Long-distance flights can often become uncomfortable, especially during hot and humid months. It can leave you soaked in sweat and make you smell awful throughout the flight.
This is customarily not accepted while traveling. Body odor plays a significant role during air travels. It boosts your confidence and allows you to make an excellent first impression on the new people that you might meet on the way. The best way to stay fresh and smell great during air travel is by keeping a good cologne with you.
This post will help you to understand why it’s better to carry a cologne with you. You’ll also get a clear idea of the rules to remember while having your preferred colognes during air travel. Additionally, you’ll also get some valuable tips related to packing a cologne without spilling it.
Transportation Security Administration Rules for Cologne
The Transportation Security Administration makes rules and regulations regarding what can be and cannot be brought onto an aeroplane.
They make separate rules for checked luggage and carry-on luggage. So, let us check out the rules for each one by one.
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Are colognes allowed in carry-on luggage
The Transport Security Administration allows passengers to carry a cologne bottle in their hand luggage or carry-on luggage. However, they also apply the liquid limit on cologne as they are liquid. The cologne bottles or containers cannot be more than 100ml or 3.4oz when you carry them in your carry-on luggage.
Apart from that, you need to ensure that you are carrying your cologne in a clear, quart-sized toiletries bag.
Therefore, you have to purchase travel-size cologne bottles to carry them in your in-hand luggage.
If you plan to carry your cologne with you in your hand luggage, you must opt for travel-sized bottles. Otherwise, you can also decant some cologne liquid from the original bottle into a smaller spray bottle if you don’t want to spend money buying a new one. Still worried about- “How many ounces of cologne can you take on a plane?” According to the TSA, you can carry a cologne bottle bigger than 3.4 fl oz if you purchase it after going through the security checkpoint.
You will get it at any airport-drugstore or pharmacy. If you buy it after your screening is done, you will be allowed to carry it on the plane as well. Sometimes, you can also buy it on the flight itself.
This information won’t be of much use during your return journey when you already have a cologne with you. However, if you wish to buy it for someone you’ll meet after you land, then you can buy it at the airport itself.
Can you carry cologne on a plane in checked luggage
While packing your essentials for your flight, you might be faced with this critical question- ‘can you bring cologne on a plane in your checked-in luggage?’ The answer is yes, but you must comply with specific rules:
- If the cologne bottle is larger than 3.4 oz, you cant keep it in your hand luggage. It must be kept with your checked baggage.
- You can only carry a total of 70 oz of flammable essentials with you. Cologne is volatile, so it’s best to take it in a travel-sized tube than a large bottle, even if it’s in your checked luggage.
- While packing the regular-sized bottles, you need not worry about the limit unless you are packing too many.
- However, if you bring in an additional bag for cologne and other essentials, you will have to pay extra charges for them.
- Also Read: Can You Take Perfume On A Plane
- Since cologne is expensive, it’s best to decant some of it into a leakproof bottle while carrying it in your checked bag. This prevents any form of spilling, leakage or wastage of product.
- Keep in mind that your checked luggage has a chance of getting lost. It can also be handled quite roughly. So it’s best to keep some travel-sized collage in your hand-luggage. Hand luggage might have its limits, but it’s a safer place for expensive items.
How to pack colognes
If the question- “Can you bring a bottle of cologne on an airplane?” is still lingering somewhere in your mind, then just carry a test sample with you.
Test samples of colognes are really small and easily fits in your hand luggage. It is ideal for vacations as it comes in a plastic container, preventing any chances of leakage or breakage.
If you do not have any test samples, you can just make some of your own. Just fill up a small container or spray tube, preferably made of plastic, with your favourite cologne.
This is not only convenient during your flight but also during other occasions which involve travelling. In fact, one small container can easily last for at least a few weeks. Thus you can enjoy your entire vacation without worrying about refiling your container.
However, if you plan to carry the cologne in the original glass bottle, you must keep a few things in mind. Pack the glass container safely, whether it’s in your hand luggage or checked luggage.
This prevents the glass from breaking or the cologne from spilling out inside your bag. If you don’t want all your food, clothes and electronics to have a harsh cologne-like odour or if you don’t want to hurt your fingers on broken glass pieces, then follow the steps given below:
- Firstly, seal the glass bottle of your cologne properly. Double-check to make sure that nothing is dripping out even when the cologne is turned upside down.
- If sealing the bottle does not prevent the cologne from leaking out, decant the liquid into some other leak-proof container.
- Always put your fragrance bottles, colognes and deodorants in a sealed container like a zip-lock bag. This will keep it safe and prevent the other items in your bag from smelling too harsh in case of spillage.
- If the glass bottle is placed in your checked baggage, put it in a sealed bag first and then wrap that bag with other clothes or bubble wrap. This is a great way to prevent it from hitting heavy objects in your luggage which can cause it to crack or break.
- If you are carrying the glass bottle in your carry-on bag, keep it inside a zip-lock pouch along with other toiletries. Since cologne is treated as a liquid, you must follow the TSA’s 3-1-1 liquid rule.
Cologne in Checked Baggage or Carry on
It is always better to keep the cologne inside your carry-on baggage rather than the checked baggage. The reason behind this is:
- Cologne glass bottles are usually expensive. Keeping them in your checked baggage can increase your chances of breaking them or losing them, especially when you’re flying to a poor or underdeveloped nation.
