Perfumes are a common item to pack on a trip, and they are also popular items to buy during a trip as a souvenir or gift. If you are planning on traveling with perfume, you might be wondering what the rules are for bringing perfume on a plane and how you can protect your perfume from damage in transit.

Perfumes are often expensive and come in fragile glass containers that are not ideal for travel. In addition, most perfume bottles hold much more perfume than you need for a vacation. We’ll share information on airport regulations, choosing a travel sized perfume bottle, how to use a travel atomizer, and advice on packing and protecting your fragrances.

If you are planning to buy fragrances during your trip, you’ll want to know the rules around custom duties, luggage allowances, and international shipping. We’ll also cover buying perfumes from duty free shops and how to determine if a purchase is a good deal or not.

Finally, we’ll also share tips about when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate to wear perfume in various travel situations so you can be a respectful and mindful traveler. Traveling is a great time to learn more about perfumes and we’ll discuss some ways you can explore the world of fragrances on your travels.

This is a guide to traveling with perfume based on both our own research on the topic and our many years of travel. So let’s dive into the world of traveling with fragrances!

12 Tips for Traveling with Perfume

We are going to cover everything that relates to perfume and travel. This includes how to choose travel sized perfume bottles, how to safety pack your fragrances, how to take your perfumes through an airport, how to shop for fragrances at duty free shops, and how to prepare for custom duties.

We also cover etiquette related to wearing fragrances while traveling, international shipping regulations, and how to have fragrance-related experiences on your trip.

Depending on where you are going and your specific travel plans, some of these are unlikely to apply. So you can skip to the sections relevant to your trip.

Make Sure Your Perfume is in a Travel Sized Bottle

Travel sized bottles take up less room in your luggage and help you travel lighter. However, in addition to just being practical, if you are traveling carry-on only, you need to use travel sized bottles to be compliant with airport security regulations.

Almost all airports and countries regulate the amount of liquids, gels, creams, pastes, and aerosols that you can bring in a carry-on bag through airport security and onto the plane.

Most are the same as the USA’s Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 3-1-1 rule. Each passenger’s liquid and gel items are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. All these items must also fit into a small bag that is 1 quart (or 1 liter) in size. This bag should be resealable and clear (or transparent). Each person is allowed one bag.

You can read more about the TSA’s liquids rules here.

So, if you want to bring any perfume bottle over 3.4 ounces (100 ml), you need to pack it in your checked luggage (the luggage you check with the airline before security). Otherwise, it will be confiscated as you go through security.

If you want to take liquids, gels, creams, aerosols, or pastes on the plane in your carry-on luggage, make sure they are each 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less and all of them fit together into a resealable 1 quart sized bag (or 1 liter sized bag) together.

For metric measurements, your items should each be 100 ml or less and they all need to fit comfortably into a clear resealable 1 liter / litre sized bag.

For the quart sized bag, you can use something like the typical Ziploc plastic bag, a clear plastic cosmetic bag, or a reusable quart-size silicone bag. If you like the idea of the more sustainable silicone bags, Stasher also makes these beauty specific ones that are TSA compliant.

Now you can, of course, take larger full-sized bottles of perfume with you in your checked luggage. However, I would avoid doing this unless it is necessary as you don’t want to risk a full-sized bottle breaking or leaking in your luggage. Those large bottles also take up a lot more space than mini ones.

Many full-sized bottles are designed to look nice on your vanity, but are not practical for travel. Imagine traveling with a full-sized bottle of Caroline Herrera’s Good Girl perfume, Mugler’s Angel Nova, or Marc Jacobs Daisy. These bottles are interesting and unique but are so impractical for travel. Best to keep these at home and decant them into a travel atomizer, such as these ones, for your travels!

Pack only the amount of perfume you need. Very few people need more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml) on a trip. In fact, 100 milliliters of perfume will last most people months, if not years! Most travel atomizers hold between 5 milliliters and 20 milliliters, and I would say that 5 ml to 10 ml of fragrance is plenty for most trips.

Note that there are not normally any regulations for perfumes on other forms of transport, like trains, buses, and cruises, but it is always a good idea to check. But you definitely need to be prepared when you travel by air or your perfume could be confiscated.

