Hit Kits

From pint-size perfumes to green-tea-scented towelettes, the free toiletry kits given to first- and business-class fliers are crammed with designer confections. They are also great marketing opportunities for the companies that make the products.

British Airways first-class amenity kit, in brown velvet with an aviation image on the front, was created by British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch. Kiehl’s is the product provider, and the bag includes Ultra Facial Moisturizer, Light Nourishing Eye Cream, and Lip Balm No. 1, as well as toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, socks, and eye mask.

Come October, British Airways Club World bags will be stuffed with products from Elemis, a British spa and skin-care brand. Until then, Club World kits boast Molton Brown goodies such as mint toothpaste, Moisture Lock 24-hour Replenisher Cream, Vitamin Lipsaver, and Pulse Point Balm, plus socks, toothbrush, and eye mask.

Last February, Cathay Pacific relaunched its amenity kits with bags commissioned from high-end designers. The first-class bag for women, from Ipa-Nima, a Vietnamese brand, is made of green suede and includes creams and balms from French skin-care firm Darphin. The men's bag, designed by Victorinox, a Swiss company, contains products from Acca Kappa, an Italian skin-care line. Both versions include Colgate toothpaste.

Cathay’s business-class kits are designed by Agnès B. in stripes that vary according to passenger gender and flight direction (to or from Hong Kong). Toiletries also depend on flight direction: For departures from Hong Kong, bags include items from Murad, a U.S.-based skin-care company; flights destined for Hong Kong feature bags with products from Dermalogica. All kits include Colgate toothpaste.

First-class passengers receive Qatar-branded bags stuffed with miniature Bulgari products, including green-tea body lotion, hand lotion, lip balm, and towelette. Also included are a hairbrush and comb, earplugs, pillowcase, tissues, Colgate toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash.

The beige business-class amenity kit features Aigner products such as body emulsion, face cleanser, lip balm, and hydrating facial spray. There are also a hairbrush and comb, earplugs, dental floss, Colgate toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash.

Emirates plans to relaunch its kits in October with Bulgari products. For now, the airline provides a black leather bag for men and a red oval case for women. Toiletries are gender-specific too: Men get Roger & Gallet scent and Gillette shaving cream, razor, and after-shave balm; women get Clarins products and Nivea lip balm. Both versions contain a Bulgari towelette, Oral B toothbrush, Colgate toothpaste, and Rembrandt mouthwash.

Emirates business-class kits come in square (for men) and oval (for women) white cases. Products—Bulgari towelette, Gillette shaving products, Clarins cosmetics—are the same as those in first class.

Singapore switched from Bulgari to Ferragamo for its first-class amenity kits in 2006. Their sleek red bags are custom-made and sport the brand’s logo in embossed script on the front. Inside are Ferragamo body lotion, hand cream, lip balm, and a small spritzer of Ferragamo’s Incanto perfume.

The carrier’s first-class amenity kit contains A.N.A.-branded lip cream, moisture-retaining mask, and leg-refreshing pack, along with an eye mask, shoe polish, earplugs, toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, tissues, and Shiseido mouthwash and toning lotion, plus a special canister of soothing thermal water for sensitive skin.