Last Updated on December 4, 2021
Not everyone likes a solid bar of soap.
So you might want to bring some body wash with you next time you go traveling.
But can body wash be packed in your carry-on bag, and if not, can it you bring body wash in checked luggage?
Let’s take a look at the rules.
TSA Body Wash Rules
The Transportation Security Administration screens both carry-on bags and checked luggage using their x-ray machines.
Here’s what they say about bringing liquid soap on a plane which is basically what bodywash is after all.
You Can Bring Travel Sized Body Wash Bottles In Hand Luggage
You can bring body wash on a plane in carry-on luggage but only in containers that are 3.4 or less. All your body wash bottles need to be packed in your one quart size bag.
It’s not the amount of liquid that is in the container that is important, it’s the size of the container. So you can’t bring 3 oz of body wash in an half-empty 6 oz bottle.
You can bring more that one travel-sized body wash if you have space for it in your toiletries bag. So don’t go paying those checked bag fees just so you can bring a big bottle of body wash.
Get yourself some refillable travel-size bottles and fill them up from your larger bottle. That way you can take more than the 3.4 oz liquid soap limit.
You only really need to use a palm sized blob of body wash. So a 3.4 ounces bottle could last a few weeks if you use it sparingly. A loofah will help you reduce your body wash requirements and make the bottle last longer.
You Can Bring Body Wash In Checked Luggage
The TSA liquids rules don’t apply for checked luggage.
That means you can bring as much body wash in checked luggage as you like.
The final decision rests with any TSA officer that inspects your checked baggage but they should have no reason to confiscate your body wash.
Still Unsure? Ask The TSA
If you have any other questions about what you can and can’t pack in your luggage then you can ask the TSA on Twitter.
Troy asked if shower gel is allowed in checked bags:
And the TSA replied that “Yes, shower gel is allowed in checked bags”.
Not everyone understand why liquids are limited in carry-on luggage. Taylor got a little upset because the TSA confiscated his oversize body wash:
The TSA can’t tell from the x-ray machine what type of liquid is in bottles or containers.
It could be a dangerous flammable liquid disguised in a body wash container.
So rather than inspecting every single toiletry bottle that gets carried on to the plane the solution is just to limit how much liquid you can take on a plane.
Since passengers don’t have access to liquids in their checked bags during the flight the rules are more relaxed.
For carry-in luggage it’s not the body wash that is considered dangerous, it’s that it might not really BE body wash and could instead be a flammable liquid that a bad guy is trying to get in to the cabin.
The Bottom Line
Body wash is treated like every other liquid, gel, or aerosol. From hand luggage you can only bring limited amounts of liquid. 3.4 oz or 100 ml is the liquid limit per container but you can bring 7 or 8 containers in your quart size bag.
You could also cheat the TSA rules and bring more than one quart like everyone else seems to be doing.
For hold luggage, you could fill an entire checked suitcase with body wash and the TSA wouldn’t mind at all. Just watch out for those checked luggage weight limits though!