# Can I ship hair spray from Japan?

> 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.

Breadcrumb: [Home](https://www.shipmate.jp/en) › [Can I ship it from Japan?](https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship) › hair spray

- Item guide · Carrier: Japan Post · Destinations checked: 179 · Guide reviewed 31 October 2026 · Rules last verified October 2, 2026
- Carrier-wide rules named: 2 · Destinations with their own rule: 1

## Short answer

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.

## How to read this guide

- Every rule below is **prohibited** or **conditional**. The list holds Japan Post's published restrictions only.
- An item that is not listed has **no specific rule here**. That is not a statement that it is allowed: it may fall under a general category (food, medicine, batteries), under the destination's customs law, or under Japan Post's carrier-wide rules.
- A **conditional** rule allows the item only when its stated conditions hold. Whether a specific product qualifies is decided per item, which is what the ShipMate GO app does before a booking.
- The **carrier-wide layer** (items Japan Post refuses or conditions to every destination) applies before and on top of any destination's own rules.
- These are Japan Post's rules for parcels sent from Japan. ShipMate ships on Japan Post and publishes them; it does not set them.
- This guide covers **one item**. A destination that does not appear under "Destination rules" has no destination-specific rule naming it; the carrier-wide rules and that destination's general customs law still apply.

## Carrier-wide rules (apply to every destination)

- **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 Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=283&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 33 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-283`
- **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 Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=164&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 73 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-164`

## Destination rules

### Egypt (EGY)

- **Aerosol spray containers (aluminum only)** — Prohibited
  - Aluminum aerosol spray containers are prohibited for shipment to Egypt via Regular, Parcel, and EMS services. This restriction applies specifically to aluminum aerosol containers.
  - Source: [Japan Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-kokusai/nonmailable_articles_result.php?cid=60&nid=6327&p=1) · HS chapter 76 · verified 2026-07-25 · ref `EGY/japanpost/6327`

Full list: https://www.shipmate.jp/en/international-shipping/ship-from-japan-to-egypt/restricted-items.md

## Destinations with no destination-specific rule for hair spray

178 destinations: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bonaire, Saba & Sint Eustatius, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Réunion, Romania, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna. Japan Post's carrier-wide rules apply to each; no rule is not a statement that the item can be sent.

## Related rules that may cover hair spray

Rules for the broader category. Whether one applies to a specific product is decided per item.

