My best friend gave me a customized set last year, and my travel experience has changed for life.
Over the years, a long list of my possessions have fallen victim to the elements (read: “elements” as face wash and body lotion) while traveling. A $250 silk Reformation wedding (guest) dress. About $50-worth of my $375 Augustinus Bader Retinol Serum. A (priceless) pack of new underwear. Call me crazy, but when I pack and budget for trips, I don’t usually factor in the possibility of ruining my things along the way.
It wasn’t until last year, when my best friend (who has so graciously put up with my lamenting after every one of these incidents) gifted me a 7-piece Cadence Flex System, that the tides finally turned. Cadence is the first brand I’ve known to devote themselves to helping you bring your self care routine on the go… an industry that often goes overlooked (at the sake of our wedding attire and other precious suitcase contents).
I’d Love for You to Meet Cadence
Cadence is a second-generation AAPI and female-owned company. Steph Hon, Founder and CEO, developed the idea for magnetic, TSA-approved travel-size capsules designed to support your routine on-the-go, and then worked on over 200 iterations to perfect her first release (which was an instant hit). In 2023, Cadence unveiled the Flex Capsule System—a modular storage system with more customization options than the original capsule system. Choose from over a dozen colors, three sizes (or add extenders to make your own sizes), and even customize the labels with any text you’d like.
So what are the features that Steph worked so painstakingly to perfect in those 200 prototypes? For one, the capsules are completely spill- and leak-proof. Their sizing is TSA-compliant, meaning your favorite products won’t get confiscated (and your routine won’t be interrupted on vaction). Cadence Capsules are still roomy enough to fill with lots of product, though. Plus, it was important to Steph that each capsule is produced using recycled plastic, in addition to being endlessly reusable.
Why Everyone Loves Them
Creating your own Cadence Capsule System is a customizable experience, and that makes them extremely lovable and unique. Cadence has a bunch of bestselling sets available, but the real joy (to me, at least), is being able to choose all of my own colors and labels to fit my routine. The magnetic labels snap on and off, and you can buy extras to swap in depending on which products you’re bringing with you. Although, if you get choice paralysis easily, I’d recommend getting the Starter Set so you can experiment with a range of sizes and common products.
On the off-chance that my rave reviews leave you with outstanding questions, I thought I’d mention some of the industry-level recognition that Cadence has received, too. They’ve gotten shoutouts and coverage from the New York Times, Apartment Therapy, and Vogue. A range of celebrities like Mindy Kaling and Mandy Moore are confirmed users. TIME named them a Best Invention of 2022, and the beloved beauty publication Byrdie called them “a more sustainable and space-saving alternative.” To what? Well, that’s a perfect segue…
Side-by-Side With the Other Guys
For comparative research purposes, I looked into what it would cost for me to stock up on my absolute must-have toiletry products for one week of travel. If I were to buy an additional, smaller version of my shampoo, conditioner, curl products (without them, my hair is a beast), face wash, cleanser, and face lotion, I’d spend nearly seventy dollars. Part of that cost can be chalked up to the miniature packaging, which for all intents and purposes was not designed to be reused. I actually find that I end up throwing out half the product in the end, because I’m unable to scrape the last bits of cream from the tiny crevices of travel-sized containers. The wide mouth and rounded edges of Cadence Capsules have never given me that issue.
Another option is to buy a bunch of the crappy plastic containers from CVS. Sure, they’re cheap in the moment, but they come at an additional hidden cost. I know from repeated personal experiences that they almost always break or get lost after one use, and then you (I) end up buying another eight bottles. Only after their contents have seeped into your luggage, of course. And no one deserves that when they travel. Cadence was developed so that people are able to maintain the Cadence of their personal lifestyle, regardless of where they are.
So, we’re back to Cadence. Depending on the set you choose (and again, there is a very wide range of options), the price will range anywhere from $14 (for one Flex Small Capsule) to, say, $152 (the Bestseller Set). The difference here is that Cadence is a one-time purchase. You buy these capsules, and you’ll have them forever. Part of Steph’s business philosophy is to build high-quality products that will stand the test of time. She’s not interested in selling you a flimsy, breakable product. Once you have a Capsule, all that’s left to do is fill and refill it with the product that you already own. No additional purchase necessary.
In Short, Prevent Catastrophe With Cadence
If you take just one thing away from this article, let it be this: Cadence is the only way that I’ve been able to completely circumvent self care product catastrophes while traveling. My 7-piece Flex Set (aka The Honeycomb) is the only common denominator underlying my most seamless trips. They are positively leak-proof, with screw-on tops that don’t run the risk of accidentally leaking product into my bag. They’re labeled so I’m not standing at the hotel sink sniffing my shampoo, trying to remember whether my cleanser is opaque or not. And their magnetized, rounded edges means they stay together and nestle into my luggage without catching on clothing or disappearing into the corners of my suitcase.
Not every trip is a vacation, but that doesn’t mean you should have to brace yourself every time you board a flight with shampoo. It isn’t normal to damage something you own every time you pack a bag (at least, that’s what I’ve realized thanks to Cadence). Customizing a Capsule System with them is investing in yourself, in the routines you’ve already spent so much time cultivating.