When it comes to minimising your beauty haul, products in mini form are everybody’s best friend.
If you’re in the Travelling Light Club, they’ll fit perfectly in your carry-on and pass the airport security test with flying colours. If you’re in the Excess Baggage Camp, beauty minis are the perfect excuse to experiment with new products while you’re away.
It’s why we’ve launched The Carry-On Edit series that’s dedicated to finding the best in portable beauty so you can ace your packing (you’re welcome). First up, SPFs for on the go. Because whether you’re home or away, and whether it’s heatwave or super-cloudy, having handbag-sized suncare to hand is imperative to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays.
From clear body mists to brush-on face gels, these are the mini SPFs that offer big sun protection.
High-tech facial sunscreens tend to turn your face chalky-white and take forever to rub in. Not this one. Dermalogica's Invisible Physical Defense does what it says and blends easily on your face so it’s virtually undetectable. In a handbag-sized 50ml tube, this SPF30 is weightless and offers both broad spectrum and added blue light protection. If you’re prone to UV-induced redness and dryness, the bio-active mushroom complex is designed to help soothe skin, too. It’s a no-brainer if you want hard-working suncare that works alongside your everyday skincare routine.
Proof that SPF mists don’t need to come in a massive vessel, meet the Instagram-able Soleil Toujours Organic Sheer Sunscreen. The effortless way to apply your SPF to those hard-to-reach areas (especially if you’re solo), this clear SPF30 mist gives you photostable broad-spectrum UV protection. If you’re a water baby, it also provides up to 80 minutes of water-resistant protection and is free from oxybenzone and octinoxate making it coral reef safe. Mist it evenly 20 minutes prior to sun exposure and soak up those rays safely.
As innovative formulations go, Dr Russo Once A Day Sun Protection Invisible Face Gel requires you to paint on your SPF in seconds. The featherweight, transparent moisturiser-meets-sunscreen has a double-click applicator that dispenses just the right amount of invisible gel to apply via the clever brush. Made for carry-ons, it looks like a make-up product but acts like serious suncare. Apply two clicks over your face for an application that provides up to 12 hours of photo-stable, broad-spectrum sun protection. Choose from SPF30 or SPF50.
“The correct use of an SPF 30 gives 97% protection from the UV rays that cause premature skin ageing. Regardless of weather conditions, it’s important to prevent exposure at all times during the day, all year round.” – Dr Luca Russo, M.D.
Ocean babies and mermaid wannabes will love Saltee’s Sea & Sun Formula SPF50. Made for your next snorkelling/swimming adventure in paradise, this SPF is oxybenzone and octinoxate-free, making it safer for the ocean. The vegan-friendly formulation is excellent for sensitive skins featuring skin-quenching cucumber extract, birch juice and antioxidant pine bark extract. In a handy 50ml tube, it might be ultra-high UVA and UVB protection, but the formulation absorbs effortlessly so you can smooth on your face and hit the beach/waves.
Red bits on awkward spots you’ve missed? We’ve all been there. Sol de Janeiro My Sol Stick SPF50, is a sunscreen in convenient stick form that gives you targeted applications on those hard-to-reach hotspots of your body, whether it’s around the edges of swimwear, or extremities like your toes and tips of your ears. Doubling up as a vacation highlighter, the stick can also be swiped over the top of make-up to produce a shimmering, sun-kissed effect. Fragranced with the caramel scent of Doce de Leite, an indulgent Brazilian dessert, it’s SPF that you won’t want to put down.
If you want a travel pouch that’s ready-made with an SPF wardrobe, pick up Coola’s Organic Suncare Travel Set. The four-piece kit of minis has all you need for vacation life, from the Body SPF30 Piña Colada Sunscreen Spray with addictive coconut scent, to the Liplux SPF30 balm with fruit butters. You’ll also find the Classic Face SPF30 Cucumber Moisturizer with broad-spectrum protection, and Radical Recovery After-Sun Lotion to help cool and soothe your skin after a day on the beach. Plus, it’s all housed in a print travel clutch – just throw it into your beach bag for easy/chic access to your SPF.
If you’re anti sun oils, go for a milky spray that’s all about hydration, like Caudalie Milky Sun Spray SPF50. Gentle enough for both your face and body, this two-in-one spray is enriched with organic grape water for a lightweight, non-sticky texture that hydrates and soothes your skin so it doesn’t feel sun-parched. Yes, it’s milky, but it won’t leave your skin with white or ashy tones. In handy 75ml version (that’s half the standard size), we’ll be packing it everywhere from local parks to far-flung beaches.
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