Aerosols on a plane: the two rulebooks that decide your spray can
Guide
Every aerosol at the checkpoint is judged twice. First the cabin rule: is the can 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less and inside your liquids bag? Then the checked rule people almost never hear until the airline desk mentions it: the FAA's global cap on toiletry aerosols — 18 oz per can, 70 oz (2 L) total per passenger, nozzle capped. And a short list of sprays — starting with cooking spray — is flammable enough to fly nowhere. Verdicts below trace to the TSA item pages and the FAA's Pack Safe aerosol guidance, verified July 30, 2026.
On this page · 5 sections
Every common aerosol, ruled
| Item | ✈️ Cabin | 🧳 Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Shaving cream | ≤ 3.4 oz in the quart bag | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
| Hair spray | ≤ 3.4 oz in the quart bag | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
| Spray deodorant | ≤ 3.4 oz (solid sticks: unlimited) | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
| Dry shampoo (aerosol) | ≤ 3.4 oz in the quart bag | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
| Spray sunscreen | ≤ 3.4 oz in the quart bag | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
| Insect repellent (skin) | ≤ 3.4 oz in the quart bag | Yes — counts toward the FAA cap |
"FAA cap" = restricted medicinal/toiletry articles, 18 oz (0.5 kg) per container, 70 oz (2 kg / 2 L) total per passenger.
Cabin: the 3.4 oz spray rule
In the cabin an aerosol is simply a liquid with ambitions: every can — shaving cream, hair spray, spray deodorant — must be 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less and share your one quart-size bag. Travel-size aerosols exist precisely for this wall. Solid alternatives escape completely: stick deodorant and bar soap are not liquids to any scanner.
Checked: the FAA caps nobody reads
Checked bags come with a real ceiling: each restricted toiletry aerosol may be 18 oz (0.5 kg) at most, and all of them together may not exceed 70 oz (2 kg / 2 L) per passenger — one allowance for the family-size shaving cream, the hair spray, the dry shampoo, and the bug spray combined. Valves and nozzles must be protected against accidental discharge, which in practice means the plastic cap stays on. Medical liquids are a separate exemption track; aerosolized medication is declared like other medically necessary liquids (see inhalers).
The aerosols that fly nowhere
Same aluminum can, opposite answer: sprays classed as flammable outside the toiletry allowance are prohibited in both bags.
| Cooking spray (kitchen aerosol) | Flammable aerosol — banned from carry-on AND checked |
| Spray paint | Flammable aerosol — banned from all baggage |
The boundary that catches campers: skin-applied insect repellent (DEET, picaridin) is a toiletry and gets the capped checked route, while air-sprayed insecticides (wasp spray, foggers) are prohibited in checked bags entirely. If the label says "kill the nest" rather than "apply to skin," it stays home.
FAQs
Can you bring aerosol cans on a plane?
Toiletry-type aerosols (shaving cream, hair spray, spray deodorant, dry shampoo, spray sunscreen, skin-applied bug spray): yes — containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less in your liquids bag for the cabin, and larger cans in checked within the FAA caps. Flammable household aerosols like cooking spray and spray paint are banned from both bags.
What is the FAA aerosol limit for checked luggage?
The FAA caps restricted medicinal and toiletry articles at 18 oz (0.5 kg) per container and 70 oz (2 kg / 2 L) total per passenger in checked baggage. It is one shared allowance across all your aerosols — hair spray, shaving cream and deodorant together — and can nozzles must be protected with caps.
Why is cooking spray banned but hair spray allowed?
Intent and formulation: TSA classes kitchen cooking sprays as flammable aerosols outside the medicinal/toiletry allowance (their propellant load is a fire risk), while personal-care aerosols get the 3.4-oz cabin and FAA-capped checked pathways. Hair spray is a toiletry; olive oil in a spray can is not treated like one. Buy a pump mister at your destination instead.
Does insect repellent count as an aerosol?
Sprays applied to skin (DEET, picaridin) are toiletries: ≤3.4 oz in the cabin, FAA-capped in checked, valve capped. Aerosol insecticides sprayed into the air (wasp spray, foggers) are prohibited in checked bags and never permitted in the cabin — a different item entirely.
Can I bring a full-size aerosol in checked luggage?
Usually yes: a 10–14 oz can of shaving cream or hair spray fits under the 18 oz per-container FAA limit as long as your total toiletry-aerosol load stays under 70 oz (2 L). The can must have a cap or other protection against accidental discharge.
Do the same aerosol rules apply in Canada?
Canada mirrors the cabin rule: 100 ml containers in a 1 L liquids bag. CATSA’s checked guidance for repellents and aerosol toiletries tracks the same per-container and total caps — caps on valves, no household insecticides in checked bags.