🦷 Toothpaste

A standard full-size toothpaste tube is typically 75ml or 100ml, so it may just pass the size limit if it is 100ml or under — but many retail tubes are 125ml or 150ml and those will be confiscated. Officers go by the printed size on the tube, not how much is left inside. A squeezed-down half-empty 150ml tube will still be taken.

Toothpaste is classified as a gel rather than a solid in all regions, and the 100ml per container and one-litre clear bag rule applies consistently across all 14 regions we cover. There are no regional exceptions for toothpaste. Toothpaste tablets, however, are not classified as a gel or liquid and can be carried in any quantity without restriction.

No — screeners enforce the printed container size, not the fill level, so a nearly empty tube that originally held 150ml will still be confiscated. This is a common source of frustration for travelers who assume the leftover amount is what matters. The only reliable approach is to start with a tube of 100ml or less, or to use toothpaste tablets.

A standard travel-size tube of 75ml or 100ml fits the carry-on liquid rule and easily slots into your one-litre clear bag. Toothpaste tablets are an even simpler option — they are solid, require no clear bag, have no size restriction, and take up very little space. If you forget to buy travel size, most airports sell toothpaste airside, though usually at a premium.