Save Your Perfume Samples

Most of us have some perfume samples or mini bottles lying around. Perhaps you got some free perfume samples with a recent beauty purchase. Maybe a travel sized bottle came with the purchase of a full-sized bottle. Or maybe you’ve been gifted a mini perfume sampler box.

These mini bottles are perfect to keep for when you travel, just make sure that the bottles don’t leak before packing them. You can always transfer the perfume into a travel atomizer if needed.

Many people transfer their rollerball or splash samples into an atomizer in order to be able to use them as a spray perfume.

Invest in a Travel Atomizer

A travel perfume atomizer is a small fragrance container that sprays a fine mist. The bottles are normally refillable and reusable. They are meant to be used to store smaller amount of fragrance to be used away from the home so are designed to be less likely to break or leak when thrown in your purse, backpack, or luggage.

Designs can vary but most perfume atomizers consist of an inner container that stores the perfume, a spray system, an outer protective shell or case, and a matching cap. I personally prefer ones with inner glass contains and aluminum cases, but there are a lot of variations out there.

Travel atomizers come in a variety of sizes and most hold between 5 milliliters (0.17 fl oz) to 20 milliliters (0.67 fl oz) of fragrance. I would say that atomizers that hold between 5ml and 10ml (0.17 to 0.34 fl oz) of perfume are generally a perfect size for most people.

So, with a travel atomizer, you just need to transfer your fragrance from its original bottle to your travel atomizer. This can be done in a variety of ways, but it depends on the type of fragrance bottle you have (e.g., spray bottle with removable pump, spray bottle with crimped neck, splash bottle, rollerball, etc.) and the type of atomizer.

We’re going to write a separate article on how to choose an atomizer and fill it, but for now, I’ll say that you can transfer almost any perfume if you have a mini funnel, a pipette, and/or dispenser pump refill tool. You can buy an inexpensive perfume refill kit like this one if you need these tools.

Most travel atomizers allow you to unscrew and remove the spray pump. These atomizers can be filled in a variety of ways, such as pouring, spraying, or dropping in the liquid with a pipette or eyedropper. The great thing about these atomizers is that they can be used with just about any kind of fragrance bottle you may have.

Some universal travel atomizers you might consider:

• Lil Ray – This brand offers inexpensive refillable atomizers that generally come in sets of 3 or more. Two options to consider are these classic black ones and these twist top style ones. I have some of these budget-friendly atomizers and they have generally performed well, especially for the price.
• AllbottlesUSA  – This USA based company caters more to businesses buying in bulk but will also sell individual single bottles. I have purchased several atomizers and other bottles from them with no issues, including this black atomizer and this purple atomizer.
• AtomizersKing – This Canadian company offers atomizers in a variety of colors, sizes, shapes, and styles. You can purchase them both from their Etsy store as well as on Amazon (under the Alice-Aliya brand name).
• Essential Atomizer Co – This UK based company specializes in selling atomizers and perfume transfer accessories.
• Tom Ford – If you want a refillable designer name brand atomizer and have a bigger budget, some fragrance brands like Tom Ford sell refillable atomizers.

There is a second main type of perfume atomizer that only works with fragrances that come in a spray bottle. These travel atomizers come with an integrated pump system and a small hole in the bottom where you insert the tube on your perfume bottle. You place them on top of your perfume’s spray tubing and you then pump the fragrance directly up inside the atomizer.

It should be noted that these will work with most, but not all, perfume spray bottles. For example, sometimes the tubing of a perfume bottle is too thick for the atomizer.

The best known brand within the integrated pump and fill system atomizers space is Travalo. The Travalo Classic atomizer is their basic model, but they have more decorative ones as well such as this Milano one. If you are going to invest in one of these types of atomizes, they are a good brand to consider as they are dedicated to making atomizers, are better quality than most of the Amazon dupes, and come with a 1-year warranty.

If you want this type of pump and fill system but want something cheaper than a Travalo atomizer, there are many Amazon dupes out there you can try for much less. Just be sure to read the reviews and test them out once you receive them. They normally come in packs of 3 or more.

