Can You Bring Cologne On A Plane?

Last Updated on March 16, 2023

Key Takeaways

Yes, cologne is permitted on planes, it is treated by the TSA like any other liquid
If you are taking it in your hand luggage bottles must be smaller than 3.4 ounces and put in your one quart size bag
You can also pack up to 18 oz cologne in your checked baggage but you should think about the risk of damage, theft, or even lost luggage
If the carry on liquid rule means your bottle of cologne is too big consider a scented deodorant stick. Solids sticks are freely allowed in hand luggage and some cologne brands offer their scents in stick form.

This post is all about taking cologne on planes, we’ll cover how much you can bring and where you should pack it when you travel.

The same advice applies to aftershave, eau de toilette, or any men’s fragrance.

Also we have an idea for a TSA hack about cologne that you might want to try. It’s right at the end of the post!

Cologne TSA Rules

It’s the job of the Transportation Security Administration to police what can and can’t be brought onto a plane. Let’s see what they say about cologne.

Notice that the rules are different for carry-on luggage and for checked luggage.

Can I bring cologne in my carry on?

Yes, you can take a small bottle of cologne on an airplane in your carry on luggage or hand luggage.

Since cologne is a liquid the TSA liquid limit is applicable. Carry on liquids are required to be in containers or bottles under 3.4 oz ( or 100ml). And these items need to be packed inside your quart-sized toiletries bag. You can’t bring 4 oz bottles in hand luggage.

So if you want to bring Cologne in hand luggage then you need to buy travel-sized bottles. Alternatively, you could decant some liquid from a larger bottle into a smaller travel-sized spray bottle.

A small cologne atomizer is the perfect way to take a small amount of scent in your carry-on luggage while still leaving room in your toiletries bag for shampoo and deodorant. Order one today and you’ll have it in time for your next trip.

Buy it on Amazon!

The only time you can bring bottles of cologne that are larger than 3.4 fl oz is if you have purchased the cologne after the security checkpoint. If there is a pharmacy or drugstore selling cologne that you can visit after security screening you can take these items on the plane.

You can also sometimes buy cologne on the flight.

Of course, that’s not much use for the return leg of your journey but it might be useful information if you intend to fly with cologne that you will be gifting to someone at your destination.

Can you take cologne on a plane in checked luggage?

If your cologne is larger than 3.4 oz then you will need to pack it in your checked luggage.

Cologne is flammable and the largest size bottle you can pack in your checked bag is 18 oz or (500 ml). You can also pack a maximum of 70 oz total flammable toiletries in your checked luggage.

Unless you are packing more than 20 regular sized bottles of cologne you won’t need to worry about these limits.

Also keep in mind that bringing checked bags often involves paying extra fees.

With regard to cologne in checked bags there a few more points to consider.

Cologne can be expensive. Your bottle of Cologne might be damaged and leak inside your checked bag. This happened to Charles and he wasn’t very happy about it:

Aside from being broken your expensive bottle of Cologne might just disappear from your bag as happened to Ryan:

And of course there is always the chance with checked luggage that your entire suitcase might be lost.

These are your basic choices. Hand luggage has limits but checked luggage has risks.

Some More Useful Stories About Cologne On Planes From Twitter

Often when I am researching a post topic on Twitter I find some extra interesting information. Here are some tweets that I found when searching for cologne on airplanes.

Tony flew with American Airlines. His tweet reminded me to be considerate of other passengers. If you do take cologne on a plane don’t go spraying it while you are on the flight. Other passengers may have health conditions that could be irritated by your cologne:

Shiela flew with Delta and also thinks that strong smelling cologne shouldn’t be allowed on flights:

Jordan lost his Louis Vutton on a trip with Frontier:

Alistair wasn’t happy with United Airlines for smashing his bottle although it’s unfair to blame them since baggage handlers are not employed directly by airlines:

Cologne Travel Hack

One potential hack could be to make your own cologne wipes since wet wipes are not treated as liquids.

Just buy some unscented wet wipes and splash them with your cologne and then reseal the pack.

You don’t need to put wet wipes in your quart bag so this is a way to bring cologne on a plane without buying travel size bottles or taking up space in your toiletries bag!

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