TSA rules make no sense! Surprise!

October 26, 2006 2:31 PM

More US TSA questions. So this all your 3 oz or smaller liquid/gel personal hygeine items must fit in a one quart plastic bag thing, is that including the lipstick & other cosmetics, or just including the liquids & gels? I've checked TSA and several airport/airline sites and all the examples just show shampoo & shaving cream, &c in the baggie. Even the "woman business traveler" video doesn't show lipstick in her baggie. The only people I know who have flown since the new requirement are men and they have no idea. Is there any woman of MeFi who has flown in the last week (bonus if you left from O'Hare) and can tell me whether *all* my cosmetics, as well as my toiletries, must fit in the single one quart zip top baggie?
posted by crush-onastick to travel & transportation (15 comments total)

I have; when I flew on the 11th (out of DTW), they told me that a tube of lipstick was not a gel and I could carry it without the plastic bag thing. (When I flew on the 22nd, I just didn't mention it.)

Lip gloss is probably a gel, though.
posted by transona5 at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2006

Before the plastic bag requirement but right at the beginning of the "no liquids or gels" requirement, the x-ray guy at SFO announced that lipsticks were allowed. Lip gloss and mascara, however, were both considered liquids. So that would back up what transona5 is saying.
posted by occhiblu at 2:46 PM on October 26, 2006

Flew out of Dulles a few weeks ago and just put my liquids in the plastic baggie (sandwich-size, not even quart size), with the understanding that lipstick was a solid. I put the baggie in the crate with my carry on bag, and no one even looked at it. But yeah, just liquids and gels (including liquid eyeliner) - no need to put eyeshadow, etc. in there too.
posted by Nathanial Hörnblowér at 3:01 PM on October 26, 2006

to answer the part of the question about whether all liquids carried on board by one person need to fit into a single bag - yes, based on flying out of austin and san jose airports recently, this appears to be the requirement.
posted by netsirk at 3:29 PM on October 26, 2006

Even if it is regulated, you shouldn't have too much trouble "smuggling" it through. I flew Boston-Orlando last week and the security measures were a joke.

At the Boston end, the sum total of their "liquids detail" was one guy constantly yelling to the crowd about the regulations, and to get out of line if you were in violation. My bag went through with my normal toiletry bag (including a contact case full of liquid and a deodorant stick) without incident. My colleague had a toothpaste tube and made it through fine.

In Orlando they actually had a TSA employee at a small table at the back of the security line with a sign: "Declare all liquids here." My thought - What is this, customs?! I had picked up a small travel-sized toothpaste in Orlando and it went through the X-ray machine unnoticed. I didn't bother with the toiletry police.

You should be fine.

Of course, if you wanted to have some fun, you could always bring hemorrhoid cream or, ahem, feminine hygeine products for the TSA to sift through...
posted by backseatpilot at 3:57 PM on October 26, 2006

I flew last weekend (Indianapolis International to Hartsfield-Jackson in ATL,) and lipstick did not count. Mascara and liquid eyeliner did. I saw many women with more than one quart-sized baggie of cosmetics who were not hassled about multiples. You have to put the "liquid bags" in their own tray to go through the X-Ray, nothing underneath, nothing on top, so be ready to separate those.
posted by headspace at 4:41 PM on October 26, 2006

I flew from Sacramento to Oklahoma City last week and there was NO problem with any of my carry-on luggage, and in my small makeup bag I had a miniature bottle of lotion and a lipgloss (the gel kind in a tube) and no one flinched.
However, 2 days ago when I flew back from OK, they freaked, went through my entire bag, and made me put the lipgloss and lotion in the ziploc (it was my bad, I totally forgot they were in there, having had no problem with it before) and furthermore, I had a jar of jam that I picked up as a gift and while I didn't think it constituted liquid, they made me put it in my checked luggage because it was 18 ozs.

So to answer your question, even with the going through my whole bag and having a coniption fit over my lip gloss and lotion, TSA didn't bat an eye at chapstick, lipstick, or even a heinous looking piece of metal that I had in my makeup bag that I use to clean my nails.

I really do think it varies from airport to airport. Obviously they are going to be cooler in California than in the bible belt (home sweet home!) and that seems to be the case whenever I fly.

True story though: I flew to Salt Lake City about 2 days after the shit went down with the liquids a couple months ago, and I accidentally smuggled on a juice box. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's because I'm white, but who knows.
posted by criticalsass at 5:23 PM on October 26, 2006

Well, my wife just got her lip balm confiscated leaving from MSY because it wasn't in a baggie.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 6:00 PM on October 26, 2006

I flew out of O'Hare yesterday (10/25). I did not have my cosmetics in a plastic bag - they were in a small leather pouch. This included lipstick and lip gloss. This was not inspected. I had a couple of small bottles of baby formula which I told the TSA screener about and this also was not inspected. I forgot I had a bottle of Purell hand cleaning gel in the bag and again, this attracted no interest. I must have an honest face or something. I would say to bring an extra Ziplock bag and if they want something to go in it, you'll be ready. As criticalsass says, it probably varies not only airport to airport but by screener as well.
posted by Kangaroo at 6:36 PM on October 26, 2006

When my girlfriend and I flew on Sunday out of O'Hare, they threatened to confiscate her lipgloss but didn't. I told her that she should have just kept it in her pocket and no one would know.
posted by klangklangston at 8:38 PM on October 26, 2006

I've flown out of Kennedy, Buffalo and Rochester in the last two weeks but I checked my luggage. In my carry on, I had chapstick and lipgloss and no one paid any mind. I also had lighters all four times and only once was a lighter found and confiscated.
I really think the answer to all this nonsense is check your bag.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:49 PM on October 26, 2006

I just flew out of O'Hare (via Pearson, where plastic bags were provided for us at US Customs) with lipgloss and other cosmetics, it was fine. My checked baggage was xrayed but not inspected at O'Hare, but meticulously inspected and passed in Toronto.
posted by avocet at 9:59 PM on October 26, 2006

Flew out of Burbank Friday. Ms. Incessant had all her make-up, lipstick included, confiscated. (And we're carry-ons only when flying for the weekend.) Thankfully, because of our recent trip overseas, we learned to carry a padded envelope and dropped it in a mail slot with the offending cosmetics. It was waiting for us at home Sunday night. Don't count on consistency when dealing with the TSA is all I'm sayin'. If you can, check it. If you can't, count on losing it or carry an envelope/stamps with you. You'll probably be fine, but...
posted by incessant at 11:09 PM on October 26, 2006

Lipstick is permitted. See this press release dated 8/13/06 and this fact sheet.
posted by Pollomacho at 11:17 PM on October 26, 2006

The people at the Dulles airport told me that my small pot of solid lip balm did not need to be in a baggie. Five days later, the people at the Houston Hobby airport told me that my small pot of solid lip balm did need to be in a baggie.

Basically, no one fucking knows. Bring a bag, just in case?
posted by sarahsynonymous at 7:59 PM on October 30, 2006