When Summer Fridays launched its beloved Jet Lag Mask back in early 2018, it was an instant hit and an Instagram sensation. The formula, the packaging, the marketing, all of it. “Having a product that could be used in multiple ways really resonated with our community, and it delivered on the promise of providing instant hydration and leaving skin with a beautiful, hydrated glow,” says cofounder Marianna Hewitt. In 2020, one Jet Lag Mask sold every two minutes.
Then in January this year, the brand hit a speed bump when bad batches of the mask left customers complaining of burning, redness and irritation after using the product, and the brand made the decision to allow customers to voluntarily return any concerning products for a refund. Additionally, they announced a plan to establish more stringent manufacturing protocols and work on a minor reformulation of the mask to remove essential oils that would mitigate any future potential for irritation.
Today, the upgraded formulation has finally been announced—it launches June 15—and fans are excited. All the original hydrating benefits are still there courtesy of the super nourishing trio niacinamide, glycerin and hyaluronic acid. (The brand says it wasn’t looking to overhaul the product, but rather “make a beautiful formula even better.”) But, all of the fragrance has been removed (including the essential oils) and a melange of calming ingredients—vitamin B5, allantoin and bisabolol—has been added.
According to the brand, “the new formula has been clinically tested with no indication of potential to cause sensitization,” and new manufacturing protocols have in fact been implemented using “OTC-level guidelines to ensure each step in the production process is compliant with the highest of standards.”
Hewitt and Ireland also took the opportunity to alter the packaging to be more sustainable. The brand says Jet Lag will still be in it’s fully aluminum tube, but will now be housed in an eco-friendly, tree-free outer carton made from 90-percent sugar cane stalks. “The easy-to-use, fully recyclable aluminum blue tube became iconic almost overnight,” cofounder Lauren Gores Ireland says, reflecting on the initial launch in 2018. “It sold out immediately and has been a top-seller in the skin-care category ever since.”
