What Flying Teaches You About Skin

After too many rounds of Connections while traveling, the @nytgames game where you group unrelated words into categories, I started seeing patterns where most people see planes (@wynaliu, this one’s for you)

It turns out flying and skincare have a lot in common, and once I saw it, I couldn't unsee it. I started sorting the aircraft I’ve flown in like this:  comfort, experience, impact on well-being.

Airbus. Continental.

Boeing. Solid.

Piper. Terrifying.

Mooney. Cramped, initially terrifying, somehow very safe and fun.

Falcon. Sleek and powerful.

Bonanza. Functional.

Pilatus. A Swiss Army knife with wings.

As the founder of a skincare brand anchored in the powers of oils, here’s my personal aviation edition—a puzzle made from flights that tested both nerves and skin.

  • CONNECTIONS 

  • Things That Shouldn't Be Loud (Piper, Mooney, Bonanza, ear pop)

  • Methods of Dehydration (Sahara, cabin air, coffee, altitude)

  • Birds disguised as aircraft  (Falcon, Eagle, Goose, Raven)

  • Places Skin Gets Ambushed (Airbus, Jumpseat, Cirrus, row 34)

Flying in a small plane sounds adventurous—until you're in a four-seater with frozen toes, a stiff upper lip, a headache, and the creeping realization that a Mooney Eagle is basically a lawn dart with windows. It’s not a time to think about moisturizer. It’s the uneasy feeling you’ve left good judgment behind in Martha’s Vineyard.

At 30,000 feet, your skin loses water faster than your coffee cools. Humidity? 10%. That "hydrating cream" in your LLBean (link here) carry-on? Evaporated.

Face oils don’t evaporate. They absorb deeply, sealing in moisture and strengthening the skin’s lipid barrier—the protective layer that keeps irritants out and hydration in. At altitude, that barrier is compromised almost immediately. Oils help preserve it, even when the outside air is -60°F. 

 

The Science of Cabin Air

At cruising altitude, the air outside is extremely cold and contains very little moisture. To prevent condensation on cabin walls and sensitive avionics, and to avoid corrosion or mold, airlines maintain cabin humidity at 10%. 

Under those conditions, moisture evaporates quickly from the skin. The outermost layer—the stratum corneum—can become flaky, tight, and with decreased barrier function. Water-based moisturizers offer little relief because they evaporate almost as fast as they’re applied. The result: dry skin before you’ve even begun descending.  

Why Cabins Feel Cold

Airplane cabins are kept between 68–75°F. At altitude, lower cabin pressure means less oxygen uptake, and cooler temps help offset mild hypoxia. The air you’re breathing—called “bleed air”—is pulled from the engine compressors, cooled, filtered, and circulated. It’s breathable, but brutally dry.

The Impact on Your Skin

Dehydration weakens your skin barrier;  it needs moisture. Without it, microcracks form. This isn’t opinion—it’s biology. A study published in the National Institutes of Health notes that “cutaneous water content plays an important role in various functions, and its deficiency is related to dermatological dysfunctions.” There’s a reason we are 75% water.

Dermatologists agree that dry skin accelerates visible aging. Collagen breaks down faster when skin is dry, and once you hit 25 your collagen is already decreasing at 1% a year. Fine lines may show up early.

So while dryness mid-flight might sound like a minor nuisance, it can spark a cascade: compromised barrier, increased sensitivity, faster visible aging…descent descent descent. 

A Solution: Face Oils

Face oils are less volatile than water-based products and more closely mimic the skin’s natural lipid barrier. Biography’s are formulated to support skin under pressure, locking in hydration where others evaporate.

And that’s the point.

Flying is extreme. So is aging. So is ambition. Your skin doesn’t need rescue—it needs reinforcement: decent> descent.

I didn’t start Biography merely to make beauty products. But it’s not about my journey-it’s about yours. The real magic happens when you see your own resilience reflected back in the mirror, when you realize that self-care is not a luxury but a foundation for everything you do. Because our goal isn’t flawless, dolphin skin. Remember: your skin tells your story. Let’s make it a story of strength, vitality, and confidence-at any altitude.

After all, there’s no biography more important than yours.


By Linda Thompson