Calling all beauty lovers! Welcome to First Class Beauty, an extensive guide to the best travel beauty products to carry on (or check) for your next adventure, tested and beloved by ELLE editors.
Summer skin has long put sun protection front and center—rightfully so—but UV rays aren’t the only environmental stressors threatening your fun. Warmer months can usher in drier in-flight air, sweat from workouts (or stuffy train cars), and irritation from a little too much time in the sun.
Sweat and oil also don’t exactly cooperate, and breakouts don’t take the season off. Thankfully, summer skin care has evolved to work harder, not just sit prettier. This is where formulas that “do more” come into play: cleansers that reset the day, bacteria-fighting sprays for post-workout recovery, and moisturizers that maintain the hydration baseline you built all winter. If this year’s First Class Beauty skin care winners prove anything, it’s that a strong routine comes down to three pillars: strengthen, hydrate, and protect. Consider the picks ahead your shortcut to getting the glass skin of your dreams.
Dieux
Skin Mercy Recovery Cream
Dry, cracked, and flaky skin is no match for this rich moisturizer. The cream is packed with soothing antioxidants and colloidal oatmeal to calm irritation, redness, and itchiness. Our tester applied it before bed and noticed “glowing, supple, hydrated skin” in the morning.—Emma Becker
Summer Fridays Reset Daily Exfoliating Pads
Infused with AHA and PHA, these pads smooth skin like “magic,” our tester said. Flip the pad to the smooth side for refining, or to the gauze-like texture on the other side for extra (but gentle) exfoliation. It’s an editor favorite that one tester said “cleared up some of my newer post-acne scarring in days.”—EB
Sofie Pavitt Face Screentime Non-Comedogenic Hydrating Sunscreen
A typical SPF lotion can often leave behind a ghostly film and pill. This SPF does nothing of the sort, which is why our tester called it “a miracle.” A second tester concurred, sharing, “It works as a great daily moisturizer, sits beautifully under makeup, and just happens to also be sunscreen.”—EB
Biodance Collagen Peptide Eye Patch
The best eye patches provide a boost of hydration to brighten and de-puff. These patches can do all of the above, plus provide longer-term results. Thanks to their star ingredient, collagen, they help reduce fine lines over time. One tester even used these during the descent of a recent flight. “I landed with noticeably brighter and smoother under-eyes!” she said. Another added that these patches “really gripped onto the skin” for a much less slippery experience.—EB
Murad
Lipid-Enriched Double Cleansing Balm
You’ll never have to worry about liquid limits for your face wash when you travel with a balm. Not only did this product gently and easily remove all of our testers’ makeup, but it also “left skin feeling moist and hydrated.” More importantly, another said, “I don’t feel the need to double cleanse” thanks to its non-greasy finish. The extra-hygienic packaging also twists, so there’s no need to dip dirty fingers into the jar.—EB
COSRX The Peptide Collagen Lifting Glow Hydrogel Face Masks
There’s no better way to ward off dull, dry skin during travel than with this hydrogel mask. The K-beauty brand behind the viral snail mucin moisturizer recently launched this product, packed with five peptides and collagen. Our tester called it “perfect for a red-eye flight when you need to wake up looking refreshed and rejuvenated.”—EB
Tata Harper
Crème Supreme
Trade dull, uneven texture and tone for a radiant glow that—like you—improves over time. A powerful blend of barrier-strengthening, smoothing, and brightening ingredients hydrates and tightens. According to one tester, the formula not only feels luxurious, but “has been the perfect product to repair the toll the dry winter air took on my face. My skin truly does feel more supple after just one use.”—Nerisha Penrose
Magic Molecule Daily Skin Spray
Post-gym recovery doesn’t mean neglecting your skin. You can rely on this hypochlorous acid spray to eliminate bacteria-laden sweat droplets, so that acne doesn’t become an additional obstacle. Our tester liked that the formula is “surprisingly hydrating” and can be “spritzed over makeup without any disruption.” Another tester praised it for having “the best misting mechanism with a fine spray that actually coats my whole face evenly.”—NP
Hero Cosmetics
Mighty Shield Invisible Blemish Protectant
With so many different methods for treating acne, why opt for the boring one? This product takes the mundanity out of acne treatments with its peel-off patch formula. Simply smooth it over your blemish, let it dry, then peel off the film, watching the gunk pull out of its source with ease. After using it for a week, one tester noticed how much flatter her blemishes were.—NP
La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAir™ Sunscreen Serum SPF 50
This feather-light sunscreen goes on invisible and conditions the skin with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help achieve an even complexion. Our tester found that the formula layers beautifully under makeup but offers a subtle radiance when worn alone.—NP
VOESH VOESH Gua Sha Body Cleansing Bar
Lymphatic drainage, sculpting, and cleansing all in one step? This cleansing bar delivers all that and more in just a few strokes, along with nourishment and brightening, courtesy of niacinamide, rosemary oil, and charcoal. Our tester, who was new to gua sha, found it easy to use and hold, and said that it left her skin feeling soft.—NP
