MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
🥢 Dangerous goods • Aerosols & perfume • Since 1998

Shipping aerosols & perfume
The two items we find most often — and shouldn’t

A can of deodorant is pressurised gas. A bottle of aftershave is a flammable liquid. Both are regulated the moment they go near an aircraft, and both are the items we most often find in a box that was declared as clothes. Here is what actually applies, and when it can be done properly.

Ask about your shipment📞 0800 096 38 39
Why these two

The most refused items we handle

Aerosols and perfume are named on almost every destination page on this site as items to leave out — and they are still the goods we most often find in a box that shouldn’t contain them. Not because people are careless, but because a deodorant and a bottle of aftershave feel like the most ordinary things imaginable.

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Aerosols are pressurised gas (Class 2). Under the UN number UN1950, they cover most consumer sprays — deodorant, hairspray, shaving foam, dry shampoo, spray paint, WD-40, air fresheners. The proper shipping name is either “Aerosols, flammable” or “Aerosols, non-flammable”, and which one applies changes everything.
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Perfume is a flammable liquid (Class 3). Fine fragrance, aftershave and cologne are alcohol-based, which is why they ship under UN1266, “Perfumery products with flammable solvents”. The bottle being small does not remove the classification.
The detail

What actually applies

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Some aerosols are forbidden by air outright. The rules list several UN1950 entries as forbidden — for example flammable aerosols containing a toxic gas. Non-flammable aerosols (Class 2.2) can generally travel by passenger or cargo aircraft. That is why we need the specific product, not just “some toiletries”.
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The safety data sheet answers it. For any branded product, section 14 of the SDS gives the transport classification directly. If you are shipping commercially and don’t have the SDS, ask the manufacturer before you ship.
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Container sizes are capped. For aerosols travelling under the relevant packing instruction, metal receptacles must not exceed 1,000 ml and plastic receptacles 500 ml, and the outer packaging has to meet a tested performance standard.
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Limited quantity provisions exist for consumer-sized goods and reduce the documentation burden — but they are a defined regime with their own marking and limits, not a way of skipping the rules.
In practice

What this means for your shipment

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In a personal effects or baggage shipment, leave them out. This is the honest answer for almost everyone. Deodorant, hairspray, perfume and aftershave are inexpensive to replace at destination and are the single most common cause of a box being opened.
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Shipping them commercially is a different matter. Cosmetics and fragrance move by air and sea every day — correctly classified, correctly packed in tested packaging, correctly documented, and declared. If that is your business, talk to us properly rather than hoping.
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Never disguise them. Describing fragrance as “gifts” or aerosols as “toiletries” on a packing list is misdeclaration. It is found at screening, and it is treated as a serious matter.
Common questions

Your questions answered

Can I put deodorant in my shipment? +
In a personal effects or baggage shipment we advise leaving aerosols out entirely. They are pressurised gas under UN1950, they are the item most often found at screening, and they are inexpensive to replace at destination.
Is perfume really dangerous goods? +
Yes. Fine fragrance, aftershave and cologne are alcohol-based, so they are flammable liquids shipped under UN1266, 'Perfumery products with flammable solvents'. A small bottle is still classified the same way.
Are all aerosols banned from aircraft? +
No. Non-flammable aerosols can generally travel by passenger or cargo aircraft, while several flammable entries — such as those containing a toxic gas — are forbidden by air. The specific product determines it, which is why we ask for the brand or the safety data sheet.
What is a limited quantity? +
A defined regime that allows consumer-sized quantities of some dangerous goods to travel with reduced documentation and handling. It has its own marking and quantity limits — it is not a way of avoiding the rules.
Can you ship cosmetics and fragrance commercially? +
Yes, subject to classification, packing, documentation and airline acceptance. Cosmetics and fragrance move internationally every day when handled correctly. Send us the product details or the SDS and we will confirm what applies.
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Lak Kharod, Director
Excess Luggage Co. • 40 years in the freight industry • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

“The biggest issues are always misdeclaration and incorrect packing. Most people think you put it in the box and send it. Tell us what is actually in the shipment and we will tell you how it has to travel.” For advice on a regulated shipment, call 0800 096 38 39.

Sending aerosols or fragrance?

Tell us what you’re sending and we’ll tell you how it has to be declared, packed and documented. We’ll give you a clear quote up front, before you commit to anything.

Ask about your shipment📞 0800 096 38 39
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