The first flight I took was when I was just a few weeks old.
My dad worked for a major airline, so my childhood was punctuated with heading to far-flung destinations. By the time I reached adulthood and was no longer eligible for staff travel, I’d caught the travel bug good and proper.
Travelling is exciting, but what it does to skin is anything but. Airline cabins are notoriously dry with low humidity and recycled air, which draws moisture from your skin, leaving it stressed and drier than a packet of in-flight pretzels. A hardworking moisturiser in my 100ml bag? Non-negotiable these days.
Thanks to this job, I’ve been able to test several minis on board to see how they perform at 35,000 feet. I’m talking serums, lotions, creams, face mists, face masks, the whole shebang.
It’s not just beauty either: heatless curls work just as well in an airline seat, and while you may feel a little conspicuous at the boarding gate, it’ll be a distant memory when you’re bouncing towards baggage reclaim with perfectly coiffed hair. Besides, if you’re going to be uncomfortable sleeping upright on a night flight, you may as well have gorgeous locks to show for it in the morning.
Celebrities, armed with first and business-class boarding passes at worst and private jets at jealousy-inducing best, have been ahead of the curve for decades. Gwynnie swears by her own line of Goop products (obvs), including Goopgenes Fix & Restore Balm, Goopgenes All-In-One Nourishing Face Cream, and the Goopgenes Lift & Depuff eye masks.
Miranda Kerr always has rosehip oil and face mists on hand, Cara Delevingne keeps a Tangle Teezer to undo knots, and Cate Blanchett turns to uber-luxe brand SK-II’s Facial Treatment Oil to help nourish her complexion. Countless more celebrities and influencers swear by sheet face masks, which you can apply in your seat without having to brave the cabin loos.
But the best beauty advice? Well, that comes from cabin crew. I spoke to Amy, 24, who travels across time zones and continents, serving thousands of passengers as her day job. She reveals her favourite products to fly with in my roundup below, but maintains the simplest solution is - drumroll, please - drinking water.
“Anything on your skin is pointless unless you’re drinking at least two litres of water on a long-haul flight”, she said frankly. “Between two and four [litres] is optimal, depending on the length of the flight.” So, perhaps the most straightforward beauty solution is a large capacity drinking cup.
As for me, I will continue carting around the following products in my 100ml-or-less beauty bag while crossing my fingers for a seat upgrade.
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Peep Club Heated Eye Wand LED+
With five modes, including light therapy and a warm compress that goes up to a toasty 45°C, Peep Club’s eye wand is an excellent tool for anyone suffering from dry eyes.
The heat should be applied to closed eyes along the lash line, gliding so slowly that it takes around 15 seconds to go from the inner corner to the outer eye. Done correctly, eyes feel hydrated and twinkly after a session, which should only be a few minutes in total.
It’s small enough to keep in your bag for fast relief from hot, tired eyes when you’re on the go or travelling and is USB-C rechargeable.
Buy now £85.00, Peep Club
LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask Matcha Bubble Tea 20g
The Korean brand’s hero lip balm has achieved cult status amongst beauty editors and cabin crew. It can be slathered onto dry, chapped lips at night for a deeper treatment.
Amy says: "I guarantee any crew member would have one of these in their toiletries bag! It’s the only thing that stops my lips from drying out (especially after long flights on the 777, notoriously the driest plane)."
Buy now £21.00, Lookfantastic
Dr Jart Every Sun Day™ Fluid Korean Sunscreen SPF 50+ for Face
"Another thing most crew also always do is wear SPF on the face", reveals Amy. "I'm not sure exactly on the science, but I believe the radiation is higher when flying, especially during the daytime, so I always make sure I’ve got SPF on."
Her preferred SPF is from Korean brand Dr Jart. The light liquid absorbs quickly into the face, leaving it protected and with a glossy sheen.
Buy now £33.00, Dr Jart
Ultra Violette Clean Screen Fragrance Free Sensitive Facial Skinscreen SPF 30
Landed the window seat? Don't forget about your skin when you're gazing down at the clouds.
My friends and I adore Ultra Violette for its thinner texture - no annoying white casts left behind here - and kind-to-skin ingredients that nourish while shielding your skin from the harmful sun’s rays.
It works well even on sensitive or congested skin and is a mineral formula, so it won't overload your face unnecessarily.
Buy now £32.00, Cult Beauty
Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater 59ml
Small enough to stash in my beauty bag and discreetly spritz throughout the flight, Mario Badescu's Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater spray has saved my skin on so many flights.
It's less laborious than putting on cream and is a great way to get moisture into your skin fast, without having to get your neighbours up to go to the loo.
Buy now £6.00, Lookfantastic
Chilly's BIG MOUTH 4L Bottle
Continuing the trend for gigantic water bottles that may as well be renamed personal reservoirs, Chilly's has a new entrant called: BIG MOUTH.
The all-caps feel fitting when you consider the 4L capacity, which can keep chilled water cold for up to 72 hours and warm water at the same temperature for 48 hours. It might seem a bit much for daily use, but come festival and camping season or ahead of long-haul flights, it will fast become your go-to.
It comes in a subtle black or brazen lime colour.