Most travel atomizers are inexpensive, but designer branded ones are going to be much more expensive. For instance, if you have a bigger budget and want something a little nicer, you can get one from one of your favorite fragrance brands such as Tom Ford or Creed.

Just make sure if you buy a designer branded travel atomizer that it is one you can actually refill as brands are notorious for making ones that can only be refilled with their own brand’s refill bottles. For example, this Chanel purse spray can only be used with Chanel vials. This would be perfect for someone who only wears Chanel No. 5, but it isn’t going to work if you want to be able to reuse it for another brand’s perfume. So just know what you are buying.

I normally travel with one perfume atomizer and Laurence also has one of his own. But I know a lot of people travel with two (or more) of them, one for a more daytime perfume (fresh, light scent) and then one for a more nighttime appropriate perfume. If you are traveling with multiple atomizers, it is a good idea to label and/or color code them so you remember what is in each one.

No matter what travel atomizers you decide to buy, be sure to test them once you get them to make sure that you are able to fill them, that they don’t leak, and that the spray system is working properly. Fill them (although not to the top!), shake them around, and carry them around in your purse or backpack for a day or two to test them. You want to make sure they are in working order before tossing them in your luggage for a long trip.

Give your Perfume Some Space (Ullage)

Before packing any fragrance, especially if you are transferring it to an atomizer or a travel sized container, you need to make sure that there is some empty space left at the top of the bottle.

Ullage is the amount of air space (or empty space) in your perfume bottle or atomizer. This is necessary to help prevent leakage that can occur when the liquid inside reacts to changes in pressure and temperature.

If you fill a bottle all the way to the top, it is much more likely to leak during travel. This is especially true during air travel where there are often large changes in pressure. If you don’t leave some space in the bottle, the expansion of the liquid is much more likely to cause a leak if the bottle is filled to the brim.

Note that this also applies to any other liquid, cream, or gel that you are packing as well. Never fill any container up to the top when traveling, especially if traveling by air.

If you have ever filled a water bottle to the top in an airport before boarding a plane and then it spilled all over you when you opened it later in the flight, this is why!

Pack Your Perfumes Carefully

Travel is fraught with danger for your perfume. There are extremes in temperature, pressure changes, careless luggage carriers, and the everyday bumps and jolts of travel.

Again, we have found that one of the best ways to mitigate this is to invest in a travel atomizer and just take a small amount of your perfume with you on your travels. An atomizer is designed for travel and is much less likely to break than a standard glass perfume bottle.

When traveling by air, I would recommend placing your perfume in a sealed waterproof bag (plastic or silicone) within a padded toiletry bag or dopp kit with a waterproof lining. This gives it at least two layers of protection.

If traveling carry-on only make sure it’s in a clear quart-sized bag that you can easily take out for security screening. We like to use the reusable and durable quart sized silicone Stasher bags, but you can also, of course, use a basic resealable Ziploc bag.

Always try to pack your liquids and anything that is breakable in the middle of your suitcase so that it is more protected in the case of a fall or direct blow to your luggage. If your bottles are particularly fragile, you can also always wrap something soft and absorbent like a towel, socks, or T-shirt around them for extra protection.

During your travels, try to keep your perfume out of direct sunlight and try to avoid leaving it in really hot places (e.g., all day in a hot car or next to a heater), Sunlight and heat can degrade your perfume and lead to faster evaporation.

Protect Your Other Belongings

While protecting your fragrances is important, you also want to protect the rest of the things you pack in your luggage in the event that your bottles leak or break. The reality of travel, especially travel that includes air travel, is that even the best atomizers or the most securely protected perfume bottles can leak or break in transit.

If traveling by air, I’d recommend double protection (especially if traveling with any kind of bottle with exposed glass). You can place the bottle in a small waterproof plastic or silicone bag and then place that within a larger waterproof (or at least water resistant) toiletry bag. This way if your perfume leaks, it doesn’t get everything else wet in your toiletry bag.

If you are planning to travel by air with several bottles of perfume (especially if they are full glass bottles), then you might consider buying some of the absorbent bags designed for wine bottles such as these ones by JetBag or these ones by WineSkin to help protect your fragrance bottles as well as the rest of the items in your suitcase. They are designed so that if the bottle breaks, all the glass and liquid will stay inside the bag.

