Many best-selling beauty products are regulated for transport. Perfumes, nail lacquers and aerosols can ship safely and legally when every SKU is classified correctly and routed to services that accept it.
Which beauty products are hazmat
Beauty hazmat is more common than many brands expect. Alcohol-based perfumes, colognes and body mists are typically flammable liquids in Class 3. Nail polish, top coats and many removers are also commonly Class 3 flammable liquids. Aerosols such as dry shampoo, hairspray, setting spray and spray sunscreen are regulated as Class 2 gases, often flammable because of their propellants.
Classification depends on the formula, not the product name. Flash point, alcohol content, propellant and container size all matter. That is why we classify from each product's Safety Data Sheet, specifically its transport information section, rather than guessing.
Products such as lotions, creams and most water-based serums are generally not regulated for ground transport. Knowing which items are and are not regulated keeps you from over-restricting your catalog or, worse, under-restricting it.
Limited quantity ground shipping
Most consumer-size beauty hazmat can ship by ground as a limited quantity under the U.S. Department of Transportation's hazardous materials regulations, which allow reduced requirements for small inner containers packed in strong outer packaging with the limited quantity mark. The older ORM-D consumer commodity marking was phased out at the end of 2020, and the limited quantity mark is now used instead.
We apply the correct marking, use appropriate inner and outer packaging, and select carrier services that accept limited quantity shipments. Carriers also have their own rules, including which services and destinations accept regulated items, and we configure your account accordingly.
Air is far more restrictive. Many flammable liquids and aerosols cannot ship by air under normal consumer parcel services. When an order containing a regulated item is placed with an air service, our rules route it to ground or hold it for review rather than shipping it non-compliantly.
Mixed orders and split shipments
Beauty orders often mix regulated and non-regulated items: a perfume with a body lotion, or a dry shampoo with a conditioner. Our rules identify regulated SKUs at the order level and choose a compliant way to ship the whole order.
Depending on your preferences, mixed orders can ship together by ground with the regulated item packed and marked correctly, or be split so non-regulated items travel on a faster service. Address restrictions, including some territories and military mail destinations that limit regulated items, are checked before packing.
Your customer service team gets clear explanations of why an order shipped the way it did, which helps when customers ask why their fragrance arrived separately or why expedited air was not available for a hairspray.
Storage and marketplace requirements
Regulated beauty products also have storage considerations. Flammable liquids and aerosols are stored according to the fire code and the requirements of the building, which can limit quantities in certain areas. Hazmat-capable storage is available in select markets, and we plan inventory placement with those limits in mind.
Marketplaces add their own review. Amazon, for example, requires dangerous goods review for products such as aerosols and flammable liquids, generally based on the Safety Data Sheet and product details, before they can be sold through FBA. We help prepare that documentation and prep inventory to the marketplace's requirements.
The common thread is documentation. With current Safety Data Sheets on file for every regulated SKU, we can answer carrier, marketplace and inspection questions quickly and keep your catalog moving.
What's included
- SDS-based classification for every SKU
- Class 3 flammable liquids: fragrance and nail
- Class 2 aerosols: dry shampoo, hairspray, setting spray
- Limited quantity marking and packaging
- Ground routing and air-service blocking rules
- Mixed-order split shipping logic
- Marketplace dangerous goods documentation support
Frequently asked questions
Is perfume considered hazmat for shipping?
Most alcohol-based perfumes are flammable liquids in Class 3 and are regulated for transport. Consumer-size bottles typically ship by ground as limited quantities with proper marking and packaging.
Can you ship nail polish?
Yes. Nail polish is commonly a Class 3 flammable liquid. We classify it from the Safety Data Sheet and ship it by ground as a limited quantity where eligible.
Can dry shampoo and hairspray ship by air?
Generally not through standard consumer parcel air services. Aerosols are regulated as Class 2 gases, so we route them by ground under limited quantity provisions.
Does ORM-D still apply to cosmetics?
No. The ORM-D consumer commodity classification was phased out for ground shipments at the end of 2020. Eligible items now ship as limited quantities with the limited quantity mark.