Can You Take Nail Polish On A Plane? TSA Rules 2024

Are you planning on jetting off on a vacay but worried about whether you can bring your nail polish and nail polish remover on the plane?

Well, don’t stress, because this post has got you covered! I’m gonna dive into the TSA’s rules on this topic and explain it all in a way that’s super easy to understand.

Just remember that the regulations differ depending on whether you take your nail polish in your carry-on or checked luggage, but I’ve got all the deets down below. Let’s get into it!

Can You Take Nail Polish On A Plane?

Yes, you can take nail polish on a plane but the quantity you take will affect how you need to pack it.

I cover all the in depth rules on this below but here’s a simple overview:

Below I go into much more detail on the rules and also provide some handy alternatives to save you some space!

Is Nail Polish Considered a Liquid for TSA?

Yes under TSA rules, nail polish is considered a liquid.

TSA has a liquids rule which limits the amount of liquids you can bring on a plane. This rule applies to carry-on luggage only and not checked luggage.

TSA Liquids Rule

You are allowed to take one quart-sized resealable bag of liquids in your carry-on.

You should put all of your liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes into this bag.

You cannot take any more liquids in your carry-on. Only the liquids that fit into this bag are allowed.

You will need to take this bag out of your carry-on luggage when passing through airport security.

It’s best to be prepared so you don’t get held up at security, you can check the availability of quart-sized resealable bags on Amazon.

I’d suggest packing your liquids into the bag before you go to the airport to make sure that all your liquids fit.

If you take any extra liquids that don’t fit in the bag then these will be taken from you by security staff. It’s happened to me before and it’s so annoying!

It’s also important to note that each liquid item must be 3.4oz/100 ml or less.

Again, if you bring liquids in your carry-on that are over this amount then they will be taken from you by security staff.

Can You Take Nail Polish In A Carry-On?

You can take nail polish in your carry-on on a plane but the TSA liquids rule applies meaning there’s restrictions on how much nail polish you can take.

You must ensure that the nail polish bottle contains less than 3.4oz/100 ml of liquid or it won’t be allowed.

All nail polish bottles should clearly state how much liquid they contain so you can easily check this by looking at the bottle.

After checking my own nail polish bottles, I realized that most of them contain between 0.3oz – 0.5oz/8 ml – 15 ml so they should easily fall below the 3.4oz/100 ml limit. 

This limit is per bottle so, for example, if you have 2 bottles of nail polish that you want to pack in your carry-on, each one needs to be less than 3.4oz/100 ml.

Did you know there are also restrictions on taking chapstick on a plane?

Can I Take Nail Polish Remover In A Carry-On?

You can take nail polish remover in your carry-on however the TSA liquids rule also applies so the bottle must contain less that 3.4oz/100ml or it won’t be allowed.

As most nail polish remover bottles contain more than 3.4oz/100 ml, a better alternative is to take nail polish remover wipes instead as these are not considered a liquid by TSA. 

This is also useful as nail polish remover can take up a lot of room (you only have 1 quart-sized bag available for liquids). This is a great way to save space in your carry-on.

Even though nail polish and nail polish remover are permitted in a carry-on, if it is flagged as a security concern then a TSA officer can make the decision to not allow you to take it.

This is incredibly rare and would only happen if there was some suspicion that it had been tampered with so just take them in their original bottles and you should be fine.

Related Post: Can You Take a Nail File on a Plane?

Can I Take Nail Polish In My Carry-On That I Purchased In Duty Free?

If you purchased your nail polish or nail polish remover in duty free then you can take it in your carry-on no matter the size. Duty free purchases are exempt from the TSA liquids rule.

There are no size restrictions on the bottles if they were purchased in duty free – this means that you can take it in your carry-on even if it contains more than 3.4oz/100 ml of liquid.

Just ensure that you keep your receipt and don’t take it out of the sealed plastic bag until you leave the airport.

Can You Take Nail Polish In Checked Luggage?

You can take nail polish in your checked luggage and there are no restrictions on how much you can take.

So if, for some reason, you want to take a checked bag full of nail polish then go for it! You can take as much as you want.

I’d still suggest packing your nail polish in a resealable bag to ensure it doesn’t leak all over your clothes.

It’s uncommon but nail polish bottles can sometimes break during the journey and this could ruin all your clothes so it’s best to prepare and not leave the bottle loose.

I also cover if you can take mascara on a plane too!

Can I Take Nail Polish Remover In Checked Luggage?

You can take nail polish remover in your checked luggage but there are some restrictions on how much you can take.

As nail polish remover is a flammable liquid, you can’t take more than 18oz/530 ml in your checked bag.

It’s rare for a nail polish remover bottle to contain this much (most contain between 1.7oz – 5oz/50 ml – 150 ml) but it’s best to double check beforehand just in case.

A better alternative is to take nail polish remover wipes instead as nail polish remover sometimes leaks so taking wipes is a much better option.

And that’s it!

Thanks for reading this post on if you can take nail polish or nail polish remover on a plane. 

All of the information for this article was taken from the official TSA rules. You can visit their website for any additional queries.

I also have a guide on if you can take an eyeshadow palette on a plane and how to pack an eyeshadow palette for travel. I think you’ll find them useful.