If you are considering buying fragrances as gifts on your upcoming trip, packing a few of these absorbent bags can be a very smart idea and give you more peace of mind.

Be Mindful of Others when Wearing Fragrances when Traveling

When traveling, you’ll likely find yourself in tight spaces next to other people, so you want to be mindful of how much fragrance you are wearing. Strong scents, good or bad, can lead to headaches, migraines, respiratory difficulties, nausea, and even trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks in some people, so you want to be mindful and respectful of others.

I know I have personally gotten headaches in the past from “secondhand scents” from other people’s perfumes and body sprays. It seems I am not alone in having a fragrance sensitivity. In one study (Steinemann, 2016), 35% of Americans reported health problems, such as migraine headaches or respiratory difficulties, when exposed to fragranced products. A recent study of migraine sufferers (Imai et al., 2023) found that over 50% reported perfume as a trigger of a  migraine attack.

So, we all know it is rude to wear too much perfume or cologne in public, but how much is OK to wear? Generally, another person shouldn’t be able to smell your perfume or cologne unless they are touching you or standing close to you. And you shouldn’t apply or reapply a perfume in public spaces (especially while on an airplane!).

Remember that people are going to be able to more keenly smell you in small, cramped, and hot spaces. So the amount of perfume that might be perfectly acceptable in a shop, restaurant, or a club setting, can really bother someone sitting next to you on a hot bus or stuck next to you on a plane.

If you ask etiquette experts, there are a number of places that are commonly cited as places where you probably should avoid wearing perfumes. These include hospitals and any type of medical facilities, gyms, shared office spaces, hiking, and around babies. Travel related scenarios where you might consider avoiding wearing fragrances (or at least keep them to a minimum) include airports, public transportation (e.g., metro, bus, tram), tour buses, and on longer car rides with others.

Note that it is also not a good idea to wear perfume when wine tasting and many vineyards and tasting rooms discourage it. This is because the scent of your perfume can interfere with being able to fully smell and taste the wines. Same when perfume shopping as you don’t want the perfume you are wearing to interfere with the ones you are testing.

Now this, of course, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear your fragrances at all while traveling, but you should be mindful about how much you are using and wearing. And there are a few situations where it might be better to avoid wearing any perfume, such as on air travel days.

Limit Use of Fragrances in Natural Areas

Another place to limit your use of fragrances and scented products is when heading into the great outdoors. Whether you are out hiking, boating, biking, climbing, or just sightseeing at a national park, fragrances are generally a no-no. Most people want to breathe in the fresh air and smell the scents of the natural environment.

The synthetic scents of perfumes often become very noticeable to people when in a natural environment. And they don’t necessarily smell very nice when mixed with sweat, bug spray, and sunscreen! So it is generally best to wait to put them on after you’ve come back from the trail and had a shower.

It also should be noted that certain fragrances can attract insects and other wildlife which is another good reason to avoid them when spending a lot of time outside!

Save Money with Duty-Free Perfume Shopping

If you travel internationally, you are likely to run across duty free shops in airports as well as train stations, seaports, cruise ships, and even some land border crossings. “Duty free” means that you don’t have to pay certain local taxes or customs taxes, or duties, in that country.

Duty free shops are designed for international travelers who are getting ready to depart a destination and are taking the goods out of the country. The idea is that you don’t have to pay the local customs duties because you are leaving that country. It also can help avoid double taxation for those who may have to pay the customs taxes at their destination.

While some countries also offer tax free shopping refund programs for international travelers (e.g., the European Union’s VAT Refund program), duty-free shops are easier for travelers because the taxes have already been removed from the purchase price. With tax refund or rebate programs, you have to fill out forms and claim back the taxes later. Duty free shops also don’t normally have any sort of minimum purchase amounts unlike tax rebate programs.

The most popular goods sold in duty-free shops are items that are more heavily taxed and regulated such as alcohol, tobacco products, perfumes, and sweets. Now, duty free shopping can lead to significant savings on some items but it really depends. The actual prices and savings on a specific fragrance can vary by country, city, airport, and even airport terminal.

