Beauty Daily Staffers Reveal Their Flight Skincare Routine

Ever noticed your skin goes into a total nightmare during air travel? It’s not just you; it’s a universal human struggle.  

Flying can take a toll on your skin; it can go through a constant battle with dehydration and oiliness all at the same time. Also, the airport anxiety – from travelling – often crack of dawn or middle of the night -then there are check-in and security queues. So, by the time you settle into the aeroplane seat, you can feel like one big heap of stress.     

So whether you’ve just booked a flight for a long weekend or a long haul to the tropics, here are some expert travelling skincare tips that will combat in-flight skin dehydration and keep you fresh after a flight, and also the products to ease stress and anxiety too.    

Do aeroplanes dry your skin?

A straightforward answer: Yes! The WHO reports commercial aircraft cabins are kept at less than 20% humidity, drier than the Sahara Desert at 25%.    

Our skin is accustomed to a minimum of 40% humidity, and anything below that may cause dryness and discomfort. It dries your skin, but it also imposes damage: from dehydrating your dermis, increasing sebum production, to exacerbating acne and inflammation in all skin types.  

But you can prevent all this with a few smart moves before and after you board. 

 

Pre, During, And Post-Flight Skincare Routine

Pre-flight

Drink plenty of water

On an average 10-hour flight, men lose around two litres of water 

 and women roughly 1.6 litres. The Aerospace Medical Association suggests combating in-flight dehydration by drinking about 8 ounces of water each hour and limiting alcohol, tea, coffee, and caffeinated drinks because they dehydrate your body.  

Being healthily hydrated will also avoid feelings of tiredness, fatigue, and irritability.  

Bring a lightweight and reusable water bottle like S’wheat Bottle. Pack it empty in your carry-on and refill it right after going through security. At Heathrow alone, there are over 100 water fountains across the four terminals sign-posted and located near toilets to easily refill pre-flight.  

Allot a time to prep your skin pre-flight

A rock-solid skincare routine matters. So allow time post-take-off to cleanse and prep (that applies to any sleep aids too). It’s always a good idea to at least be 37,000 feet in the air – as you never know if a flight delay or tech issue may mean you need to disembark.    

Julie Unwin, Clarins Retail Training Manager, advises the basics for a flight are: “Cleanse, tone, use your serum, eye cream, moisturiser and SPF, so you’re fully protected in-flight.”  

Unwin strongly recommends the UV PLUS [5P] Anti-Pollution SPF 50. “This is an excellent overall protection for indoor and outdoor pollution and sun exposure, especially if you have a window seat.”

A JAMA Dermatology showed that pilots flying for 56 minutes at 30,000 feet received the same amount of UVA radiation as one would get from 20 minutes in a tanning bed. UVA light penetrates right through plane windows. So, make SPF wearing a top priority during the day.    

Read more about the benefits of SPF wearing here.    

If you’re getting on board at night, Unwin suggests getting your nighttime routine on. “Have your nighttime routine on to sleep while you fly and look fresh in the morning.”     

Make sure you wear glasses instead of contact lenses, pack a hydrating nasal spray and consider using moisturising eye drops.   

During Flight

Unwin recommends packing your 100ml skincare essentials with you. “If you can, take the basics with you. Your skincare can keep you hydrated during your flight.”  

Plus, if your luggage gets lost, you have a few essentials to hand.  

Apply a face and eye mask  

Unwin suggests applying a hydrating face mask and an eye cream like the Total Eye Hydrate to freshen the eye before getting off the flight. This super-hydrating, cooling balm mask will help reduce signs of dehydration and fatigue for instantly brighter-looking eyes in just 10 minutes—no need to rinse off either.  

Beauty Daily recommends Total Eye Revive if you want something easy to use. It has a cryo-metallic tip applicator to help wake, depuff and brighten the eyes.  

Post Flight

Quick 15-min make-up before you land

It might be handy to freshen up in the plane WC when it’s coming close to landing. This is the time to cleanse, use your eye drops, face spritz, a brush your hair and teeth.  

Then it’s back to your seat before the flight attendant switches the seat belt sign-on.  

Of course, a quick fix of whatever you might need is entirely up to you. However, a general routine may look like this: quick base like Clarins BB cream or a dab of concealer, mascara and a swipe of a natural lip perfector. Whatever it takes to make you feel good by the time you disembark and head for the suitcase carousel.  

Read more about Double Cleansing here.    

