Worse than taking off your shoes and eating a tuna sandwich.
As a lifelong skincare obsessive and beauty writer—not to mention a digital nomad who is in the air more often than most—you’d think that I have a pretty solid airplane skincare regimen. After all, this type of content is de rigueur and has flooded my Instagram feed this past year, with editors, influencers, and beauty girlies the world over showcasing their elaborate routines (often, but not always, with a not-so-subtle flex in business class). But one thing’s for sure: I’ll never, ever, join their ranks.
If you ask me, the in-flight skin routine is just about the grossest thing you can possibly do on a plane. Yes, I’ll even go as far as to say it trumps common offenders like taking your shoes off, eating a tuna sandwich, and coughing without covering your mouth.
While I’ll absolutely give side-eye to the person who doesn’t respect the rules of common decency with each of these snafus, repeatedly touching your face on a plane—a guaranteed breeding zone for pathogens—is the worst in-flight offense you can inflict. Even worse, you’re inflicting it on yourself.
Why We Need to Retire In-Flight Skincare Routines
In case you think there’s no harm in indulging in a TikTok-friendly in-flight skincare routine—or worse, if you think it’s a great idea—allow me to invite you to think twice. For starters, even if you’re a sane human being and plan to wash your face and hands pre-application, that cabin water won’t do your skin any favors.
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Per the 2019 Airline Water Study by CUNY’s Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, the researchers shockingly advise against washing up entirely, suggesting instead to use hand sanitizer given the risk of coliform bacteria and possible E. coli swimming around in the rarely sanitized water tanks. Staph species can also linger on airplanes, says Suraj Saggar, DO, the chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey. Plus, you’ll inevitably pick up more germs touching the bathroom door handle, returning to your seat, and digging into your bag to collect your serums, masks, and moisturizers.
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Touching your face afterward can transfer bacteria to your skin, warns Dr. Saggar. Those bugs on your fingers can contribute to breakouts and even eye infections—the latter of which is especially risky if you’re into under-eye mask patches (great for selfies, but not so much for significant benefits beyond that). Dr. Saggar warns that you’ll also contaminate the products themselves if you’re plunging your fingers into a jar of cream.
If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m clearly a germaphobe, but no self-aware person would actually do that on a flight, right? Right? Let’s offer another scenario. Say you play it “safe” by applying hand sanitizer and using a makeup wipe to clean your face. Chances are you’ll lock in more than just hydration with a follow-up sheet mask—the main attraction of countless airplane skincare routines—or rich cream, given all the germs circulating throughout the cabin air.
“Viruses spread more easily in dry air, and they can stay suspended in the air and travel great distances,” says Dr. Saggar.
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And according to Alexandra Bowles, DO, a board-certified dermatologist at MONA Dermatology in Cincinnati, Ohio, layering products in-flight can trap dirt and microbes against your skin. The potential consequences? Clogged pores, zits, rashes, and flares—i.e., what your typical skincare routine aims to prevent in the first place.
Travel-Friendly Skincare Tips
As we can see, the best in-flight skincare routine has to be none at all. This is great news for minimalists; less so for fliers who try to collect likes with this type of content but end up accumulating more bacteria and breakouts. Instead, do yourself a favor by prioritizing skincare before you take off and after you land. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are excellent, hydrating choices in your pre- and post-travel lineup.
“The safest approach is to prep your skin before boarding with a nourishing moisturizer or a gentle occlusive layer,” including heavy hitters like shea butter and Aquaphor, to seal in hydration during the flight, adds Dr. Bowles.
And don’t forget your SPF as your last step before leaving for the airport. UV rays are much more potent at high altitudes, and there’s no need to accelerate skin aging as you peer out the cabin window.
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For my fellow fliers prone to dryness even without that desert-dry cabin air making matters worse: Opting for a hydrating sheet mask the night before or morning of your flight—as well as in your skincare lineup post-shower that night—will always be superior and more hygienic than applying one once you’ve already taken to the skies. After all, bacteria thrive in damp, dark environments. Pair a sheet mask with a lights-out cabin, and you’re basically inviting disaster.
If you absolutely must do something for your skin to counteract the inevitable in-flight icks, I see you. Fortunately, a worthy solution exists, and it’s a lot more pared back than what you’ll find on your social feeds. Enter: hypochlorous acid spray.
“It’s calming, antibacterial, and can refresh the skin without requiring you to touch your face,” says Dr. Bowles. Here, you can’t go wrong with the travel-sized SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray from Tower 28. As a bonus: It’ll also save your skin if you’re headed to a hot or humid locale or plan on getting sweaty otherwise.
I know I’m risking sounding alarmist when I attest that applying skincare is the grossest thing you can do on a plane. Even still, there’s nothing beautiful about including pathogens as active ingredients in your skincare routine.
