Yes, creams count as liquids on a plane and must follow the 100 ml 3-1-1 rule in your carry-on bag.
Standing over an open suitcase with half your bathroom shelf in front of you can feel confusing, especially when you are trying to read airport liquid rules. One of the most common packing questions is whether face cream, moisturizer, or body lotion is treated as a liquid at security. Getting this right saves you time at the checkpoint and protects you from losing expensive skincare at the scanner.
Security agencies group creams with liquids, gels, and pastes. That means your moisturizer lives in the same category as shampoo, toothpaste, and hair gel when you pack a cabin bag. The labels on your products might not say “liquid”, yet airport staff still treat them that way once they reach the X-ray belt.
Do Creams Count As Liquids On A Plane? Rules For Your Carry-On
The short answer to the cabin bag dilemma is yes: creams count as liquids at airport security. If a product spreads, squeezes, pumps, or pours, staff treat it as part of your liquid allowance. So face cream, body lotion, eye cream, sunscreen, and ointment all fall under the same rule as liquid soap and hair serum.
In many countries, the familiar “3-1-1” or 100 ml rule still applies for cabin bags. Each container of liquid, gel, cream, or paste must be 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters or less, and all of those containers need to fit inside a single, clear, resealable bag of about one liter. The
TSA liquids, aerosols, and gels rule
explains that creams sit squarely in this group, so your skincare bottles join the shampoo and toothpaste lineup in that plastic bag.
| Toiletry Type | Counts As A Liquid? | Carry-On Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Face Cream Or Moisturizer | Yes | 100 ml or less, in the clear liquids bag |
| Body Lotion | Yes | 100 ml or less, in the clear liquids bag |
| Sunscreen (Cream Or Lotion) | Yes | 100 ml or less in carry-on, larger sizes in checked |
| Toothpaste | Yes, treated as a paste | 100 ml or less, in the clear liquids bag |
| Roll-On Deodorant | Usually yes | Travel size only in cabin bag, any size in checked |
| Stick Deodorant | Often treated as solid | Commonly allowed outside liquids bag, check local rules |
| Solid Bar Cleanser Or Lotion Bar | No, treated as solid | Can usually go in cabin without the liquids bag |
| Liquid Foundation Or BB Cream | Yes | Each bottle 100 ml or less, in the clear bag |
Many travelers first meet this rule in the United States, yet the idea is shared across a lot of regions. The UK and much of Europe still follow a 100 ml container limit for most airports, as set out in the
UK hand luggage liquid limits.
A small but growing group of airports now allows larger liquid volumes in cabin bags thanks to new scanners, though rules there still treat creams as liquids; the difference is only in allowed container size.
Because rules keep shifting, especially in parts of Europe, you should always check the security section of both your departure airport and your return airport before you pack. One side of your trip might still follow the 100 ml rule even if the other side has moved to larger limits.
What Counts As A Liquid, Gel, Or Cream At Security
Security staff do not worry about the word printed on the bottle as much as the texture inside. If a substance spreads easily across skin or a surface, it usually falls under the liquid rule. That means your rich night cream sits in the same group as eye gel, ointment in a tube, and hair wax.
From the point of view of the scanner, these textures behave in a similar way. They sit inside a container that might hide other items, and they need separate screening in small volumes. This is why you must place your liquids bag separately in the tray at many checkpoints, unless you fly through one of the newer scanner lanes that allows liquids to stay inside the cabin bag.
The container size rule catches many people out. A half-full 200 ml jar of face cream still breaks the limit in airports that apply the 100 ml threshold, even if there is far less product inside it. Staff look at how much the container can hold, not the current level inside the jar or tube.
When you plan how much cream to bring, picture how often you will actually use it on the trip. A 30 ml travel pot can easily last a week or more for face products, and hair styling creams often stretch even further in small containers. Decanting into small refillable pots saves space in your liquids bag and reduces the risk of losing a full-size item at security.
Creams As Liquids On Planes: Toiletry Bag Planning
Once you know that airport staff treat creams as liquids, the next step is to plan your toiletries bag like a small puzzle. You have a fixed amount of space in that one-liter plastic bag and a limit of one such bag per passenger in most regions. A little planning before you travel keeps that bag neat and easy to present at security.
Start by laying out every cream and semi-liquid product you think you need: face moisturizer, eye cream, hand cream, sunscreen, shaving cream, and any ointments or balms. Then remove anything you only use once a week or products that duplicate each other. Most people over-pack toiletries on short trips, and every extra tube takes space away from something else that matters more.
Next, transfer thicker creams into small leak-proof pots. Travel containers with screw tops work well for night cream and rich body butter. Since a little usually goes a long way with these textures, a few small pots cover several days. Label each one with a simple marker pen so you do not mix up sunscreen, face cream, and hair products.
Lighter lotions and runny skincare fit better into small squeeze bottles. Make sure each bottle shows a volume of 100 ml or less and that the combined set still fits inside the clear bag. Many travelers like to group products by use: cleanser and toner in one corner of the bag, creams in the center, and mini hair products at the side. That layout helps you grab what you need at a hotel sink without emptying the entire bag every night.
