Travel and wellness content creator Jinali Sutariya is on the move for most part of the month. Understandably, she relies heavily on travel-sized beauty and skincare products that allow her to continue her skincare routine without adding kilos to her luggage. “I would skip my morning and evening skincare routine while travelling,” says the 31-year-old, “because who wants to travel with sundry products? But recently, more so during the COVID-induced lockdown, people have become more strict about their AM and PM routines, even while travelling. Catering to this demand, many brands have come up with mini versions of their products. Almost everything one needs fits into small bottles and tubes,” says the Mumbai-based influencer runs the Instagram account TravelStoriesbyUs, along with her friend Malav Jhaveri. 

While these minis are handy for those with peripatetic lives, they also work perfectly as testers for online shoppers. “Every other day, a new brand is launched on social media,” says Sutariya. “You are tempted to sample the products, but buying a full size bottle can be a risk: Will it suit my skin? Do I like it enough to have so much of it? That’s when minis to the rescue! This has helped me choose products that have become a part of my regimen.” Sutariya does wish however, that more brands would shift to sustainable packaging.