Here’s When Tatcha’s New Travel-Friendly Skincare Product Officially Launches

Ever gone on a trip and by the time you reach your final destination, pull your toiletries bag out of your luggage, and unpack the on-the-go iteration of your skin care routine, you ultimately find out that your most favored product has spilled all over the inside of the bag? Talk about a bummer (and a bad start to a weekend away). Sure, you can decant your must-have cleansers, moisturizers, and more into petite leak-proof travel containers, but it'd be nice to skip that step. Cue Tatcha's new Serum Stick, which cleverly combines hydration-rich ingredients with a balm texture you can take anywhere — and leaves behind the risk of spills.

Tatcha's upcoming launch is one of those "how has nobody else thought of this" innovations that merges the effective Japanese-inspired ingredients the brand is known for with thoughtful formulation and first-to-market design that puts the product in a league of its own.

Dropping on Jan. 2 on Tatcha's site and at Sephora, the Serum Stick makes it mess-free to take a targeted serum with you, whether tucked in your carryon or slipped into your handbag. But the $48 serum's balm-like consistency isn't just for easy handling. It also takes the product from simply part of your morning skin care routine to something you can rely on throughout the day.

The blend of Japanese Lemon Balm — an ingredient that's sweetly nicknamed "caring for others" thanks to its long-supported soothing properties — plus a whopping 80 percent purified squalane work together to protect and strengthen your skin's moisture barrier, so it looks dewy and fresh all day. Tatcha's proprietary complex Hadasei-3 rounds out the formula, with algae, green tea, and rice that retain hydration and provide antioxidants and essential fatty acids for a youthful appearance. Basically, it's got everything you'd hope for in a hydration-rich serum, in a way you've never seen before.

Swipe the Serum Stick on before applying makeup to lock in long-lasting hydration, then stow it in your tote for afternoon touch-ups; it can be applied precisely over makeup via its bias-cut edge without smudging, tugging, or clogging pores, and it promises to absorb weightless into skin.

Because of its effortless application and multi-beneficial formulation, it's a no-brainer for travel (say goodbye to symptoms of stressed out post-flight skin like chapping, itchiness, and tightness). But it's also a worthy addition to your at-home arsenal, considering the streamlined shape and size will take up minimal space on your already-crowded skin care shelf.

Got a winter getaway on the books? No question you'll want to scoop up your own Serum Stick as soon as it launches at the start of 2020. Set that calendar alert now.