The question “do creams count as liquids on a plane?” often appears when someone is trying to pack a favorite large tub. If the trip is short, think about leaving the big jar at home and relying on a small decanted amount, or even picking up a mini size at your destination instead.
Packing Creams In Carry-On Versus Checked Bags
The liquid rule mainly governs what passes through the security checkpoint in your cabin bag. Once you move to checked luggage, most airports allow full-size bottles and jars of cream with fewer restrictions on volume. That includes big tubs of body lotion, family-size sunscreen pumps, and hair masks in wide jars.
Checked bags still need a little care, though. Air pressure changes during a flight can make bottles expand, so a loose cap may leak over clothing. To reduce that risk, tighten every lid fully, tape flip caps closed if they tend to pop open, and place your creams in separate zip bags or toiletry pouches. A small effort at home can save you from washing half a suitcase of clothes at the hotel sink.
Glass jars need extra thought. A heavy blow during baggage handling can crack a jar and spread cream across the lining of your suitcase. Wrapping glass containers in soft items such as T-shirts and placing them near the center of the bag reduces the chance of damage. If a product is hard to replace or very expensive, many travelers prefer to keep it in a cabin bag within the liquid limits so they can handle it themselves.
Some travelers split creams between carry-on and checked luggage. A small pot of face cream and a small tube of sunscreen go in the cabin liquids bag in case checked bags are delayed, while the rest of the supply travels in the hold. This approach works well on trips with tight connections or winter weather, when luggage delays are more common.
| Packing Scenario | Carry-On Choice For Creams | Checked Bag Choice For Creams |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend City Break | Small pots of face and body cream in liquids bag | Often none needed |
| One-Week Beach Holiday | Mini face cream and small sunscreen tube | Full-size body lotion and large sunscreen bottles |
| Carry-On Only Trip | All creams in small containers, strictly within liquids bag | Not used |
| Trip With Valuable Skincare | Most valuable products in travel sizes in cabin | Back-up products in well-wrapped jars |
| Family Holiday With Kids | One shared small tub of cream for the flight | Family-size creams and sunscreen pumps |
| Cold-Weather Destination | Rich face cream and lip balm in cabin bag | Larger tubs of heavy moisturizer |
| Long Multi-Country Trip | Starter supply of creams | Spare stock or plan to purchase on the road |
Special Rules For Medication, Baby Creams, And Duty-Free Purchases
Not every cream you pack fits tidy travel-size bottles. Medical creams, ointments, and certain baby products sometimes need larger containers. Many security agencies allow larger amounts of medically necessary creams in cabin bags as long as you declare them at security and show proof such as a prescription or doctor’s letter. The Canadian security agency, for example, sets out how larger containers can travel in the same way as other medical liquids and non-solid food items.
Baby creams and diaper creams often travel under similar allowances. Parents may bring larger containers through the checkpoint when the product is clearly for infant care, though rules vary slightly between countries and airports. Staff might swab the container or ask you to open it for screening, so pack these items where they are easy to reach.
Duty-free purchases add another wrinkle. Creams bought after security usually come in sealed, tamper-evident bags along with the receipt. As long as that seal stays intact, many airports allow you to connect through another airport with those items, even if the jars exceed 100 ml. If you need to transfer between terminals or pass through a second security check, keep the duty-free bag sealed until you reach your final destination.
The second time the question “do creams count as liquids on a plane?” matters is during a return trip or connection through an airport with different rules from your starting point. A jar that moved freely in one cabin bag might break the rules at another airport that still enforces old limits, so always review current guidance before every leg of your trip.
Creams Packing Checklist For Your Next Flight
Before you zip up your suitcase, run through a simple cream and liquid check. It only takes a few minutes and reduces stress at the checkpoint.
Step-By-Step Cabin Bag Cream Check
- Gather every item that spreads, pumps, or pours: creams, lotions, gels, pastes, and liquid makeup.
- Check each container size; anything over 100 ml belongs in checked luggage unless covered by a medical or baby exception.
- Decant favorite creams into small, leak-proof pots or bottles when you only need a short trip supply.
- Place all cabin-size creams together in one clear, resealable plastic bag of about one liter.
- Keep that bag at the top of your carry-on so you can remove it fast if your airport still needs separate screening.
Comfort And Safety Tips For Creams In Flight
- Pack a small hand cream and lip balm in your cabin bag; dry air in the cabin can be tough on skin.
- Keep a tiny tube of sunscreen handy for bright window seats or sunny arrivals.
- Store glass jars toward the center of both cabin and checked bags, wrapped in soft clothes.
- Use extra zip bags for anything prone to leaking, especially pump bottles and flip-cap tubes.
- Take a quick photo of your toiletry layout before you leave home so you can rebuild it easily on the next trip.
Once you understand how security treats creams, gels, and pastes, packing becomes far simpler. You know that do creams count as liquids on a plane under the same rule as shampoos and other toiletries, so you can choose travel containers that pass smoothly through the checkpoint. With a small set of well-packed creams in your bag, you land ready to enjoy your trip instead of queueing to replace a favorite product that got left behind at security.