9 Glycerin-Free Skincare Products I Won’t Travel Without

This serum is my number-one must-have skincare product. I wear it every day. It’s the perfect alternative to traditional moisturizer with just four ingredients: electrolyzed oxygenated water, clay, Dead Sea salt, and hypochlorous acid, a wound-healing agent “known to help reduce blemishes, reverse markers of epidermal aging, protect against environmental toxins, decrease scarring, fight bacteria and cleanse the skin.”

I’ve been using this product for years and can say without reservation that it’s the best-feeling product I’ve ever put on my skin. Bonus: It comes in a packable 1.7-ounce bottle.

Pro Tip: Apply this serum before any sunscreen or makeup.

This gel is a new must-have for me. The ingredient list is impressive and includes an FDA-approved pain-, redness-, and inflammation-reducing compound, plus cucumber, aloe vera, spirulina, and dandelion.

Great for under-eye puffiness, blemishes, and even the odd scrape, when I use this gel on my face, I apply it to my just-washed (or misted) skin as a spot treatment, let it absorb for a few, then put on my 3 to 4 pumps of Oxygen Serum.

Pro Tip: Here’s your proof that none of these recommendations are sponsored. Skip Seaside’s Cytotone Waterless Cleanser. It smells like a urinal cake, and no lineup of properties or ingredients excuses that!

LUMION’s Miracle Mist leverages three of the four ingredients found in the serum: electrolyzed oxygenated water, Dead Sea salts, and hypochlorous acid. I love it as a pick-me-up after a few hours on a plane or in the sun and find that it plays nicely with sunscreen and even makeup.

It’s also a nice micellar water alternative, so pack your cotton rounds. This mist can be used to wipe off light makeup, sunscreen, or the sweat of a fun-filled day if your full face washing routine isn’t in the cards before heading for bed. Spritz, spritz!

Pro Tip: While the 3.4-ounce original-size Miracle Mist is TSA compliant, the Mini is much easier to pack and will easily get you through a weeklong trip or more. If you love this product, I recommend an original-size bottle for home, a Mini for on the go, and refill bottles to save money and reduce plastic.

I failed to pack this salve for our most recent vacation. My mistake. It isn’t part of my everyday skincare routine, but when I need it, I need it. Of course, I wound up with chapped knuckles after our flight (I have Raynaud’sand my hands require TLC) and our 1-year-old developed a rash around her mouth while we were away, so I wished I’d thrown this little pot of cream in my toiletry bag.

Available only on Amazon as far as I can tell, I have used this 3-ingredient salve on

• dry lips
• chapped hands
• scrapes
• bug bites
• rashes (including diaper rash)
• hemorrhoids and fissures (unfortunate travel-related ailments for some of us!)

Pro Tip: This is also a great, super-soothing emollient eye cream. After one particularly icky allergic reaction, I washed my face, applied generously to my puffy and irritated eyelids, laid down for a nap, and woke up almost as good as new.

Whether or not you experience acne, you owe it to yourself to pack some of these hydrocolloid Spot Dots. They’re great used as directed for blemishes, but even better, they knock the edge off of itchy bug bites surprisingly well as they maintain soothing pressure over the itch so you can get on with your day.

Pro Tip: I’ve even popped these over small knicks on my hands and knees in place of a bandaid and appreciate that they go almost undetected.

If you haven’t experienced the healing (and very adhesive!) properties of hydrocolloid, now’s the time! As the name implies, Peach Slices Acne Spot Dots are good for spots, but these CVS Health Advanced Healing Hydrocolloid Bandages take the waterproof, “barrier to bacteria” experience to the next level by covering way more surface area.

As someone with sensitive, “in recovery” skin, I love knowing these bandages will “[seal] out water, dirt, germs and other external contaminants that can cause infection” and hang on for days, even through showers, swimming, and working up a sweat.

Pro Tip: If you have a larger area that needs protection during an upcoming trip, or will be engaging in any activities that could have you reaching for a larger bandage (rock scrambling always comes to mind for me!), consider packing some of these Hydrocolloid Gel Adhesive Pads. They come four to a pack and boast all the same properties as the bandages.

While I’m all about packing the right topical skincare products, I’ve come to appreciate the power of a few good supplements in supporting my skin health. For that reason, I don’t leave home without my Solaray magnesium glycinate, which I’ve been taking for years for a whole host of reasons.

Among tons of other benefits, it supports relaxation, which means better sleep and more regular bowel movements, and in turn, for me at least, happier skin.

Pro Tips: Magnesium is best taken before bed (and is a great melatonin alternative) as it can help relax you into sleep. It relaxes other parts of the body, too (it’s great for easing travel constipation), so I advise against starting with the full 4-capsule dosage, or you might end up running for the bathroom. Friends who’ve tried this supplement on my recommendation have confirmed! Start with a capsule or two and level up from there!