### Carrier-wide

- **Antiperspirant** — Conditional
  - Antiperspirants are conditionally accepted for all international shipping: aerosol/spray-can formats using compressed gas are prohibited due to burst and explosion risk, and non-aerosol formats must be declared as containing no compressed gas; if a flammable liquid is present, the alcohol content must be confirmed at 24% or below and declared accordingly.
  - Condition: Antiperspirant in aerosol/spray-can format using compressed gas → prohibited
  - Condition: Antiperspirant contains no compressed gas AND no flammable liquid, declared as such in the item name field → permitted
  - Condition: Antiperspirant contains no compressed gas AND contains alcohol at 24% or below, both declared in the item name field → permitted
  - Documents required: Declaration in the item name field that no compressed gas is contained; Declaration in the item name field that no flammable liquid is contained (if applicable); Declaration in the item name field that alcohol content is 24% or below (if alcohol is present)
  - Source: [Japan Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=168&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 33 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-168`
- **Deodorants / Deodorizing Products** — Conditional
  - Deodorants may be accepted for shipment provided they contain no flammable liquids (or any alcohol content is 24% or below) and do not use pressurized gas (aerosol/spray can format is not accepted). The shipper must declare these conditions in the item description field.
  - Condition: Contains no flammable liquid → permitted — shipper must state this in the item description field
  - Condition: Contains alcohol at a concentration of 24% or below → permitted — shipper must state the alcohol concentration in the item description field
  - Condition: Contains flammable liquid with alcohol concentration above 24% → not accepted
  - Condition: Aerosol / spray can format using pressurized gas → not accepted
  - Condition: Contains no pressurized gas → permitted — shipper must state this in the item description field
  - Documents required: Declaration in the item description field stating the product contains no flammable liquid, OR that alcohol concentration is 24% or below; Declaration in the item description field stating the product contains no pressurized gas
  - Source: [Japan Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=140&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 33 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-140`
- **Hair gel** — Conditional
  - Hair gel is conditionally accepted for all international destinations via air and surface shipping. Acceptance requires confirmation that the product either contains no flammable liquid (to be stated in the item name field) or, if it contains alcohol, that the alcohol concentration is 24% or below (also to be stated in the item name field).
  - Condition: Contains no flammable liquid — stated in the item name field → permitted
  - Condition: Contains alcohol at a concentration of 24% or below — stated in the item name field → permitted
  - Documents required: Statement in the item name field confirming the product contains no flammable liquid, OR that alcohol content is 24% or below
  - Source: [Japan Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=169&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 33 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-169`
- **Hair styling products** — Conditional
  - Hair styling products are conditionally accepted for all international shipments via air and surface. Acceptance requires confirmation and declaration that the product contains no flammable liquids (or that alcohol content is 24% or below) and that no pressurized/high-pressure gas is present; spray can formats using high-pressure gas are not accepted.
  - Condition: Product contains no flammable liquid → permitted — must declare 'contains no flammable liquid' in the item name field
  - Condition: Product contains alcohol at 24% or below → permitted — must confirm alcohol content is ≤24% and declare this in the item name field
  - Condition: Product contains no high-pressure gas → permitted — must declare 'contains no high-pressure gas' in the item name field
  - Condition: Product is a spray can using high-pressure gas → prohibited
  - Documents required: Declaration in the item name field that the product contains no flammable liquid, OR that alcohol content is 24% or below; Declaration in the item name field that the product contains no high-pressure gas
  - Source: [Japan Post](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=170&lang=_ja) · HS chapter 33 · verified 2026-07-23 · ref `GLO/japanpost/dgdb-170`

## Frequently asked 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.

## Sources

- [Japan Post: items that cannot be sent abroad](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/service/send/oversea/attention/restriction/upc.html)
- [Japan Post: international mail (EMS)](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/ems/)
- [Japan Post, Carrier-wide: Hair Spray](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=283&lang=_ja)
- [Japan Post, Carrier-wide: Spray can (pressurized aerosol container)](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/question/dangerous-goods-search/detail.php?detail_id=164&lang=_ja)
- [Japan Post, Egypt: Aerosol spray containers (aluminum only)](https://www.post.japanpost.jp/cgi-kokusai/nonmailable_articles_result.php?cid=60&nid=6327&p=1)

## Machine-readable access

- Per-destination JSON (no API key): `https://www-api.shipmate.jp/restrictions/rules?destination_country={alpha-3}&scope=destination`; the carrier-wide layer is `scope=carrier_global` read through any covered destination. OpenAPI: https://www-api.shipmate.jp/openapi.json
- MCP: `https://www-api.shipmate.jp/mcp`, tool `shipmate.get_restriction_rules`.
- Per-destination Markdown: `https://www.shipmate.jp/en/international-shipping/ship-from-japan-to-{country-slug}/restricted-items.md`; carrier-wide: https://www.shipmate.jp/en/international-shipping/japan-post-prohibited-items.md
- Other item guides: https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship (Markdown at `https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship/{item}.md`)
- Exact-item check: the ShipMate GO app at https://go.shipmate.jp asks the follow-up questions a conditional rule needs and gives a per-item verdict.
- Site-wide guide for agents: https://www.shipmate.jp/llms.txt

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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; every rule links to its source. The rule lists refresh daily; the written answer is reviewed by a person and dated above.

HTML version: https://www.shipmate.jp/en/can-i-ship/hair-spray