Can your Korean beauty haul fly carry-on?
The 100 ml rule as airports actually apply it — container labels, the 1L bag, and the K-beauty items that get pulled aside: pads, cushions, masks, and aerosols.
The three separate carry-on liquid conditions
- Each container's labeled size is 100 ml or less
- Everything fits in one transparent resealable bag of about 1 liter
- The bag actually closes with everything inside
Screening goes by the size printed on the container, not by how much is left inside. A half-empty 250 ml toner still fails the cabin rule — check it in.
K-beauty items screeners often question
| Item | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Toner pads, sheet masks | Liquid-soaked — may be treated as a liquid/gel | Expect a rules check; when unsure, check them in |
| Cushion foundation | Can be screened as a liquid or gel | Same — do not assume it counts as solid |
| Mascara, cream in grams | Label shows grams, not milliliters | Volume can't be confirmed from the label; expect a check |
| Aerosols (mist, spray) | Dangerous-goods rules apply on top of liquid rules | See below — flammable ones cannot fly at all |
Aerosols follow a second set of rules
Aviation dangerous-goods rules apply to aerosols in both cabin and checked bags: non-flammable toiletry aerosols are limited to 500 ml/g per container and 2000 ml/g total per passenger. Flammable aerosols and products over 70% alcohol cannot be carried at all — "over 100 ml, so just check it in" is not always true.
Downtown tax-free purchases are NOT sealed-bag (STEB) exempt. Only airport duty-free sealed bags may pass, and a transfer airport can still re-screen and refuse them — check your transfer airport's policy.
Connecting flights
If your trip has a transfer with re-screening, your liquids must pass every screening point, not just the first one. When you don't know the transfer airport's rules, plan as if the strict standard applies.
Plan your haul with these rules built in