12 Micro, Smart Travel Toiletries for Your Next Trip
Clever pods, pills and mini-beauty and skincare necessities will make packing for your next trip a breeze.
Few things build anticipation for a trip like packing: folding (or rolling) your most crease-resistant clothes, stashing things away in tidy packing cubes.
But if you have a complicated skincare routine, lots of vitamins or toiletries, that part of packing can be a little more challenging. How to make everything fit without looking like a moving drugstore? Luckily, skincare and beauty companies are coming up with compact and clever ways to miniaturize essentials, or in some cases even create products that do double duty, combining serums, sunscreen and moisturizer in one for instance.
And sustainability (meaning clean ingredients and plastic-free packaging) is more of a focus too, with companies like plant-based skincare brand Spinster Sisters creating travel-perfect products like its Face Serum Stick. This incredible smelling serum comes in a lightweight, compact biodegradable paper tube and contains a blend of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C (a wonderful antioxidant to protect your skin under sunscreen) to brighten your complexion and encourage collagen production to help diminish fine lines.
Likewise, the Mintly brand of oral healthcare products are ideal for travel and are entirely plastic-free. Their tiny mouthwash and toothpaste tablets come in — frankly adorable — small glass bottles that you just refill with new tablets when you're done. Even the dental floss comes in a cute-as-pie mini glass bottle like some hipster Brooklyn apothecary good. The bottles also save an incredible amount of space and once you get used to the idea of chewing and then brushing with one of these tablets, your travel game will be changed forever.
Who hasn't been in a bathroom in some distant land (or even the US) and found the restroom soap dispenser empty — if there even is one. Thankfully it's easy to keep these antibacterial, dissolvable, very lightweight soap sheets in your backpack or purse for quick clean up. This pack of 300 sheets comes in orange, tea tree and lavender scents.
This 4-in-1 item means you can combine a variety of products into one compact package. The Daybird multitasker is a vegan serum, moisturizer, sheer foundation and SPF 50 sunscreen. Even better, while many tinted mineral sunscreens come in only one shade, this one has four (the company is owned by a woman of color who clearly gets it). Adding to the healthy mix: niacinamide, antioxidant vitamin B3, bisabolol (a soothing chamomile extract) to reduce inflammation and even skin tone.
This very newfangled serum-in-a-tablet is as sci-fi cool and as portable as they come. Packed in individual sealed packets, you just add 5-8 drops of water to the tablet in your palm and apply to your face day or night. These are the ultimate lightweight, stealth beauty products. Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, can boost collagen production which improves skin texture, dimishes fine lines and helps fade hyperpigmentation.
The ideal indivdually packaged makeup (or sunscreen) remover ideal for use on the plane, on a camping trip or great to just to stash in your cosmetics bag, these mini wipes clean off your day and take up next to no space in your carry-on or backpack. These wipes are especially useful when you aren't close to a water source but want to feel squeaky clean.
All-natural and committed to less plastic waste, Purifico creates great shampoo, body wash and combo body wash and shampoo pods that are ideal for travel. Each pod is one-time use and dissolves easily with water. Super compact and TSA-friendly these little guys also smell divine. Perfect for traveling light or camping.
The portable version of a sensory deprivation tank, this comfy, super soft eye mask is the perfect way to signal to your flight seatmate that you aren't in a chatty mood. The mask offers total light blockout, making it easy to cat nap in any setting. It comes with a handy fabric bag to keep it clean and compact and an adjustable band to fit any head.
Designed in Denmark and featuring a clever, compact carrying case, these reuseable beauty tools allow you to blend, sculpt and shape your makeup on the go (a mirror is also included in the case) or use them as Q-tip substitutes in a pinch and then wash the tips to use again. It's a smart way to eliminate waste while on the go.
Packaged in a lightweight metal container, this Arcona serum is easy to stash in a bag and its protective, nourishing blend of vitamin C, vitamin E and glycerin helps lock in skin moisture.
Ideal for camping, this facial beauty bar is designed for combination oil and blemish-prone skin. It has a rich hippie scent and natural ingredients including black and green tea, coconut, aloe extra and natural enzymes and feels gentle on the skin.
This literal "chill pill" is the perfect travel companion to cut through the mega-stress of airline delays, hotel booking snags and the daily grind of travel in general. Ashwagandha and magnesium help combat stress and a combination of B vitamins promote mental and cognitive health. Because the best beauty tool can often be health that radiates from the inside out.
