How important is it for packaging to be sturdy enough to travel with?

For my personal life, not at all. I just need it to hold its shape in a drawer as I very rarely travel (and tend to avoid it at all costs!). ideally, though, I’d want something that could withstand being put into a makeup bag and packed securely (e.g. wrapped with clothes).

— Christine

25 Comments

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Amy Avatar

It’s really important to me. I won’t buy cardboard-packaged items. This cuts out a lot of Benefit, Too-Faced etc. Also, it shouldn’t be too bulky. Although I love Chanel, as a practical matter their packaging is much bulkier than it needs to be.

Mariella Avatar

It’s pretty important. I don’t tend to carry makeup with me on a daily basis (except lipstick and sometimes a pressed powder) but we do travel a fair bit. I don’t find it’s so much the packaging as the way the product is pressed/put together (talking about powder products here – eyeshadows, powder blushes and pressed powders) – apparently, the newer Stila eyeshadow palettes are very prone to shattering (I’ve been lucky and it hasn’t happened to me) and yet the packaging itself is quite sturdy. For liquids and creams, obviously, it’s important that they don’t spill/leak and for loose powders, I like packaging such as Laura Mercier’s mineral powder (the sifter with a lid that turns to close) rather than the ‘faffy’ travel insert of the new Fenty powder I purchased.

AB Avatar

Pretty important since I do have to travel often. If I really like something and packaging is good for travel, I’m more likely to pick it up. I’ll think twice if something is poorly designed for travel; if I like it enough I’ll buy it anyway but won’t take on trips with me.
There are certainly ways to cushion and wrap something for almost any kind of travel, but the hassle factor is too high. Mostly I’ll accommodate foundation by bubble wrap and/or double wrapping in ziploc bags but otherwise just pick something in my stash that travels better.

Lauren Avatar

I don’t really need travel friendly. I’ve traveled with a lot of makeup and traveling has never caused any issues – guess I’m just not rough on my stuff and/or know how to pack it well so even if it gets a little manhandled in transit they are fine. I don’t care if the packaging is plastic, metal, cardboard, whatever – just needs to stay closed and as long as if I drop a palette or product I don’t shatter everything in it that is sturdy enough for me. So far I’ve only broken two blushes (and was able to revive and piece back together – but made a heck of a mess and I had a pink bathroom for a while) and popped a couple shadows out of their places in one palette but they stayed together and I just hot glued the tin back in.

Ana Maria Avatar

Packaging should be sturdy and good quality, this is essential for me. It’s not just for travel, it’s for everyday use. I like good quality thick materials.
Also, I have clumsy hands. 😆

Everyday I just carry just a lipstick, so I want packaging not to crack easily (especially the cap) and the cap to stay put in a moving bag. Otherwise, when traveling, I just wrap things well between clothes (and that’s enough). The only thing I’m worried a lot is when liquid formulas spill, but I put those product in ziplocs for safety.

thirteenthirteen Avatar

Not important. I enjoy traveling but I don’t usually bother with makeup while doing it. If I bring along any makeup it’s usually just a few small items, like a lipstick and a mascara. If I had to travel for work it might be a different story but I don’t.

Seraphine Avatar

Not that important, but I do prefer sturdy packaging overall.

For vacations, I have taken Colourpop Fame with me on quite a few trips and it’s been fine. I make sure it’s well protected and I have a big, sturdy makeup travel case.

On an everyday basis, I only carry MAC Blotting Powder compact and whatever lipstick I’m wearing that day, so there are no worries there.

Anja Avatar

I don’t carry much makeup with me day to day, but I tend to pack some whenever I’m going away (even if it’s just for the cabin). I don’t like too bulky packaging, and prefer something that closes with a snap or magnetic closure, or if it has a pump it also needs a lid. The only thing that has ever broken on me while traveling was the lid for the Rimmel stay matte powder (but not the powder), and I don’t like the packaging on that for that reason, and because it not really secure.

Nancy T Avatar

Fairly important, but not essential. I travel mainly via public transportation and do bring along the lipstick, gloss and lip liner of the day, concealer, inner corner (sometimes lid e/s, too) due to my incessant allergy tearing issues, and sometimes my lower lid liner JIC. These are products where that may be part of my buying rationale.

Heather Avatar

I don’t travel often, but I’m pretty hard on stuff — things get dropped and mishandled more often than not. 🙂 Consequently, I prefer packaging that can withstand a small drop to a hard countertop and a longer drop to carpeted floor.

This means I prefer plastic over glass packaging for liquids, and cardboard over plastic or metal for palettes — they simply absorb shock better!

MacKenzie G. Avatar

It doesn’t matter very much to me at all. I rarely travel, and when I do it’s typically by car. Even so, I haven’t had problems with broken/spilled/shattered products so far, even on planes, trains, or buses (knock on wood). However, if a product advertises that it’s travel friendly, then it should be, which is a “living up to claims” thing more so than a travelling thing.

cncx Avatar

I travel so much i need it. Big fan of dior and chanel for travel. I also find high end makeup tends to have sturdier packaging. I also like the brush that comes with some dior and chanel brushes. I like my good brushes but if I’m just going for a weekend I’ll make do with the little one included rather than pack something else.