- Even if the cologne is not kept in a glass bottle, there are high chances of spillage and leaking if you keep them in the checked baggage. Most of the time, your checked baggage is handled quite roughly.
- The TSA has strict rules regarding perfumes kept inside your carry-on bags. You cannot carry more than 100 ml of fragrant liquid. However, since colognes are available in smaller bottles, it’s safer to put them in your carry-ons and thus meet the necessary requirements.
- Additionally, since you’ll be handling your own carry-on luggage, you’ll be more careful while dealing with it as you’re aware of its contents.
- If you have a large bottle, then you need not worry. Just transfer some of its contents into a smaller, leak-proof container that fits into your carry-on luggage.
If you are still confused about “Can you bring Cologne on a plane 2021?”, then go through the necessary flight guidelines before packing your luggage.
Can You Use Perfume During the Flight?
Generally, you’ll be allowed to carry your perfume with you during your flight so that you can apply it even when you’re in the air. Although technically, no rule’s stopping you from using it anytime you want, there are few things that you must reconsider before whipping the bottle out.
Firstly, imagine yourself in your co-passengers shoes. How would you feel if someone near you started spraying themselves in front of you? Would you like it if someone applied a perfume with a strong, harsh smell.?
Would you feel nauseous? Since you cannot precisely push open a window to dilute the effect of your scent, how would you handle the situation? What if someone around you is allergic to the ingredients present in your perfume.
What would you do if you were allergic to the elements present in someone else’s perfume? There is a long list of things to remember before one can apply perfume on the flight.
If you think it is necessary to spritz yourself, carry your perfume to the flight bathroom and spray yourself. Always use a product that contains no allergens or harsh smell. It’s always better to go for something that smells more fresh and natural. Use a minimal amount of the product and wait inside the bathroom for a few seconds before heading back to your seat. If you accidentally spray too much, use paper towels and water to wipe it off the skin.
Remember, if your perfume has an overpowering smell, it can often mix with your sweat and make your body odor worse. This can make you, as well as your co-passengers, uncomfortable. So always choose a light but refreshing fragrance.
What are Duty-free Colognes?
While traveling by plane, you might come across duty-free perfumes and colognes. This kind of stuff is available at the duty-free store, which you can check before getting on your flight.
Sometimes it is also sold on the flight, while it’s still in the air, and you can buy them before you board after you land or even during the flight. But, these duty-free products do not always offer good deals.
The advantage of using a duty-free product is that you won’t have to follow the 3-1-1 rule set by the TSA if you buy it. Additionally, If you purchase any product in duty-free airport shops or airlines, you can even carry it separately. You don’t even have to pack it inside your carry-on luggage.
Duty-free perfume comes in handy when you need to purchase a product containing liquid more than 100ml, and you don’t have any more space in your carry-on luggage. Since it’s duty-free, you can buy it last minute and carry it in your hands before the flight, on the flight, or even after you land at your destination.
Duty-free perfume is also helpful if you plan to fly multiple times during your trip because it does not add to your luggage. Duty-free items can be carried separately, so you’ll still have space in your luggage for other essential things during the trip. However, don’t forget to bring the receipt of the duty-free item that you’re traveling with.
Is a duty-free cologne cheaper than regular cologne?
Using a duty-free cologne adds to your convenience and removes the hassle of buying a new cologne after going through the security check. However, it is not as economical as you might think.
Duty-free perfumes cost the same as regular perfumes, if not more. In fact, tobacco and liquor purchased from duty-free stores tend to be less expensive than perfumes, colognes, and deodorants.
If luck’s on your side, you might find a good deal at a duty-free store. But for that, you need to do some research before buying your product. It is best to check and compare the prices of duty-free colognes with regular ones online before making any purchase.
However, if you’re planning to buy duty-free perfume on the flight, you might not be able to access this facility.
Most of the time, planes do not have internet connections, so it will be impossible for you to compare and check prices once you get on board.
However, if you manage to get an internet connection up in the air, go ahead and check the price before you strike the deal.
How much cologne is sufficient for a trip
Suppose you detest adding more weight to your luggage by carrying bigger-sized cologne bottles. In that case, you can buy smaller travel-sized ones containing about 30 ml of the product.
A 30ml bottle will approximately give you 300 sprays which should be sufficient for a holiday lasting for 7-14 days. In general, you would not need more than 28-56 sprays. Thus 3-5 ml of the product can easily last through a 7 to 14-day vacation.
Conclusion
Indeed, you’re allowed to carry cologne on planes. It is treated by the TSA like any other liquid. If you are taking it in your hand luggage pack bottles smaller than 3.4 ounces and put them in your quart bag.
If you want to place the cologne in your checked baggage, consider the risk of theft,damage, or spillage of the product.
Read more: I Can Bring Chocolates On The Plane?
If the cologne container is too big, even for your carry on luggage, you can opt for a deodorant stick.
Solid deodorant sticks are allowed inside the hand luggage and if you’re lucky, you might get the stick version of your favourite cologne brand. Deodorant sticks are sufficient for short trips and a good alternative for liquid cologne.
You can also make your own scented wipes for emergency purposes by splashing unscented wet wipes with your favourite cologne.
This will not be treated as a liquid and you’ll be able to carry as many wipes as you need. These wet wipes can easily fit in your hand luggage and it will not only save more space in your bag but also allow you to use the product more conveniently.
