11 Beauty Essentials Flight Attendants Always Travel With
A mini Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder, a heatless curling rod and a rose and squalane oil-infused serum.
You don’t have to be a frequent flyer to know how unkind travel can be on your beauty routine. When contemplating solutions for looking our best while traveling, we figured flight attendants would be the most qualified sources.
Whether they focused on combating dehydrating cabin air, long hours of work or changing climates, the crew members we spoke to opened up their suitcases to reveal the following list of beauty products and tips in the list ahead.
Purchase and pack flight attendant-approved essentials like an antioxidant-filled facial mist, a cult-favorite setting powder and a classic healing ointment that you might already have in your bathroom cabinet.
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Target
A popular healing ointment
Andrea Taylor, a flight attendant with Frontier Airlines, told HuffPost that she always carries a tube of Aquaphor wherever she flies.
"Whenever I feel as though my lips are becoming dry, I squeeze a little on the tip of my finger and dab it on my lips and, honestly, it makes them look and feel so much better than any gloss I’ve ever used," she said.
This cult-favorite healing ointment is formulated with more than just petroleum to help nourish chapped lips and heal compromised skin. It also combines the deeply hydrating emollient lanolin with glycerin and provitamin B5, both of which act as humectants to draw moisture into the skin and prevent it from escaping.
Amazon
A collapsible water bottle
Virgin Atlantic flight attendant Steph Drillsma stressed how drying travel and flying conditions can be, and suggested staying hydrated from the inside out. "Drinking lots of water will really help," she said.
Standard reusable water bottles can be clunky and a pain to travel with. That's why we chose this compact collapsible model that comes highly rated on Amazon. The BPA-free body rolls up completely when not in use and features a leak-proof drinking spout.
Sephora
An ultra-hydrating sheet mask
According to Ruxana Ciornenchi, a member of Ryanair's cabin crew, using a facial sheet mask is a must to keep your skin protected against drying cabin air.
We chose this cellulose sheet mask by Dr. Jart that saturates skin in effective hydrators like oligo-hyaluronic acid and algae extract to enhance moisture retention and strengthen the skin's barrier, all in just 15-30 minutes.
Sephora
A refreshing antioxidant facial mist
Rather than masks, Taylor personally recommends facial sprays for a refreshing pick-me-up and dose of mid-flight moisture for skin. We are big fans of the Caudalíe grape water mist, a rich source of antioxidants to protect skin from environmental stressors while also soothing and hydrating. Plus, it comes in a TSA-approved mini size, perfect for your carry-on.
Target
A vitamin-rich skin oil
According to Ciornenchi, Bio-Oil does "miracles for the skin," especially on the body. This popular and deeply nourishing skin care oil may be best known for reducing the appearance of scars and stretch marks, but the formula is also a great source of vitamins and botanical extracts that can help heal skin, maintain proper skin barrier function and neutralize free radicals that are responsible for damage to the skin's cellular structures.
Sephora
A mini flawless finish setting powder
"I have very oily skin and working on the plane makes my skin produce more oils, so I [always] keep my Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder on me so I can touch up," Taylor said.
Available in a travel-perfect mini size, this flawless finish setting powder is made using micro-fine light-reflecting powders that blur imperfections and feel silky on the skin. The never-crease formula is also infused with rose wax and almond oil to hydrate and soften skin. You can grab this powder in four shades.
Sephora
A hair and body fragrance mist
Taylor said that she always flies with fragranced body oils or perfumes because working countless hours on an aircraft can make anyone feel unclean. The Sol de Janeiro hair and body mist in the scent 62 is Taylor's current fragrance of choice to help her feel fresh before and after flying. According to her, this gourmand scent — it's slightly nutty with notes of vanilla — always gets compliments from passengers whenever she walks up and down the aisle.
Sephora
A nourishing oil-infused serum
Drillsma suggested this oil-infused serum by Fresh, saying that it's "really hydrating but absorbs into the skin quickly and is amazing for under makeup."
A quick route to dewy, nourished skin, the potent, two-phase formulation starts off as a liquid then transforms into a silky serum. It contains plant-derived squalane to protect skin and prevent moisture loss, along with rosewater and damask rose extract to soothe, calm and hydrate.
Amazon
A satin heatless curling rod
One of Taylor's in-flight beauty tips for passengers is a heatless curling rod that you might have seen on TikTok. "I always use one on my layover," she said.
This satin-covered heatless curling tool creates fluffy, long-lasting blowout-style curls without the damage of a curling iron, and all in the time it takes you to reach your travel destination. This set by Kitsch comes with two matching satin scrunchies that keep your hair in place and are comfortable to rest your head on.
Target
A reparative ceramide hand cream
"Flying really dries out your skin and I find my hands get really dry," Drillsma said. She said CeraVe's reparative hand cream "brings her skin back to life and absorbs quickly."
Like all of CeraVe's dermatologist-adored products, this non-greasy hand cream contains hydrating hyaluronic acid, a powerful humectant that draws moisture into the skin, and three essential ceramides, the so-called building blocks needed to maintain a healthy skin barrier.
Wild
A sensitive skin-friendly refillable deodorant
Drillsma said that she loves Wild's natural and refillable deodorants because they are amazing for sensitive skin, keep her fresh all day and smell great. This eco-minded brand offers starter packs that allow you to choose the reusable case of your choice, along with a deodorant refill that comes shipped in compostable packaging. Available in tons of scents like cherry blossom and fresh cotton with vanilla, Wild's formulations are packed with vitamin-rich seed waxes and butters and are free from ingredients like parabens and aluminum.
