more awake, and maintain your glow. To lock in the hydration, next layer over a serum. Clincially proven to hydrate and fortify your skin barrier in 15 minutes, The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum is one of our favourites. Super lightweight and non-sticky, it features ectoin that simultaneously enhances hydration and rebuilds barrier strength to optimise skin function.
Top things off with a dewy, soothing moisturiser – our go-to is the By BEAUTY BAY Plumping Moisturiser Ectoin + Superberry Complex as it features a cooling metal rollerball applicator. So you can brighten and plump your skin whilst sculpting and massaging mid-air.
Step 4: Facial Massage
Because of that pesky puffiness a flight can cause, we’d recommend using a Gua Sha or facial roller in your in-flight skincare routine to help keep your lymphatic draining system working. We have a full guide on how to Gua Sha, but you’ll need a face oil like The Ordinary Plant Derived Squalane and the Kitsch Stainless Steel Gua Sha or The BEAUTY BAY The Jade Facial Roller. Carry out a facial massage for a few minutes to help tackle fluid retention in your face, and you won’t have to step off the plane puffier than when you got on.
Step 5: Lip Care
If there’s any time you could get dry lips, it’s on the plane with drying conditions, strong UV rays, and less water intake. So, a nourishing, hydrating lip balm or lip mask is a must.
To gently exfoliate lips and remove any dead skin cells and dryness, swipe on the By BEAUTY BAY Lip Prep + Vitamin E. It melts into lips with a simple massage, so they’re left supple, smooth and prepped for your next lip products. Next, apply a moisturising lip balm like the Laneige Glowy Lip Balm and top up throughout the flight when needed. It features shea murumuru butters to intensely nourish lips and coats lips without leaving them sticky or greasy – perfect for long flights.
Step 6: Finish with SPF
Even on a plane, you shouldn’t skip the SPF. So, a face sunscreen is essential for your flight skincare routine, especially if you’re flying during the day as UV levels above the clouds are much stronger.
We recommend using an SPF 50 to keep your skin safe in the sky. The dewy and lightweight Thank You Farmer Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF50+ which will moisturise your skin whilst also providing protection from strong sun rays, so you can do without bringing an extra moisturiser and save on space. But if you’ve got room for both, the By BEAUTY BAY SPF 50 Face Lotion is one of our favourites as it helps protect skin as well as reducing redness and the appearance of wrinkles. For quick and easy application you can continue to top up, an SPF stick is your best bet – the Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick : Mugwort + Camelia is mattifying and helps control shine, as well as soothing skin withough leaving a greasy finish.
