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For beauty lovers, planning their in-flight skincare routine is taken just as seriously as packing their suitcase for the rest of the trip. Packing essentials like cleanser, moisturizer, and serum can feel like a never-ending puzzle, with the challenge of deciding what to put in your carry-on for easy access and what to pack in your checked luggage. But for busy professionals like American gymnast Sunitha “Suni” Lee, in-flight lifesavers like lip balm, moisturizer, and eye masks are absolute must-haves.
Heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, Li has a simple yet effective four-step routine that’s perfect for any travel situation (it’s also eczema-friendly, as she’s been open about her experience with skin conditions). In the TikTok video, the Olympic gold medalist is seen enjoying a meal fit for a champion before diving into her travel skincare routine. She starts by refreshing her face with Cerimax’s Ji Woo Ge One-Step Mild Cleansing Pads, followed by cult-favorite staple products from brands like Summer Fridays and Peter Thomas Roth.
To find out more about this Olympic star’s flight beauty routine and buy products straight from her bag, keep reading.
Lee starts her in-flight routine with perhaps the most important step: cleansing. Her star product is Celimax’s Ji Woo Gae One-Step Mild Cleansing Pads ($17), the perfect travel tool to cleanse and refresh skin in just one step. Each container contains 60 pads that are pre-soaked in the formula, so you just wipe them on, no rinsing required.
After washing her face, Lee grabs what appears to be Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($14) and smears a bit on her lips—an important step, since the dry air on a plane increases the chances of chapped lips.
Li next moisturizes her face while traveling, because it’s important to keep not just your lips but your whole body hydrated: She slathers on Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask + Moisturizer ($49), a cult favorite created by its founder specifically for travel.
To really seal in the hydration, especially around the eyes, she uses Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Cloud Hydra-Gel Eye Patches ($55) as her final step, then gets some beauty sleep to ensure she’s well-rested for the big game.
Stix Matthews is a New York City-based freelance beauty writer with 11 years of experience who is passionate about telling stories that blend beauty and pop culture. She enjoys sharing her expert insights on the latest trends and must-have products, with a particular focus on lipstick and fragrance.
