The long-haul beauty carry-on: the list

Saturday morning: the Toussaint holidays begin, and the departures board is full. Ten hours in the air, one small bag at your feet. Here is what goes in it.

What goes in a long-haul beauty carry-on?

• The liquids bag. In the EU, liquids carried into the cabin, from toothpaste to cosmetic creams and gels, go in one transparent bag of up to one litre, and no container may hold more than 100 ml. Rules can differ at some screening lanes, so check the airports on your route.
• Cleanser and a face cream, in travel sizes, for the end of the flight.
• A silk eye mask, for the hours when the cabin lights stay on.
• A silk scrunchie or two, to tie your hair up and let it down again.
• A headband, for the five minutes at the basin before landing.
• A comb or a small brush, and earplugs.
• Your silk pillowcase, folded in its pouch, for the first night. Our guide to travelling with your silk pillowcase shows how to fold it flat.

What is a good in-flight routine?

1. After take-off, hair up. Gather it loosely on top of your head with a scrunchie. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises wearing hair loosely pulled back, with covered bands made for styling hair.
2. Water, regularly. The NHS suggests drinking plenty of water during a flight, keeping active by walking around the cabin, and not drinking too much caffeine or alcohol.
3. The mask, at your destination’s night. If it is night where you are going, the NHS suggests trying to sleep, with an eye mask and earplugs if they help. Darkness, softly: our silk eye mask is one size and folds into a pocket.
4. An hour before landing, the headband. Slip on the silk headband, wash your face, apply your cream, then take the headband off and comb your hair down.

How do you make the first night your own?

Dress the hotel pillow with your silk pillowcase before you unpack anything else, and lay the pouch on the bedside table: mask, scrunchie, headband. Go to bed at the local time. The NHS advises changing your sleep schedule to the new time zone as quickly as you can, and going outside during the day.

Where Siluxe fits

Our silk eye mask (35 €) comes in Rose gold, Gold, Bronze, Burgundy and Silver; the headband (36 €) in Rose gold and Gold; the scrunchies in Medium (9 €), Large (13 €) and XL (17 €). All are 100% mulberry silk, 22 momme, Grade 6A, designed in Paris. For the first night, the silk pillowcase is 84 €.

Complimentary delivery from $100 on USD orders: the pillowcase and the eye mask together qualify.

FAQ

What beauty products can I take in hand luggage?

Liquids, creams and gels in containers of 100 ml or less, all in one transparent bag of up to one litre, under the EU rule. Medicines are exempt from the volume limit. Larger bottles go in the hold. Some airports screen differently, so check every airport on your route.

How should I wear my hair on a long flight?

Loosely up, on top of your head, with a soft scrunchie rather than a thin elastic, so you can lean back on the headrest. Take it down before landing and comb it through.

Should I wear an eye mask on a long-haul flight?

If it is night at your destination, the NHS suggests trying to sleep on board, with an eye mask and earplugs if they help. A soft, one-size silk mask takes no room in the bag.

Sources

• Your Europe (European Union), Luggage restrictions (last checked 16 June 2026): liquids in one transparent bag of up to one litre, no container over 100 ml; medicines exempt.
• NHS, Jet lag (last reviewed 31 May 2023): water, moving around the cabin, caffeine and alcohol, sleeping if it is night at your destination, eye mask and earplugs, the new time zone, daylight.
• AAD, 10 hair care habits that can damage your hair: hair loosely pulled back, covered bands.