In-Flight Skincare || Carry-on skincare.

Some of you lucky ducks still have your summer holidays ahead of you, and despite our jealousy, we want to make sure that your skin is protected while you jet off somewhere wonderful and warm!

Flying, most of the time, is less than luxurious. Between the early start, long queues and extra baggage charge, by the time we get to our seat, our skincare routine is the last thing on our mind. However, we would like to propose that by taking five minutes in the airport bathroom or when seated on the plane to prepare your skin, you not only give yourself a moment of me-time amongst the chaos but you will also be protecting your skin from the higher risk of Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and dehydration that it faces in-flight.

Dehydration inside the Cabin

If your flight is less than an hour or two, you needn’t worry about your skin hydration. However, if you are flying for more than two hours or have a long-haul flight, you may want to prepare your skin for the drop in humidity that you’ll experience in the cabin.

A 2018 study found that after two hours in a plane, the humidity drops by 10%, and remains at this level for the duration of a flight. This drop in humidity was found to have a significant effect on the moisture levels of the stratum corneum or the outermost layer of skin. Of the subjects in the study, the moisture levels of their skin reduced by 37%! (1) That is a significant reduction, and it can take our skin some time to rehydrate post flight if we don’t prepare for this change beforehand.

In-flight sun protection

Until recently, the thought of putting on sunscreen for a flight may have been deemed unnecessary, however recent studies have found that we should absolutely be protecting ourselves from UV while we’re in the sky.

A meta-analysis review found that cabin crew and pilots have a 42% increased risk of mortality from melanoma compared to the general population (2). This is a stark and troubling statistic. While UV levels are constantly monitored in flight, skin cancer was not seen as an occupational hazard for flight staff until this 2015 study was published.

A follow up to this study found that the increased risk of skin cancer in planes is attributable to the exposure to UVA radiation, as airplane glass and plastic transmits less than 1% of UVB rays. UVA transmission, however, varied between 0.41%-53.5%. UVA radiation is well known to cause damage to cells and is linked to melanoma. This study found that flying for 56 minutes at 30,000 feet (9,144 metres) had the equivalent carcinogenic effect as spending 20 minutes in a sunbed. (3) It was suggested that the risk of UV damage is even higher when flying over thick clouds or snow, as 85% of the UV is reflected upwards in these areas.

So if you are flying during the day, we recommend that you apply an SPF 50+ sunscreen every two hours in flight as you would if you were out and about. If you are in the window seat, we’d recommend closing the shutter between take-off and landing to protect your lovely skin from the stronger UV rays.

Le Formulaire Recommendations

To prepare for the dehydrating effect of airplane air on our skin, we recommend that you skip makeup pre-flight, or remove it with micellar water and cotton pads before take-off. Use the Phyto Corrective Mist from SkinCeuticals followed by a serum before or during your flight. Seal it in with Triple Lipid Restore (if you are dry) or Metacell B3 (if you are oily) so that all of the skin-loving effects don’t evaporate away mid-flight. Follow your moisturiser with an SPF 50+ sunscreen such as Melan 130 and top up every two hours that you’re in the air.

Safe travels! We’d love to see your holiday snaps during your next visit to Le Formulaire!

(1)   Guéhenneux S, Gardinier S, Morizot F, Le Fur I, Tschachler E. Skin surface hydration decreases rapidly during long distance flights. Skin Res Technol. 2012 May;18(2):238-40. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0846.2011.00560.x.

(2)   Sanlorenzo M, Wehner MR, Linos E, Kornak J, Kainz W, Posch C, Vujic I, Johnston K, Gho D, Monico G, McGrath JT, Osella-Abate S, Quaglino P, Cleaver JE, Ortiz-Urda S. The risk of melanoma in airline pilots and cabin crew: a meta-analysis. JAMA Dermatol. 2015 Jan;151(1):51-8. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2014.1077. 

(3)   Sanlorenzo M, Vujic I, Posch C, Cleaver JE, Quaglino P, Ortiz-Urda S. The Risk of Melanoma in Pilots and Cabin Crew: UV Measurements in Flying Airplanes. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151(4):450–452. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2014.4643