With the official start to the summer now days away, many of us are eagerly (or frantically) getting everything ready for beach trips and holiday travel galore. While picking the right footwear and number of outer garments for your summer vacay is usually the first order of business, for beauty lovers, picking the products that will come with us from shore to shore can be an even harder task. To make your packing list easier, we consulted dermatologists and skin-care experts for the full rundown on what skin care to pack for vacation, and what formulas you should leave behind.
Featured Experts
- Jeanine B. Downie, MD, is a dermatologist in Montclair, New Jersey
- Marisa Garshick, MD, is a dermatologist in New York
- Ava Shamban, MD, is a dermatologist in Beverly Hills, CA
- Amy Peterson is a medical aesthetician and the founder of Skincare by Amy Peterson Clinic
Vacation Skin Care: What Not to Pack
Physical and Chemical Exfoliants (including your loofa)
For somewhat obvious reasons, Dr. Shamban’s first no-no of vacation beauty packing is exfoliants. “Any physical or chemical exfoliants of any kind can irritate skin, especially during times of sun exposure,” she explains. “Also, loofahs can promote negative bacterial growth, which can cause folliculitis.” Peterson agrees, adding, “I recommend leaving strong chemical exfoliants like AHAs, BHAs and retinoids out of your beach bag as these ingredients can make your skin more sensitive to UV rays, increasing the risk of sunburn and hyperpigmentation.”
Fragranced Products and Aftershaves
As a general rule of thumb for vacation skin care, Dr. Shamban recommends avoiding any sort of photosensitizing ingredients, including fragrances. “Fragrances can often contain chemicals, essential oils and alcohol content levels that can cause phototoxic reactions,” she warns.
Heavy Oils
While hydration is key in maintaining healthy skin while on vacation, Dr. Garshick advises against packing super occlusive formulas or heavy oils as they “can trap heat and moisture and may worsen the potential for clogged pores while on a beach vacation.”
Benzoyl Peroxide
While you might be keen on packing all of your skin-clearing products to keep your complexion blemish-free on vacay, Peterson and Dr. Garshick both warn against using products that include sometimes harsh, acne-fighting ingredients like benzoyl peroxide. “Products with benzoyl peroxide or other drying agents should also be avoided, as they can dehydrate your skin in the sun and saltwater,” Peterson explains.
Heavy Makeup
To lessen your risk of breaking out or sensitizing your skin further while on vacation, Dr. Shamban and Peterson recommend leaving heavy makeup products, like full-coverage foundations and matte lipsticks. “Stick with lightweight, non-comedogenic formulas, and save the intensive treatments for after your trip,” says Peterson.
Bug Spray
While our experts are not suggesting you leave behind any sort of anti-bug product when embarking on your summer journey, Dr. Downie does point out that in particularly hot climates, bug spray can decrease the effectiveness of all sunscreen products, so it’s important to exercise caution.
The Ideal Vacation Skin-Care Routine: What to Pack
SPF, SPF and More SPF
Yep, you guessed it—the first must-have vacation skin-care product on all of our experts’ lists is an unparalleled sunscreen or sunscreens. “Double down on your sunscreen use on vacation, ensuring you use a broad-based SPF of 30 to block UVA and UVB rays,” says Dr. Shamban. “For a no-makeup, glow-from-within look, swap foundation for NUDA’s Solarglow Mineral SPF ($37),” Peterson recommends. “This is my go-to for sheer coverage, sun protection and a luminous finish in one step.”
Antioxidants
In addition to adamant sun protection, all of our experts agree that antioxidants are a key vacation skin-care ingredient. “Augment your sunscreen use with high antioxidants and ingredients to boost skin barrier, balance pH and work with the skin’s circadian rhythm,” says Dr. Shamban. “You want to protect skin during the harsh realities of days in the summer sun, sand and sea, and support efficiencies in overnight repair.”
Hydrators and Moisturizers
Also, unsurprisingly, focusing on restoring moisture to the skin is key in a healthy vacation skin-care routine. Including products with hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate or other nourishing, hydration-boosting ingredients in your packing list is a great way to prevent dehydration of the skin when exposed to excess sun, salt and chlorine. “I never skip the Preservationist Serum ($249) from Lenox and Sixteenth,” Peterson says. “It’s the vacation moisturizer of my dreams. Not only does it brighten, but it’s packed with peptides to plump and hydrate the skin, leaving it effortlessly radiant.” She also recommends Alastin’s HA Immerse Serum ($127) as a vacation skin-care staple. “It’s lightweight yet deeply hydrating and helps replenish moisture and plump the skin,” Peterson says. “This is especially important after sun and salt exposure.”
