Full-Size Sunscreen Is Now Allowed In Your Carry-On Bag
Dump stations at TSA checkpoints can fill up in a hurry if passengers forget they have liquids and have to part with them. But now there's one full-size item that you won't have to throw away, and there's a medical reason behind it.
As of last Wednesday, April 7, sunscreens are on the TSA's list of items allowed in your carry-on bag. The rule up to this point (with a few exceptions) has been that anything liquid or lotion in a container larger than 3.4 ounces is banned, and passengers have to dump those before boarding the plane. If you've ever tossed forty bucks worth of products at the gate, you are not alone.
The department of dermatology at Brown University challenged the Transportation Security Administration on the 3.4-ounce liquid limit because sunscreen is needed to protect against skin cancer, and the TSA eventually agreed. Popsugar said full-size sunscreens will no longer be confiscated at TSA checkpoints, but as a passenger, you'll have to let agents know you're carrying it.
On the TSA's website, SPF products are included now with other medical items that are necessary for travelers like inhalers, contact solutions, and daily medications. TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols, but they have to be declared to security officers at the checkpoint for inspection, according to the website. As long as you let them know you're carrying Banana Boat, you'll be able to jet off to a resort in Mexico and not have to buy it there.
I can get a sunburn sitting next to a window, so this is welcome news for fair-skinned types like me. Even if we're traveling to Alaska in the dead of winter, there's no need to clean out the purse and toss the SPF before we go. Now, about that summer trip to Mexico...