By Abha Shah
Buy now £80.00, Chilly's
FourFive Hydro Plus Hydration Tablets
What's better than water? Water with added benefits.
Amy recommends FourFive's hydration tablets to give your drinks an extra boost when you're in the air. She says: "I always try and have a water bottle of electrolytes as it really helps with rehydration when flying. And of course, beauty starts from within."
The tablets come in a slim tube and offer five electrolytes and seven key vitamins. Pick from berry or orange & mango flavours.
Buy now £20.80, FourFive
Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Acid Cream Moisturiser 50ml
They're not kidding with the name of this moisturiser - it really does feel like you're flooding your face with hydration (that'll be all the hyaluronic acid), which is all you want for your skin when you're going long-haul.
The tub holds 50ml, which should see you through security, but it's a bulky little thing, so best to pack the rest of your skincare in your hold luggage.
Buy now £33.50, Lookfantastic
111SKIN Cryo De-Puffing Facial Mask
Sometimes (usually when we’re not in the mood for it), we can wake up with a puffy, dull complexion. If that is ever the case, simply whip on one of 111SKIN’s Cryo De-Puffing Facial Masks which, inspired by the science behind cryotherapy, increases blood circulation to the face instantly depuffing your skin.
Price for five masks.
Buy now £95.00, Lookfantastic
SUMMER FRIDAYS Jet Lag Mask
This bad boy works as both a primer and an overnight mask, depending on how much you slather on. Either way, it leaves skin looking nourished and glowy, making you look far more rested than might be the reality.
It comes in a 28g tube and a larger 64g version, so pick the right size based on the length of your trip.
Buy now £26.00, Cult Beauty
Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint 2.3g
A good lip balm is essential for any flight, short or long-haul.
I've stopped at Duty Free to pick up Bobbi Brown's Extra Lip Tint on more than one occasion - it wraps lips in glossy, but not sticky, moisture, while giving them a little colour.
This is down to several oils - olive, avocado and jojoba - working to deliver a long-lasting, healthy sheen.
Buy now £32.00, Sephora
SILKE Heatless Curler
If you’re anything like us, right now on your wrist is anywhere between 1 - 3 hair ties, ready for those moments when you need your hair out of your face. SILKE offers some of the best around, and now has brought its kind-to-strand signature to other tools. A claw grip and a heatless curler are all you need here to help achieve Hollywood-esque curls minus the heat.
Made from the same silky fabric as the hair ties, the tool is essentially one long, skinny foam sausage that you position on the centre front of your head (hair centre parted) and secure with the claw grip. Then working from the top-most sections, wrap a three-inch-wide section around the tool, pulling away from your face so that the roots are pulled up - this is what will give you the volume you’re looking for. Work in sections along one side from the top of your head to your temples, around the ears and finally the back of the neck, securing it all at the end with the hair tie, then repeat on the other side.
SILKE recommends using the tool with damp hair and sleeping in it, which, as side-sleepers, we found challenging. Luckily the tool will give you the desired effect if you wear it for three to four hours (or as long as it takes for your hair to completely air dry). This makes it an option if you want to try heatless for an afternoon or evening event.
The benefits are obvious: zero heat damage and bouncy curls to die for. Add a styling creme, mousse or a few drops of hair oil to your damp locks before wrapping them around the hair tool for a more polished result.
Available in black or pink.
Buy now £42.00, Sephora
trtl Pillow Original
There is no comfortable way to sleep upright in planes: fact. Well, it was at least.
Enter trtl’s (turtle) game-changing neck pillow that turns this idea on its head. The design looks like a snood but comes with an internal brace to give your neck the support it needs as you try to catch some shut-eye on the journey, be it plane, road or rail.
We tried it on a 12-hour flight and felt overjoyed to wake up to no neck cricks or back pain. It’s so good that our travel essentials list now reads: passport, ticket, trtl.
If you want to get a step ahead of jetlag and arrive feeling ready to hit the ground running, you need the trtl.
I know it’s on the expensive side - but that’s what makes it such a great gift for a jet-setter.
Buy now £49.99, trtl
Sarah Chapman Skinesis Professional Cleansing Mitts
I've learned the hard way that you're best off not wearing a scrap of makeup before getting on a long-haul flight - trying to take it off in the tiny plane loos is always a nightmare, and water splashed out of the sink onto the floor won't win you any friends with your neighbours.
If you don't like the idea of going bare-faced, or want to feel refreshed before landing, take Sarah Chapman's cleansing mitts on board.
From the celebrity facialist, they fit snugly over your fingers and let you get right into the contours of your face. You can use them with just water to get grime off, or with a cleanser if you like - just don't forget to moisturise afterwards.
Buy now £16.00, Space NK
Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey
A long-running favourite here at ES Best, many of Jo Malone’s colognes come in 30ml sizes, making them ideal for keeping in your clutch for on-the-go spritzes.
This is my pick of the bunch, filled with nectarine, peach and cassis notes, but with a freshness that stops it from feeling cloying or overpowering. Acacia honey is also present, adding a warming note.
A comforting and bright combination.
Buy now £55.00, Jo Malone
