Can you carry perfume in hand luggage on a plane?

If you're gripped by panic at the thought of your super-cool perfume, which you bought for a million rubles, being confiscated at customs, we're here to dispel it! 

In this article, we explain whether you can take perfume on a plane, what to do if you don't want to part with it even on the go, and how to pack the bottle so that after the flight your suitcase doesn't reek of patchouli, vetiver, and tonka beans.

Transportation Rules

Perfume is a liquid cosmetic product, which means it falls under the rules for transporting liquids on an airplane. You can take perfume in your hand luggage, but only if the volume of the bottle's contents does not exceed 100 ml. Taking several bottles is allowed, again, if each of them is no more than the specified volume. So there are two options: either decant your favorite perfume into micro-containers, or buy miniature perfumes. 

The total amount of perfume that can be carried in hand luggage is 1 liter. Yes, a whole liter of perfume! The main thing is not to forget to pack all your containers in a transparent bag so that security personnel have no questions during inspection. 

If you're already dreaming of dousing yourself with a new Tom Ford scent on the way — don't. One spray on the neck probably won't harm anyone, but 

flying on a plane next to someone who has overdone it with perfume is real torture. Passengers sitting in adjacent seats may have asthma or allergies, so save your experiments until you reach your destination.

In general, the conclusion is this: if you're wondering if you can carry perfume in hand luggage — don't worry, there won't be any problems, just follow the rules and don't douse yourself with a huge amount of perfume at once.

What volume of perfume can be carried

According to the regulations published by the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the following are permitted for carriage in hand luggage:

— perfume in a sealed bottle, the volume of which does not exceed 100 ml;

— perfume with a total volume of no more than 1000 ml (1 liter).

This means you can take several bottles, each of which is no more than 100 ml. As a rule, perfume manufacturers adhere to these volumes, but it's best to check if your favorite perfume meets these requirements. 

Rules for carrying perfume in hand luggage: what about aerosols

Perfume itself is not considered an aerosol. So you can relax, restrictions related to the transportation of aerosols do not apply to perfume.

However, airlines are generally strict with aerosols: they are flammable substances, so carrying cologne or spray deodorant in hand luggage is often prohibited. It can explode right on board, leading to an accident. If you're taking spray cologne, put it in your checked baggage. For example, Aeroflot allows aerosols used in sports or household, in containers not exceeding 0.5 kg or 500 ml, to be carried in checked baggage. The limit is no more than 2 kg or 2 liters per passenger.

An exception for aerosols is medication: for example, if you need to take a throat spray in your hand luggage and are worried about questions at security, it's best to get a doctor's note.

But with regular spray bottles, there will be no problems: if you take perfume with a volume of 1 ml to 100 ml, you will be allowed on the plane. 

Duty free

If you bought perfume at Duty Free, liquid transportation rules do not apply to such purchases. You can carry perfume in a sealed branded bag in a bottle with a volume of more than 100 ml. The only rule: do not take out the purchase and do not open it until you leave the airport. Unpacked the product — oops, it falls under strict hand luggage rules. As soon as you arrive in the city, you can immediately try out the new scent, but it's better to wait until then.

If your flight is connecting, it's better to buy eau de toilette at a duty-free shop on the last leg of your journey. Otherwise, you might have to go through customs again, and the perfume could be confiscated. Don't throw away your duty-free receipts — they'll come in handy to prove that the purchase was just made. 

Packaging Requirements

Do you have miniature samples? Great. It would be ideal if you take them with you on your trip: such samples are usually made of plastic, they are small and definitely won't spill on your clothes. If you have a small plastic bottle at home, decant your favorite perfume into it, or buy containers from an online store. The main thing is that the bottle's volume does not exceed 100 ml. Place all containers in a transparent plastic bag.

And two more important rules:

— no more than 10 bottles can be placed in one plastic bag.

— 1 passenger = 1 bag.

If you decide to take the original glass bottle, pack it properly to avoid surprises: both in checked baggage and in hand luggage. If you don't pack it, the perfume could spill on all your gadgets and clothes. It will smell nice, of course, but there will still be little joy.

How to pack perfume in checked baggage

1. Close the glass bottle tightly. Check that it doesn't leak. 

2. Place the bottle in a plastic bag with a zipper closure to ensure airtightness. 

3. Wrap the perfume in bubble wrap or clothing, and place it next to soft items in your suitcase. Do not place the bottle near the sides of the suitcase, otherwise, when the loader throws the luggage, the perfume will be the first to take the hit. Literally!

How to pack perfume in hand luggage

1. Pack mini-bottles along with other cosmetic products in a transparent one-liter bag. 

2. Do not place the bag next to hard objects and be careful with your bag or backpack.

What can lead to confiscation

1. You took a bottle with a volume of more than 100 ml in your hand luggage.

2. The total volume of bottles in your hand luggage exceeds 1 liter. 

3. The quantity and volume of perfume you are carrying do not match the restrictions of the specific airline you are flying with. 

4. You bought perfume at duty-free, unpacked it, transferred to a connecting flight, and are going through security again. It's best not to unpack the branded bag, and ideally — make purchases at the last airport from which you will depart.

Do perfumes go in checked baggage?

The answer to whether you can take perfume in checked baggage on a plane is yes, in full volume! However, if a niche bottle from the latest Serge Lutens collection is truly precious to you, it might be worth decanting it into micro-containers and taking it with you in hand luggage. The item is expensive, and suitcases sometimes get lost, and most importantly — no one knows how careful the baggage handler will be. A broken perfume bottle is not how you want to start your trip. 

Important: some airlines have restrictions on the amount of cosmetic products in checked baggage. A common requirement is to put no more than 2 liters of liquid products in the suitcase. Each bottle (container) must not exceed 500 ml in volume. So read the rules before packing your belongings. And check how much perfume is in your bottle. 

So, in brief, here's what to do with perfume on a plane:

— You can take perfume on a plane. Either in hand luggage or in checked baggage. But follow the rules!

— If you put perfume in hand luggage, decant it into miniatures of up to 100 ml. You can carry up to 10 such miniatures. Travel-sized options, samples, mini-bottles will work great.

— If you want to carry more than 100 ml in hand luggage — buy perfume at duty-free. Just don't unseal the bag until the end of your trip!

— Large bottles of 100 ml or more can be placed in checked baggage. But please, pack the perfume properly so nothing breaks.