The 14 Best Travel-Size Beauty Products That Come Editor-Approved
Whether you’re the type who’s all set and ready to go a week before your flight or someone who isn’t fazed by last-minute packing, traveling always requires you to make sacrifices in the beauty and skincare department. Not only are you limited by the space in your beauty kit, you also need to make sure you’re complying with airport regulations.
If you’re not meticulous about the products in your travel skincare routine, it can mean disaster for your complexion—especially when you consider all the factors working against your skin (and hair) when you travel. While it can be tricky to make sure that your beauty routine can travel with you, it’s not at all impossible. The solution? Our curated list of best travel beauty products that editors and skincare pros swear by.
How Travel Affects Skin
You may have been looking forward to getting lost in the most romantic European cities or spending long days under the tropical sun, but your skin? Not so much. Between weather changes and the new cuisines you’re trying, travel can cause your skin to act up and lead to acne, dryness, and dehydration. In fact, this can happen even while you’re still on the plane as the stale air, high altitude, and low humidity can quickly zap moisture out of your skin.
Going from hot to cooler climate can spell disaster for your skin, causing rough patches and triggering conditions like eczema. And if you’re headed to a sunnier destination to escape the cold, you might find your skin becoming oilier, upping the risk of breakouts.
While ticking off boxes in your travel bucket list can be all kinds of fun and exciting, racing to every item in your itinerary can also mean stress and getting little sleep in between. Not to mention, you may not always be eating the food you’re used to or drinking water as often as you should. All these factors can lead to—you guessed it—dull and dehydrated skin, dark circles, oiliness, and breakouts. And in your quest to capture the perfect travel moments, you may even be forgetting to apply and reapply sunscreen. Sure, we like to think of tan lines as the tell-tale signs of a great getaway, but there’s nothing remotely fun about sunburn, redness, and sensitivity.
Not only that—even your hair takes a beating from the elements when you’re on-the-go as intense sun exposure, humidity, and extreme temperatures can leave hair dry, frizzy, and brittle.
The Best Travel Beauty Products You Need in Your Travel Kit
Traveling can leave your hair and skin feeling out-of-sorts due to a number of factors, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Below is a list of the best travel skincare andhair care products that you should never leave home without.
1. FOREO LUNA 4 GO 2-Zone Facial Cleansing and Firming Device
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: When using the device, use circular motions on the cheeks and forehead and an up and down motion on the nose. Follow up with a cleanser for the best cleansing results.
2. Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre Moisturizer
12 reviews
$17.00
Key Ingredients: Fatty acids
Skin Type: Dry Skin
Beauty Insider Tip: This moisturizer’s versatile and multifunctional formula makes traveling with all your skincare essentials that much easier. Not only is it a moisturizing cream, it also acts as a mask, makeup base, cleansing milk, after-shave, and after-sun care.
3. Jane Iredale ColorLuxe Eye Shadow Stick
$28.00
Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, Jojoba Seed Oil, Ceramides
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: To shade, apply the color directly to the eyelid and layer for added intensity. To line and define your eyes, apply to the lower lash line and smudge for a smokey effect. You can also use it as a highlighter by applying it directly to the inner corner of your eye and brow bone.
4. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
28 reviews
$14.00
Key Ingredients: Oat Milk, Corn and Rice Starch
Hair Type: All Hair Types
Beauty Insider Tip: This dry shampoo keeps your hair feeling clean and fresh, increasing the time between washes. It also extends the life of blow-outs and color, so you can get the most bang for your buck.
5. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
5685 reviews
$182.00
Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Ferulic Acid
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: Vitamin C is a must during the day, but it can make skin sensitive to sunlight. Make sure to apply sunscreen (at least SPF 30) thoroughly to prevent irritation, sensitivity, and other unwanted side effects.
6. ISDIN Eryfotona Actinica Daily Lightweight Mineral SPF 50+ Sunscreen
1 reviews
$46.00
Key Ingredients: Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E, DNA Reparisomes®
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip:With its silky-smooth and fast-absorbing formula, this sunscreen also provides the perfect base for makeup and leaves no white cast or greasy residue.
7. HydroPeptide PolyPeptide Collagel+
9 reviews
$52.00
Key Ingredients: Collagen Protein, Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: This eye mask’s hydrogel technology locks in moisture while providing a refreshing and cooling sensation. It’s the perfect way to cap off your nighttime routine if you want to wake up with well-rested, youthful-looking eyes after a long day of traveling.
8. MZ Skin Vitamin Infused Facial Treatment Mask
$135.00
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Leaf, Licorice Extract, Vitamin C
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: This soothing mask deserves a spot in your skincare routine whether you’re at home or away. It’s a great way to keep skin plump and hydrated before applying makeup in the morning and also works as a calming treat for post-laser skin.
9. Tarte Tartelette XL Tubing Mascara Travel
$15.00
Key Ingredients: TLC Complex (Niacinamide, Biotin, Panthenol)
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: Despite its long-lasting wear, this mascara washes away with warm water in just a matter of seconds, so you don’t have to worry about tugging, pulling, and messy smudges.
10. Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist
7 reviews
$14.50
Key Ingredients: Arginine/Lysine Polypeptide, Magnesium Ascorbate Phospate (a stable, non-acidic form of Vitamin C), Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Sodium PCA
Skin Type: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: This mist works great as a refreshing spritz and can be sprayed over makeup throughout the day.
11. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
41 reviews
$26.00
Key Ingredients: Oribe Signature Complex
Hair Type: All Hair Types
Beauty Insider Tip: Color- and keratin treatment-safe, this award-winning texturizing spray is a great alternative to traditional dry shampoo formulas with its enhanced protection from environmental stressors. Just shake, spray, and pump to finish and hold your desired ‘dos.
12. Sunday Riley Mini Power Couple
34 reviews
$28.00
Key Ingredients: Purified Lactic Acid, Trans-retinoic Acid Ester
Skin Types: All Skin Types
Beauty Insider Tip: When using both products at the same time, massage three to four drops of Luna into clean, dry skin and wait five minutes to let the oil sink in before following it up with GOOD GENES Lactic Acid Treatment. If your skin is on the sensitive side, you may opt to use GOOD GENES in the morning and keep Luna for nighttime use.
13. Avène High Protection Tinted Compact SPF 50
17 reviews
$42.00
Key Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E
Skin Types: Sensitive Skin, Acne-Prone Skin
Beauty Insider Tip: For best results, apply this cream-to-powder sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure. Its easily blendable shades can be used as an alternative to makeup.
14. Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Moisturizer
1 reviews
$23.00
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid, Pentavitin®
Skin Type: Normal Skin, Dry Skin, Combination Skin, Oily Skin
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply this super hydrating sunscreen generously to the face and neck 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours.
The Bottom Line
While traveling may force you to make some tough calls as to which beauty essentials you can or can’t pack, that doesn’t mean sacrificing the health of your skin and hair just so you can indulge in some much-needed R&R. With some careful planning and the right products that can do more things than one, you can make sure your skin and hair look their absolute best and ready for any adventure.
Janeca Racho is a Journalism graduate with over 15 years of writing experience. After getting her start in public relations and advertising, she made the switch to freelance writing and began working for various lifestyle, fashion, and travel brands. Her love for all things skincare has led her to beauty reporting and research for the last ten years. Writing for several hair and beauty blogs, she reports on anti-aging staples, trending brands and products, must-have ingredients, and health and wellness.
