How much cosmetics can I take in the cabin?

Each container must be 100ml (g) or less, and all of them together must fit in one transparent 1L zip-lock bag. Both conditions apply at once, so eight or nine 100ml containers is the practical ceiling. The limit is the volume printed on the container, not what is left in it — a 150ml bottle is refused even when nearly empty.

Is there a volume limit on cosmetics in checked baggage?

Not for ordinary cosmetics. A 1L bottle of shampoo and 500ml of lotion in your suitcase are fine. What is capped is anything classed as dangerous goods — flammable items like perfume, nail polish and remover, and sprays like hairspray and mist — and those are limited to 0.5L (0.5kg) per container and 2L (2kg) per person in total.

How many liquids bags may I bring?

One per person. A single transparent, re-sealable bag of 1L or less holds all your 100ml-or-less containers, and you take it out of your luggage at screening. Splitting them across two bags is not accepted — instead of adding bags, decant into smaller containers.

Do toothpaste and lip gloss count as liquids?

They do. Gels, creams and pastes are treated as liquids however solid they look, so they go in the same bag: toothpaste, mascara, lip gloss, hair wax and sunscreen. Bar soap, shampoo bars and individually sealed remover pads are not liquids and stay outside the bag.

Can duty-free perfume be over 100ml?

Yes. If the security tamper-evident bag (STEB) is unopened and the receipt is visible inside it, the contents may exceed 100ml in the cabin. With a transfer, leave the bag sealed until your final destination — once opened it is treated as ordinary over-100ml liquid at the next security check.

🧴 Liquids — how much goes where

There is not one liquids rule but four. In the cabin each container must be 100ml or less and they must all fit in a single 1L bag; checked baggage has no volume limit; within it only flammable and aerosol items are capped; and duty-free purchases are exempt while the seal holds. This page puts all four ceilings in one table, for international flights leaving South Korea.

As of 2026-08-25

The short answer

Carry-on has to satisfy two conditions at once — each container 100ml (g) or less, and all of them inside one transparent 1L zip-lock bag. What counts is the size printed on the container, not what is left in it, so a nearly empty 150ml bottle is still taken.
Checked baggage has no volume limit as a rule — a 1L bottle of shampoo and 500ml of lotion in your suitcase are fine. The only things that get a separate cap are those classed as dangerous goods — flammable ones like perfume, nail polish and remover, and sprays like hairspray and mist.
That dangerous-goods cap is 0.5L (0.5kg) per container and 2L (2kg) per person — medicinal articles, toiletries and aerosols are added together against it. Ordinary non-flammable cosmetics do not count towards it at all.

Which ceiling applies to what

Item	Carry-on (per container)	Checked baggage	The 1L bag
Toner, lotion, sunscreen, shampoo	100ml or less	No volume limit	Only what you carry on
Toothpaste, mascara, lip gloss, wax	100ml (g) or less — counted as a gel	No volume limit	Yes, even if it looks solid
Perfume and eau de toilette	100ml or less	0.5L per container · 2L per person	Only what you carry on
Hairspray, mist, deodorant	100ml or less	0.5L per container · 2L per person	Only what you carry on
Nail polish and remover	100ml or less	0.5L per container · 2L per person	Sealed pads are not a liquid
Prescription drugs, syrups, insulin	Over 100ml allowed if needed in flight	No volume limit	Take it out and declare it
Formula, breast milk, baby water (with an infant)	Over 100ml allowed for the flight	No volume limit	Not required
Liquids bought duty-free	Over 100ml allowed inside the sealed bag (STEB)	No volume limit	Leave it in the sealed bag

The call on any individual item rests with the screening officer and the airline. This table is the common standard for international flights leaving South Korea; your destination or transfer country may be stricter — and if you open a sealed duty-free bag at a transfer, its contents become plain over-100ml liquids at the next checkpoint.

How to split your wash bag

1. Start by choosing what goes in the cabin

A 1L bag holds less than people expect — eight or nine 100ml containers is the practical ceiling. Keep only what you will actually use in flight (lens solution, lip balm, decanted toner) and send everything else into checked baggage. Decanting into small bottles is the only way to buy space in that bag, because it shrinks the container size itself rather than the contents.

2. Count only the dangerous goods against the checked cap

100ml of perfume plus 200ml of hairspray plus 15ml of nail polish comes to 315ml — nowhere near the 2L per person. In practice the only people who hit it are carrying several large spray cans. Do not add ordinary cosmetics to that sum: lotion, sunscreen and shampoo were never subject to the cap. Counting them in only makes you leave behind luggage you were allowed to bring.

3. Do not open the duty-free bag

Liquids inside a security tamper-evident bag (STEB) may exceed 100ml in the cabin. The conditions are that the bag is still sealed and the receipt is visible inside it. If you have a transfer, leave it sealed until your final destination — once opened, the bag earns no exemption at the next screening.

The order to pack in

Take everything out and read the printed volume — the limit is the size on the container, not what remains inside. A 150ml bottle with 20ml left is still refused in the cabin.
Put only the 100ml-or-less containers into one bag — one transparent 1L zip-lock bag per person. The moment it overflows is the moment you decide what gets checked.
Check the dangerous goods separately — gather perfume, nail polish, remover, hairspray and deodorant, and confirm each container is 0.5L or less and the total stays within 2L.
Keep medicines and formula where you can reach them — they may exceed 100ml, but you have to take them out of the bag and declare them at screening. A prescription or a pharmacy label makes the conversation short.
Wrap the liquids in your suitcase twice — falling cabin pressure pushes caps open, and a leak soaks the whole bag rather than one shirt. Screw the cap down, then put the bottle in a zip-lock.

Frequently asked questions

How much cosmetics can I take in the cabin?: Each container must be 100ml (g) or less, and all of them together must fit in one transparent 1L zip-lock bag. Both conditions apply at once, so eight or nine 100ml containers is the practical ceiling. The limit is the volume printed on the container, not what is left in it — a 150ml bottle is refused even when nearly empty.
Is there a volume limit on cosmetics in checked baggage?: Not for ordinary cosmetics. A 1L bottle of shampoo and 500ml of lotion in your suitcase are fine. What is capped is anything classed as dangerous goods — flammable items like perfume, nail polish and remover, and sprays like hairspray and mist — and those are limited to 0.5L (0.5kg) per container and 2L (2kg) per person in total.
How many liquids bags may I bring?: One per person. A single transparent, re-sealable bag of 1L or less holds all your 100ml-or-less containers, and you take it out of your luggage at screening. Splitting them across two bags is not accepted — instead of adding bags, decant into smaller containers.
Do toothpaste and lip gloss count as liquids?: They do. Gels, creams and pastes are treated as liquids however solid they look, so they go in the same bag: toothpaste, mascara, lip gloss, hair wax and sunscreen. Bar soap, shampoo bars and individually sealed remover pads are not liquids and stay outside the bag.
Can duty-free perfume be over 100ml?: Yes. If the security tamper-evident bag (STEB) is unopened and the receipt is visible inside it, the contents may exceed 100ml in the cabin. With a transfer, leave the bag sealed until your final destination — once opened it is treated as ordinary over-100ml liquid at the next security check.

Official sources this page relies on

The cabin rule comes from aviation security law, the checked cap from the dangerous-goods transport standard, and the duty-free seal exemption from customs — three authorities, which is why no single page carries all four ceilings. The first two sources are Korean-language.