ShipMate

Can I ship hair spray from Japan?

Japan Post rules checked across 179 destinations · last verified · guide reviewed

Short answer: No. Japan Post refuses hair spray and every pressurised aerosol can to every destination, because the can is a pressurised, flammable container. Non-aerosol pump sprays, gels and waxes fall under the cosmetics rule instead, which is conditional.

Aerosol cans are dangerous goods in international mail whatever they hold: hair spray, deodorant, air freshener or cooking spray. Japan Post lists hair spray by name and pressurised spray cans generally on its carrier-wide list, so the refusal does not depend on the destination.

The same product in a pump bottle is a different case. It is not pressurised, so it is judged as a cosmetic, with the cosmetics rule's declaration conditions.

Whether a specific product can go in a specific parcel is decided per item: the ShipMate GO app asks the follow-up questions a rule needs and gives a verdict before anything is booked.

Japan Post's carrier-wide rules

These apply to every destination, before any country's own import rules.

  • Hair Spray

    Prohibited

    Hair spray is prohibited for all international shipments across all shipping types and transport modes (air and surface). This is a carrier-wide ban applying to all destinations.

    Source: Japan PostHS chapter 33On the full list

  • Spray can (pressurized aerosol container)

    Prohibited

    Spray cans (pressurized aerosol containers) are prohibited on all international shipments across all shipping types and transport modes. This is a carrier-wide ban applying to every international destination.

    Source: Japan PostHS chapter 73On the full list

Destinations with their own rule for hair spray

1 of the 179 destinations Japan Post publishes rules for list hair spray in their own import rules. Each row links to that destination's full list.

DestinationRuleLevelJapan Post's wording
EgyptAerosol spray containers (aluminum only)ProhibitedAluminum aerosol spray containers are prohibited for shipment to Egypt via Regular, Parcel, and EMS services. This restriction applies specifically to aluminum… source
No destination-specific rule for hair spray in the other 178 destinations

Japan Post's carrier-wide rules above still apply to each of them, and so does the destination's general customs law. No rule is not a statement that the item can be sent.

Not sure about a specific item?

This page lists Japan Post's rules. The ShipMate GO app checks your actual item against them, asks the one or two questions a conditional rule needs, and tells you the outcome before anything is charged. Sending a parcel from Japan? Booking is free and you pay once, after weighing. Shopping from abroad with Shop for Me? Anything that can't ship is dropped from your order before you pay for the goods.

Check an item in the appNot in Japan? Shop for Me checks it too

Common questions

Is a pump hair spray also refused?
No. The refusal is about the pressurised can. A pump or trigger spray is not an aerosol and falls under the conditional cosmetics rule.
Why are aerosols dangerous goods?
The can holds a propellant under pressure, usually a flammable gas, and can rupture or ignite in an aircraft hold. International mail refuses them for that reason, regardless of contents.
Can I send hair wax or gel?
Hair wax, gel and other non-pressurised styling products are judged under Japan Post's cosmetics and hair-styling rules, which are conditional. The ShipMate GO app checks the exact product.

Reading this page as a program or AI assistant?

The same rules are published in forms built for that. None of them needs an API key. An item that is not listed has no specific rule here, which is not the same as being allowed.

Markdown
https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship/hair-spray.md
JSON
This guide is built from one JSON read per destination: https://www-api.shipmate.jp/restrictions/rules?destination_country={alpha-3}&scope=destination, plus scope=carrier_global. No API key is needed.
MCP
https://www-api.shipmate.jp/mcp, tool shipmate.get_restriction_rules

Site-wide guidance for agents is at /llms.txt.

Sources

Japan Post's page for each carrier-wide and destination rule above (3)
Carrier-wide
Hair Spray · Spray can (pressurized aerosol container)
Egypt
Aerosol spray containers (aluminum only)

Based on carrier-published restriction data. Final acceptance is decided by the carrier and destination customs; general import rules of the destination still apply.

Japan Post sets these rules; ShipMate publishes them and ships under them. Rule text is Japan Post's, translated and summarised, and every rule links to its source. The rule table refreshes daily; the written answer is reviewed by a person and dated above. Full carrier-wide list · All item guides