According to this 2019 CNBC article, The Points Guy team did some research and concluded that Europe is generally the best place to buy fragrances at duty free shops for the biggest savings. They specifically highlighted Madrid’s Barajas Airport, Portugal’s Porto Airport. and London’s Heathrow Airport as the best for perfume shoppers.

For fragrances, I would say it is best to only shop for fragrances that you already know you want to buy. If the fragrance is available in your home country, you’ll want to check the price you’d pay to buy it there. Then you want to compare, taking into account any currency conversions, to see if a particular perfume is a good deal or not.

Let’s say I want to buy a 100ml bottle of Guerlain’s Mon Guerlain Intense. The Heathrow airport price is £99.58 ($126.30) and the average retail price in London with taxes is £138.33 ($175.45). So that seems like a good savings; however, when I check prices in the U.S., I can currently get the same size bottle of Mon Guerlain Intense on Amazon for sale for only $107!

Let’s do that again with a 100ml bottle of Diptyque Philosykos which is priced at £90 ($114) and the average retail price in London with taxes is £125 ($158.82). So again that seems like a good savings and when I check prices in the U.S., I can currently buy same size bottle of Diptyque Philosykos on Amazon for $140. So that does seem to represent a good deal.

I generally find that the savings are generally not huge for American shoppers on fragrances as you can often find good deals on perfumes locally. But this does depend a lot on currency exchange rates and can really differ by brand.

Duty free shopping can be a great place to buy fragrances for people from countries where the price of perfume is high, or their selection of locally available perfumes is limited. Just be sure to do your math and don’t just assume it is a good deal!

If you have a flight with any layovers or connections, it is best to buy anything from the duty-free shop at your last international stop after going through screening. So for example, let’s say you are flying back from Jamaica and live in Toronto, Canada. You are flying from Jamaica to Miami to Toronto. It is best to do any duty-free shopping in Miami to avoid having to go through security screening at the Miami airport with items that don’t comply with the TSA liquids rule.

You can, in most countries, bring in duty-free items through screening if you are transiting to another destination, but you need to make sure that you have the purchase receipt in hand and that the items are kept in the original proper secure tamper-evident bag from the duty-free shop. You could also of course place them in your checked luggage if you have access to it during the layover.

Finally, you must remember that items sold in a duty free shop are free of duties only for that country in which they were purchased. So, for example, if you buy items at a duty-free store at the airport in Dubai, they still need to be declared at your final destination. If the items exceed your personal allowance, you may still be subject to customs duties upon entering your destination country.

Be Aware of Potential Customs and Import Duties on Perfume

A customs duty is a tariff or tax imposed on goods when transported across international borders. This includes items travelers have in their carry-on bags and checked luggage.

So if you are going to buy perfume internationally, you should also be aware of any customs or import duties that may be placed on goods brought into your destination country. Each country has its own set of rules around importing products from overseas. Generally, there is an allowance of good you can bring in for free, but once you go over a certain value you may have to pay a customs fee for any items beyond that allowance.

The customs rules may regulate the number of items and/or the total value of the goods. For example, in the United States, residents can bring up to $800 worth of goods into the country from most destinations without paying any extra duties or taxes. However, non-residents may only bring in up to $100 worth of goods into the USA. You can see more detailed USA customs info here.

In the United Kingdom, residents can currently bring in up to £390 worth of goods (in addition to alcohol and tobacco allowances) through customs. You can find UK customs info here.

While most countries don’t have specific rules about travelers bringing in perfumes, there are a number of countries that do have specific rules related to importing perfumes. You’ll want to check the customs regulations and taxes for your country or final destination.

There are about 40 countries with specific rules around importing perfumes. Some also specifically regulate the type of perfume so a country may have different allowances for a parfum or eau de parfum versus a toilet water or eau de toilette. These differences relate to the concentration of perfume oil used in the fragrance.

For example, at the time of writing, Tanzania allows adult visitors to import up to 125 ml of perfume and 375 ml of toilet water, South Africa allows 50 ml perfume and 250 ml eau de toilette, Turkey allows up to 5 bottles (up to 120 ml each) of perfume, cologne, eau de toilette, essence, or lotion, and Japan has a very strict allowance of only 2 ounces (60 ml) of perfume.

