Where to Shop at JFK Airport

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The JFK airport is huge. If you’ve got a lot of time to kill that means plenty of  opportunities for browsing or picking up last-minutes items for your travels, but unless you’re ticketed for a connection, that also means sticking to the shops in your terminal.

Thankfully, there are plenty of stores within most of terminals, plus convenient (and cute) kiosks from brands like Benefit, the Honest Company, and Essie. It goes without saying, but if you’re flying international, the (several) duty free shops found at JFK are top rate for beauty buys.

The Standouts

Muji To Go

This Japanese brand’s Terminal 5 boutique is almost reason in and of itself to fly JetBlue. Known for organizational cases, office goods, and simple clothing, Muji’s travel focused airport outposts stock minimalist-style items designed to keep you comfortable and organized while away from home: matching nesting travel cases for toiletries and other essentials, soft striped neck pillows, fold-up windbreakers, alarm clocks, extra socks, and much more. (You can even pick up Japanese snacks like fried squid.) Terminal 5, in the marketplace

Photo: Jay Rosenblatt / Muji

Victoria’s Secret

Even if you remembered to pack your underwear, it’s nice to see a familiar and reliable brand like Victoria’s Secret in the airport. This lingerie favorite has three stores in JFK, and they all stock a pretty full range of everyday undies, pajamas, lingerie, workout gear, and bath and body products. Terminals 1, 4, and 8

The Honest Company Kiosks

Jessica Alba’s healthy lifestyle brand may be facing some allegations about transparency, but the Honest Company’s airport kiosks are super helpful for traveling families. The fancy vending machines stock travel sets that bundle items like natural toothpaste with lotion and packages of baby wipes with diapers, as well as single items that range from aluminum-free deodorant to baby swim trunks. Terminals 5 and 7; post-security

Benefit Cosmetics "Glam Up & Away" Kiosks

This beauty brand’s airport kiosks — designed to look like vintage pink busses — feature TSA-friendly travel sets plus some of Benefit’s most popular products, including They're Real! mascara and Watt's Up! highlighter (which can work real wonders on a post-flight complexion). Terminal 5; post-security between gates 9 and 10; and opposite gate 23

Hermes

Whether you have the budget for it or you’re just doing some window shopping, the small Hermes store in Terminal 1 is as elegant as you’d expect it to be, with shelves of silk ties, scarves in iconic prints, small leather goods, sweet-smelling perfumes, and shiny cufflinks. Terminal 1; post-security, gate 5

Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

The Met’s airport gift shops feature the same artsy items you may have browsed at the shop within the museum: pretty printed scarves, jewelry, well-designed items for the home, and plenty of toys and books for kids. Terminal 4; post-security, retail hall

By Terminal

Terminal 1

If you’re looking for a fancy gifts or expensive impulse buy, you’re in luck. Terminal 1 is full of designer accessories shops like Cartier, Bvlgari, Hermes, and Salvatore Ferragamo; head to Coach or Michael Kors if you’re trying to stick to a budget.

Victoria’s Secret is great for browsing or picking up forgotten essentials, and while Juicy Couture has disappeared from most department stores (not for long thanks to Bloomingdale’s) you can still find it at JFK, right in this terminal. A combination Clinique/ Estee Lauder store, the L'Occitane kiosk, and a big duty free shop have you covered if you’re looking to update a few items in your toiletry case.

Photo: Westfield Airports

Terminal 2

Sorry. If you’re flying out of Terminal 2, your best bet is to pick up new headphones at the Best Buy kiosk or a burrito bowl at Qdoba.

Terminal 4

This international terminal is great for beauty hounds: There’s a massive duty free shop in addition to dedicated storefronts for Jo Malone, MAC, and Kiehl’s. There are lots of options for accessories in particular (you can pick up bags at Coach, Michael Kors, and Longchamp, or jewelry at Swarowski and Bijoux Terner).

You'll find another outpost of Victoria’s Secret here, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store is a great place to look for gifts. If you’re in the market for menswear (or just a good browse) you might as well hit up Hugo Boss and British shirting shop Thomas Pink.

Terminal 5

Jet Blue’s terminal features lots of kiosks for swift shopping from the likes of Benefit, Essie (with 42 nail polish shades plus seasonal colors), Amazon, and Best Buy. Stand-alone shops include Lacoste, Ron Jon Surf Shop (for swimwear), Taxco Sterling (for handmade jewelry), and the must-visit MUJI to Go.

Terminal 7

Terminal 7 feels a bit like a mall, with Coach, Juicy Couture, Mont Blanc, Thomas Pink, Longchamp, and Michael Kors dominating the retail options. There’s also one of the Honest Company’s kiosks if you want natural alternatives to the drugstore items stocked in Hudson News.

Photo: Westfield Airports

Terminal 8

This terminal’s retail map is also pretty heavy on the accessories, with Pandora, Swatch, and Solstice Sunglass Boutique. For beauty, check out the duty free shop as well as L’Occitane. Another outpost of the Met’s gift shop is located here, as are Victoria’s Secret, Brook’s Brothers, and Porsche Design for apparel, plus iStore and Brookstone for electronics.