In-flight skincare routine. What happens to your skin during a flight.
Flying may get you to your destination, but it can wreak havoc on your skin. From dehydration to inflammation, the unique environmental stressors of air travel can leave skin feeling dry, reactive, and unbalanced. Here's what really happens to your skin mid-flight—and why your skincare routine needs to adjust at 30,000 feet.
1. Dehydration: The Number One Skin Stressor in the Sky
One of the biggest challenges for your skin during a flight is low cabin humidity, which typically ranges between 10–20%—and can drop as low as 5% on long-haul journeys. By comparison, skin functions best in humidity levels of 40–60%.
In this dry environment, moisture is rapidly pulled from the outermost layers of your skin. Over time, the skin draws hydration from deeper layers to compensate, leading to trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and deeper dehydration. This leaves skin feeling tight, dry, and uncomfortable, and can also weaken your skin barrier, making it more prone to sensitivity and irritation.
2. Collagen Breakdown and Oxidative Stress
The drying effects of flight don’t just impact hydration, they can also accelerate premature ageing. As hydration depletes, the fibroblast cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin become less efficient. At the same time, flying increases your exposure to free radicals and oxidative stress, which contributes to the breakdown of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. These very components provide the scaffolding to the skin, keeping it firm, smooth, and plump.
3. Inflammation and Increased Sensitivity
The significant drop in humidity can leave even the most balanced skin stressed and inflamed. As your skin struggles to maintain moisture levels, it may become red, irritated, and more reactive, especially if you already experience dryness or sensitivity. This stress response can also lead to an increase in inflammation, resulting in a dull, fatigued, or blotchy appearance mid- or post-flight.
4. Breakouts and Congestion
Air travel can also trigger breakouts, and for multiple reasons. As the skin becomes dehydrated, it may overproduce oil to compensate, leading to clogged pores. Combine that with increased contact with bacteria (from seat belts, tray tables, or touching your face), reduced water intake, and often a higher intake of sugar and salt, and your skin can become more congested.
Wearing makeup during a long-haul flight can also trap sweat, oil, and environmental pollutants, further increasing the risk of breakouts. And for those who find flying stressful, a spike in cortisol (the stress hormone) can also stimulate oil production, exacerbating congestion and inflammation.
Final Thoughts
The cabin environment places your skin under a unique set of pressures, from dehydration and inflammation to oxidative stress and oil imbalance. Understanding how your skin reacts in-flight is key to choosing the right travel skincare routine—hydration, barrier support, and protection are non-negotiables. Invest in some travel skincare sets to really protect your skin this summer.
Click here for my pre-flight at-home facial routine to prep your skin and give it everything it needs to minimise in-flight damage
Click here for my top in-flight skincare essentials to keep your skin balanced, calm, and glowing at cruising altitude.
Thank You For Reading
I hope you found these recommendations helpful. If you choose to shop using the links I’ve shared, thank you—it genuinely makes a difference. As a small, independent business, your support helps brands discover my work and allows me to keep creating honest, helpful content and running this website.
Happy shopping, and thank you again for being here!
Fiona x
Links may be affiliated links which means that if you make a purchase though one of our links we receive a small commission which helps support and run this website.