Packing for a trip is stressful enough without having to squeeze an entire skincare and makeup routine into a carry-on. As a beauty editor who’s spent years testing products, reviewing travel beauty trends, and hopping between time zones, I’ve seen (and made) just about every beauty packing mistake possible.
The main mistakes I make include trying to bring too much, forgetting the essentials, or ending up with leaky disasters in my bags – I’ll never quite get over the time a perfume bottle broke in my suitcase and stained everything I packed. Beauty products are some of the hardest things to pack, partially because they come in so many forms – liquids, powders, creams, aerosols – all with their own pesky airline regulations. Add in climate changes and the unpredictability of travel, and it’s easy to end up with the wrong products or deal with a completely ineffective skincare routine.
But travelling doesn’t mean compromising on beauty, it just means being smart about what you pack. Whether you’re off for a beach break, a city escape, or a long-haul adventure, here are the seven biggest beauty packing mistakes I see travellers make – and some simple swaps that will keep your skin glowing and your luggage light. Stick to these golden rules, and you’ll arrive at your destination looking fresh, hydrated, and effortlessly polished.
Pack full-sized products
The mistake: Stuffing your suitcase with full-sized body care and haircare. It’s tempting to take bulky, heavy items especially if you’re checking them in. But this is, in my experience, always a mistake.
The fix: If you’re away for more than two weeks, you are undoubtedly better off buying heavy, frequently used items like shampoo and body wash when you arrive at your destination, rather than lugging them around with you and risking leakage. It also means you get to try some local brands, which is always fun. For shorter trips, decant your essentials into reusable mini travel bottles. I’m a fan of Cadence‘s travel bottles: they come in a variety of sizes for different lengths of trips, or Muji’s Stacking Travel Containers for short stays. Many brands now offer travel-friendly ready-made kits too, like Malin and Goetz travel kit, which is ideal to pick up as a last-minute holiday saver.
Use multipurpose products
The mistake: Packing individual products for everything – moisturiser, hand cream, blush, lip colour. Before you know it, you’ll have half your bathroom and beauty cabinet in your bag.
The fix: Look for multitasking heroes in every beauty category. NARS The Multiple Stick works as a blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow, saving you valuable packing space and cutting down on the length of your holiday make-up routine. Meanwhile, do-it-all skincare, like Gisou Honey Infused Beauty Balm, works as a rich moisturiser, highlighter, and overnight mask and can be used to mitigate humidity-induced hair frizz. If you’re extra tight on space, Ultra Violette Queen Screen Illuminating Super Glow Drops act as broad spectrum sun protection, skin primer, and dewy skin enhancer in one. It’s your time to chill, so make your products work harder.
Pay attention to the weather
The mistake: Bringing the same products you use at home without considering how your skin will react to a new climate and what it might need.