To find out the customs allowances for travelers to your final destination, you should check an official government customs, trade, or travel website. If you are not sure where to look, a web search for something like “traveler customs personal allowance restrictions perfume for [country]” should help you find the information. Be sure to get the information from an official government page to ensure it is the most updated and accurate information.

Generally, customs duties are only going to apply to those planning to buy more than a couple of bottles of perfume or those buying very expensive items. But it is always a good idea to check if you are planning any purchases.

Check Out Domestic and International Shipping Restrictions and Fees

You may be interested in shipping perfumes because you either want to ship your luggage when traveling or because you purchased fragrances during your trip and you want to mail them home. If you are planning on mailing any fragrances, you need to know about any applicable domestic or international shipping regulations.

Almost all fragrances contain ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which is very flammable, and are therefore classified as hazardous materials. This means that almost all countries have a number of restrictions in place on the shipment of perfumes.

Generally, you can only send perfumes via ground transportation or by water. Air shipping is usually illegal in most countries or is heavily restricted. There may also be restrictions on the amount of perfume allowed per package. Some mail services will not ship fragrances at all.

Further you often need to declare that you are shipping perfume, and it needs to be labeled and packed in a very specific way. This often means each perfume bottle needs to be individually sealed in a plastic bag and then wrapped in a protective layer of something like bubble wrap.

You should also be aware of any customs or import duties that may be payable on perfumes mailed internationally. Each country has its own set of rules around importing products from overseas. Generally, once you go over a certain value you may have to pay a customs fee for your items. This is similar to when bringing products into a country in your luggage as discussed above.

So, if you’re looking to send perfume through the mail, it’s important to be aware of the shipping regulations in place and whether it is legal, possible, and practical for you to do so. If you are buying perfume from a fragrance shop that caters to tourists, they can often help you with this and even arrange to have it shipped to you directly.

Explore New Perfumes when Traveling

One of the great joys of travel is that you get to explore new places, learn about new cultures, taste different types of food, and meet new people. This includes being exposed to new types of smells and being able to test fragrances that might only be available in certain regions.

Scents can invoke vivid memories and transport you back to people, moments, and places in your life. Chances are that you associate certain smells with certain destinations from your travels.

Now while some brands like Replica and Penhaligon’s do a nice job of recreating scents from around the world so we can “travel from home“, there are also some fragrances that you can only get while traveling abroad. Because of the costs and strict shipping regulations, many smaller fragrance brands, especially those handmade by small businesses, are regional.

Further, even big international brands, often release different scents to suit certain markets. For example, some of the perfumes released in the North American market are different from those released in the Middle Eastern market.

There are also lots of opportunities to learn about fragrances, from how the raw materials are produced to how modern noses work to create new perfumes. These opportunities exist around the world.

Some examples include visiting the Farina Fragrance Museum in Cologne, Germany to learn how the first modern cologne was created, learning how perfume oils are made from raw ingredients in Egypt, touring rose fields in Turkey or Bulgaria, or doing a perfume factory visit in Grasse France.

Not surprisingly, one of my favorite fragrance destinations is France. Not only is Paris a wonderful place to try and buy fragrances, but Grasse France, in southern France near Nice, is also the center of France’s perfume industry. Grasse is widely known as the perfume capital of the world as so many fragrance companies are based there.

In Grasse, you can take a tour to visit some of the perfume factories in Grasse. Even today, the world’s most famous perfume, Chanel No. 5, still uses flowers (jasmine) that are harvested in Grasse.

One of my favorite travel experiences has been to attend perfume workshops and classes. For instance, I’ve done a perfume workshop in Paris and a perfume workshop in Grasse where I was able to create custom fragrances. Not only were they educational, but I also got to create unique fragrances to take back home with me!

So those are our 12 tips for traveling with perfumes, and I hope that this helped answer any questions you may have had about traveling with your fragrances.

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If you have any questions about how to travel with perfumes, just ask us and we are happy to try to help. If you have tips or advice from your own travels related to fragrances, we’d love to hear your personal experiences and tips.

If you are planning a trip and have some questions related to traveling with perfumes, feel free to ask us any questions in the Comments section below and, as always, we’ll do our best to answer your questions!