Deborah S. Avatar

It is important to me as I do travel a fair amount. Even when I only go for a few days, I still am cautious about what I take with me as I do fear damage to some of my really beautifully embossed or packaged products that I know just won’t survive airports or public transit. When my daughter and I went to Europe we were gone for 5 weeks and the only eye shadow palette we took to share between the two of us was the UD Born To Run palette and it held up beautifully. Even though I invested in expensive travel containers for skin care (Travelon), several of them failed. Also, I learned an important lesson and one that you would have expected a well educated person to know, don’t put dimethicone heavy products into dimethicone based tubs. The two join together and become a blob of dimethicone. During our trip we flew between cities and countries. So, our luggage was slung onto trams, under and over seats, onto conveyor belts, etc. a lot of palettes would have been trashed but not UD. It isn’t that heavy either.
So, because I do want products that travel well, I need lightweight, streamlined packaging that closes securely and will fit in smaller spaces. We only did carry on so we were stuffing bags under airline seats and sometimes pushing them with our feet, or resting our feet on the bags while in the air. The one thing that I probably took too much of, well besides lipsticks, was brushes. I probably could have cut my brushes down to just one or two but I wanted options. Now I know that streamlining is the way to go.

Rachel R. Avatar

It depends on the item. Usually it’s not important to me, because I don’t travel much.

However, when I do travel, I really want something with durable packaging. I don’t want glass mirrors, plastic covers, or powder makeup shattering. I have very bad General Anxiety Disorder, and to not have to worry about messes or ruined, unusable product is great (even if the worry is unnecessary).

Because I’m paranoid, I don’t take anything limited edition or otherwise hard to replace on long trips, just in in case.

Jill Avatar

I depot my large palettes down to the colors I use and I keep them all together in a magnetic palette. When I travel I use a Makeup Forever XL magnetic palette, they’re the solid metal version and don’t have the window on the lid, but they do have a mirror. It says that it’s XL but it’s still really small compared to other brands, it’s the perfect size for me and I can include a blush and highlighter and have a face palette (I don’t use bronzer). I’ve been using more and more cream products though so this hasn’t been much of an issue lately. I also don’t have nearly as much makeup as others so this system works well for me, I can see what I have and make use of it.

Brenda C Avatar

I do travel quite often so this is an issue for me. I pack very carefully, It hasn’t made any difference what the packaging of the product was,.and knock wood I have not had any issues with any breakages. I have had hairspray spill on my clothes, now I double wrap it.

Nicole D Avatar

It is important but I find equally important the packaging in preparation for the travel Usually when I travel, I bring with me a couple of palettes for face, eyes, as I find them more practical in terms of variety. I always use bubble wrap. If the palettes are cardboard and the cover does not close perfectly or is magnetic, I put an elastic l around them, prior to wrapping. For foundations, liquid highlighters, liquid blushes that are in a bottle, I use bubble wrap and also put them in ziploc bags (individually). All my wrapped makeup products are put in one or two makeup bags, and placed in the luggage so that there are clothes underneath and on top.

katie Avatar

Pretty important. I probably took 50 pounds of makeup and brushes when I moved to Morocco and it was not too much! I had everything I needed to make any exotic face I wanted and the locals dug it. I found the elusive white Guerlain eye khol there and brought that back! I do want stuff to be sturdy. I often carry my makeup in my purse and put it on during downtime in the car. So it’s got to withstand being slammed around in my purse. I love a big NARS palette for that. Sometimes they have room for a lip pencil and you get a big mirror along with possibly many face products you’ll use that day. And I will not buy any lipstick that cracks or loses its top EVER.

bibi Avatar

I prefer small, sturdy, lightweight packaging in general.
That is one thing I hate about cheapie brands- pressed powders in plastic clamshells where the hinge breaks! I’ve not really had problems with cardboard palettes falling apart. If drugstore brands like L’oreal & Milani can make small, sturdy, lightweight packaging why can’t all the makeup brands?

Dolores Avatar

I do travel a lot. I will try to travel with smaller palettes and I also take my makeup in a makeup bag and place in a carryon so that its always within my sight. Some of my more expensive items such as Chanel, I still have them in their original boxes and will pack them in their original boxes in a makeup bag to travel.

DVa Avatar

I would say “very”, because I do travel a lot for business.
However, I carry it in a sturdy case (looks like a small briefcase) and it’s with me as close as my phone and my passport, so it does not get tossed.
For me, more important is the weight and shape. I hate palettes with thick plastic or too much metal, and odd shapes be they a convex lid or not square, they take too much room and don’t pack like puzzle pieces.
Also magnetic palettes (like the Z-palette) for de-potted pans can cause the screeners in security to pull you over and investigate. So, I avoid those now too.

Bonnie Avatar

I rarely travel where I need more than a makeup bag that I have in my purse. I do, however need some type of sturdiness because I do drop stuff sometimes. Since I order so much makeup online, if it can get here safely through shipping, it’s probably strong enough.

Eri Avatar

I don’t mind if the packaging is made of cardboard or plastic. The outside are meant to be scuffed. As long as I take precautions when packing and the pans aren’t loose from the case, my powders do fine with rough handling!
If we’re talking about magnetic palettes, I would travel with the ones that have a strong magnet. I don’t want to open up and see my singles embracing each other!
I wish MUFE would keep selling their old line of magnetic palette (all black with font on the bottom right corner; solid metal; no mirror; comes with a foam insert) Their magnets are so strong that there’s a 50% chance I’ll scuff my eye-shadows when I move them around ?

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