Will Spray Sunscreen Explode On A Plane?

Sunscreen is essential for any summer trip but I’ve heard horror stories of it exploding on planes.

Surely this can’t be true, can it? Let’s take a closer look at this myth and find out whether there’s any truth behind it.

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Exploding Sunscreen Sprays – The Truth

Your sunscreen will not explode if you take it on a plane. While spray sunscreens are aerosols that contain alcohol, this will only explode if it is exposed to high temperatures. Provided that the sunscreen is kept in normal conditions, there should be no unexpected explosions. This is a myth.

That said, there are travel rules around transporting aerosols on an airplane, according to the FAA and the TSA.

It pays to educate yourself on what you can carry and how much otherwise, you risk having your items confiscated before you board.

Are You Allowed To Take Spray Sunscreen In Your Carry On Luggage?

Two can of sun spray on a luggage case — Will Sun Spray Explode on a plane?

Spray sunscreen is an aerosol. Aerosols are not usually permitted in your carry on luggage and should be packed in your hold bags.

However, there are exceptions to this, and, according to the TSA and FAA, toiletries and medicines in the form of aerosols can be taken in carry on bags.

But is sunscreen a toiletry or medicine? According to the rules, spray sunscreen does fall into this category. Items that touch your body when they are used can be classed as such, so this will include spray sunscreen as well as things like inhalers for asthma and hairspray.

How Much Spray Sunscreen Can I Take In My Luggage?

The amount of spray sunscreen you’re permitted to take on an airplane largely depends on where it’s going to be carried.

There are different rules for your hold luggage than there are for your carry on.

So, how much spray sunscreen can you take in your carry on?

The answer is ‘not a lot.’ For any liquid product, and that includes those packaged in an aerosol container, you are only allowed to take 100 ml in a carry on bag.

However, there’s more!

Any passenger is allowed to take as many of these 100 ml bottles as they can fit into a quart-sized plastic bag.

This essentially means that you must put all of your liquids, aerosols, and gels into one of these bags, and the bag must be able to be sealed.

TSA FAA rules spray sunscreen in a plane — Spray sunscreen TSA & FAA rules

Anything that doesn’t fit will be taken from you, and you won’t be allowed to board the flight with it.

For this reason, I’d strongly suggest stopping to fill your quart-sized plastic bag before you check any cargo luggage.

This will allow you to transfer any extra containers into your hold luggage to avoid problems at security.

So, this leads us onto the question of how much spray sunscreen you can put into your checked bags. Well, in this case, it’s significantly more.

According to the TSA and FAA rules:

Passengers are permitted to take as much as 2 liters in your hold luggage.

Any items that are larger than 100 ml must be packed in your checked luggage and there is no way around this.

Since pretty much all aerosol sunscreens come in containers larger than this, you won’t be able to take them in your carry on anyway.

What About Duty Free Aerosols?

A travel hack that I always like to use is to buy products in the duty-free area because you’re free to take them on board.

Perfume is a great example of this and when you buy it, even in large bottles, the assistant will pack it into a clear, sealed bag along with the receipt, and you can take this on your flight.

While it is possible to buy sunscreen at the airport and take it on board (as long as it stays in the packaging), my research has shown that it can actually be more expensive.

If you’re happy to pay extra, then go ahead, but I’d personally say that packing it in your checked luggage and saving a few dollars is the better option.

Is It Worth Taking Spray Sunscreen?

If you like spray sunscreen, then of course, this is going to be your first choice.

Let’s face it, you aren’t going to be using it on the plane, so it’s not essential for you to have it on your person.

Some people are worried about the risk of losing their checked baggage or having it stolen.

While this is a minor possibility, I think there will be items in there that you’d be more worried about replacing than a bottle of spray sunscreen.

That Said – If you really feel as though you’ll need to apply sunscreen the moment the plane lands or you’re worried about losing it, there are solid stick sunscreens that make a good alternative.

Final Thoughts

You can take spray sunscreen on a plane in your carry on luggage as long as the container is less than 100 ml and it can fit into a quart-sized clear plastic bag along with any other liquid, aerosols, or gels.

You are also permitted to take these products in your hold luggage and the benefit of this is that you can take larger bottles.

There is no risk of a spray sunscreen exploding on board the flight as this only happens when the aerosol is exposed to extreme heat.