Beauty Daily Staffers Reveals Their  Flight Beauty Routine    

Beauty Daily staffers spill their pre-during-and-post flight rituals and must-have travelling skincare essentials from hyaluronic-acid infused facial mist to anti-fatigue make-up primer to achieve an after-flight glow.  

Sarah Joan Ross, Editor Beauty Daily

Before taking my seat, I spray strategic touch points with sanitiser. Zenatti’s Luxury Hand Cleanser comes in various scents, so the mists make you and your space smell like a luxury spa or fancy EDT – and it also helps banish that nasty ‘plane smell’ that arises during the flight too.  

I sweep my hair into a top bun with a Slip Silk Scrunchy, cleanse my face and apply a thicker barrier-type cream – to stop the high-altitude air from drying out my skin. Next, I love the multi-tasking Calm-Essentiel Soothing Repairing Balm and apply it to my face, neck and hands, as it protects and has calming clary sage – that, with some massage, helps me relax and banish any pre-flight jitters – all followed by a day-flight must-pack – SPF for the face. I then cocoon in an oversized cashmere scarf, sport some noise-cancelling headphones and rest.  

Towards the end of the journey, I cleanse and moisturise again.  

My eyes dry out and can become red even during a short-haul flight – so I always have some brightening eye drops to hand and freshen up with Parla Toothpaste Tabs. Plus, a pocket Mason Pearson hairbrush and a mini dry shampoo.  

I always need a little complexion-perfecting – so I use the BB Skin Detox Fluid, and it is enough to smooth and hydrate without the need for extra concealer.  

A touch of mascara, cream blush, and lip oil can also be patted onto the cheekbones for a glossy, radiant glow, and I feel ready to face the world. 

Nishita Fiji, Beauty Daily Beauty Writer 

I usually apply layers of hydrating products on my face to keep it from drying out in the plane atmosphere – a serum, rich moisturiser, and SPF. Beyond that, I don’t do much. But I like to carry a good hand cream and cuticle oil to give my hands a little pamper session during the journey. It’s one of those things I never usually spend too much time doing otherwise. 

After a flight, I do a water rinse and reapply my moisturiser, SPF, and lip balm. So that by the time I’m on holiday mode, my skin is smooth and prepped for any make-up I may want to wear.  

Anne Lora Scagliusi, Beauty Daily Beauty and Wellness Writer

I make sure that my face is deeply cleansed, moisturised, and layered with prerequisite daytime SPF with a bare face to give my skin a chance to chill en route. 

During the flight, hand cream and anti-nausea balm are my best buddies to battle against dry limbs and motion sickness.   

Soon after I land, I spray Hydra Essential Facial Mist all over my face to freshen up (I have the 20 ml travel size, which I scored in one of Clarins seasonal offers), and a spritz of Eau Dynamisante to awaken my senses. In terms of make-up, I dab a bit of Clarins Water Lip Stain on the inner centre of my lip. It’s a non-transferrable colour and great for mandatory airport mask-wearing. Also, I chug a litre of water (lots of water makes me feel better). 

Julie Unwin, Clarins Retail Training Manager  

My flight skincare routine would be a re-application of double serum. Then I would reach out for my SOS Primer O2 in Rose. This pink-tinted primer fights all signs of fatigue and revitalises my complexion in a flash. Honestly, I can’t go without a concealer. When the flight captain announces landing, I would have my compact mirror out, put my concealer and mascara on just so my eyes pop, and have my primer on so I look awake even though I might not feel like it. 

Charlotte McHale, Clarins Training Manager

I swear by Micellar Water, SPF and Eau Dynamisante as it cleanses, awakens, moisturises, protects, and invigorates my skin. I also put on a SOS Hydra Mask during the whole flight to prevent dehydration. 

Olga Nedobezhkina, Beauty Daily Beauty Writer  

Before going to the airport, I deep cleanse, moisturise, and nourish my skin, then put on a BB cream or light foundation to protect my skin from environmental pollution and bacteria in the air.  

I’m not into using facial sprays, eye patches or sheet masks during the flight; I prefer to take a beauty nap instead.  

After a long haul flight, I usually notice inflammation spots and dehydration. So, to prevent it from becoming a more significant issue, when I arrive at my hotel, I use a purifying clay mask to deep clean pores and a refreshing hydrating mask to moisturise and remove the ashy grey skin tone. 

If you are on a search for the best sunscreen, here are The Suncare Products Beauty Daily Staffers Swear By.