🧴 Body lotion

A full-size body lotion bottle — typically 200–400ml — will be flagged at the X-ray and confiscated at security. Screeners apply the liquids rule consistently and there is no discretion for lotion. Decant what you need into a travel bottle of 100ml or less before you go, or pack the full-size bottle in your checked baggage.

The 100ml carry-on limit for liquids and gels applies uniformly at security checkpoints across all major regions. There are no countries where you can carry a full-size lotion bottle through the security checkpoint. The rule is the same whether you are departing from London, New York, Dubai, or Sydney.

Lotion bottles show up clearly on X-ray as liquids, and screeners routinely pull them from bags. If a bottle is 125ml and the liquid inside is only half-full, screeners in some countries may apply a quantity assessment, but in the US the container size is what matters — not how much is inside. There is no reliable way to negotiate keeping a non-compliant bottle through a US checkpoint.

Decant your preferred lotion into a TSA-approved travel bottle of 100ml or under for carry-on, and pack a full-size bottle in your checked bag for use at your destination. Solid lotion bars are also a convenient alternative because they are not subject to the liquids rule and can be carried in any size in carry-on.