So you're booked on a flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, en route to London for business—and then off to Mumbai for more meetings with another client. But in the aftermath of the Aug. 10 air scare, in which plotters may have been planning to use on-board liquids to make explosives and blow up planes, the Transportation Security Administration has banned various products from carry-on bags. Among the banned items are liquid and gel toothpaste, sunscreen, bug repellent, and shampoo.
How will you survive your flight, look presentable, or avoid wasting precious time buying all of your toiletries once you hit the ground at your destination? Try strips and wipes.
There are a number of consumer products on the market that don't require liquid or gel delivery because they rely on solid films or disposable towelettes. And even if the TSA lifts its ban on liquids and gels, these products will still come in handy for savvy business travelers who want to pack light. And the beauty of personal-care strips and wipes is that they were designed for extreme portability.
STRIPPING OFF. Pfizer (PFE) introduced the first strip-delivered personal-care item in 2001, with Listerine PocketPaks—a good bet for business travelers who now can't stick a mini-bottle of mouthwash or a tube of toothpaste in a carry-on. A nearly flat package of PocketPaks measures only slightly over an inch wide and under two inches tall and is filled with tiny strips of film that release breath-freshening flavor when they melt on your tongue.
While Listerine PocketPaks have seen declining retail sales (down 20% last year, according to researcher Information Resources), other companies are offering strip-delivery for a variety of products that are now suddenly forbidden on planes. Novartis (NVS), for example, now produces Theraflu and Triaminic cold and cough medicine, and Gas-X anti-gas medicine—once available only in liquid or take-with-water pill forms—in strips.
There are a variety of soap-film products on the market as well, including Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) Clean & Clear facial soap. Travelers just need to add water (in the airplane's bathroom or at the airport) and rub the film to transform it into suds, which could work as a shampoo substitute in an emergency. Aveda also makes a gel-free alternative to hair gel, Control Tape, which works in the same way (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/25/06, "Comforts for the Road Warrior").
WIPING DOWN. Wipes are another alternative to liquids, strips, and gels. They represent a market that's predicted to reach $4.2 billion by 2008, up from $2.1 billion in 2003, according to researcher Packaged Facts. Baby wipes have long been available from companies specializing in infant care, such as Kimberly Clark (KMB)—and can do double-duty as an alternative to liquid soaps (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/20/06, "Baby Products Meet Smart Design").
But now other liquid (and gel) personal-care products for adults exist in single-use wipes. Shout! Wipes can treat stains in a pinch. Cutter All Family Mosquito Wipes are a good alternative to spray bottles of liquid insect repellent, a necessity that would be hard to part with these days if your flight destination requires immediate bug-battling to avoid malaria. Going someplace sunny? Slip sunscreen wipes, like those from Desert Essence or Ombrelle, into your bag.
SAVE SPACE AND MONEY. Sometimes nongel, nonliquid goods are less expensive than their bottled counterparts or competitors. A packet of 16 Triaminic Thin Strips costs around $7, whereas a comparable bottle of liquid cough syrup runs around $8.
Perhaps the best news for business travelers is that strips and wipes take up less space. They can be tucked neatly into the outside pocket of a computer case—and be pulled out quickly for a fast cleanup when time is tight during times of high-security threats and carry-on restrictions.
Click here for the slide show, "Carry-On Substitutes."
Jana is a reporter for BusinessWeek.com in New York; Soller is a BusinessWeek.com intern
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