Picking up a new fragrance at the airport is one of the perks of flying, but should you choose to take your own bottle, there’s a warning in place for air passengers.
Two fragrances have been banned from hand luggage, with a major UK airport explicitly warning not to take them on-board, and Reddit users sharing their tales of having their expensive bottles being binned by security. But it’s not the scent itself that’s the problem.
Reddit is full of stories of holidaymakers having their bottles of Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb confiscated, with one poster complaining: “a casual reminder to fellow travelers. Today at Berlin Brandenburg Airport during a security check they made me throw away the bottle of Spicebomb Extreme 90ml perfume (clearly marked with serial number and all) just because this lady felt like it reminded her of a hand grenade.
“Me, traveling with just a handbag, so no checked baggage, was given no other option and they refused to elaborate further.”
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb comes in a cylindrical bottle designed to resemble a hand grenade, which could cause issues when it comes to scanning your bag. Even the description of the fragrance leans into this marketing tactic, saying it’s: “An explosive concentrate of masculine sensuality. The bottle, a reworked custom-built grenade for a perfume made up of explosive scents, is encircled by a black band that cannot contain the force of the fragrance.”
Another fragrance causing issues is Wanted by Azzaro, which comes in a bottle shaped like a barrel loaded with bullets. One Redditor, who claimed to have worked at airport security, said: “I’ve had a co-worker confiscate Azzaro Most Wanted in the past and I was so confused. They said they took it because of the bullets in the design. I had no words.”
Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s official website has a warning to travellers carrying these fragrances, saying: “UK airports have been requested by the Department for Transport to prohibit carriage of the Spice Bomb fragrance made by Viktor and Rolf and Wanted fragrance made by Azzaro.
“This prohibition is in place regardless of whether the size of the bottle means that it would otherwise be allowed if carried in a compliant plastic bag.”
However, the airport’s World Duty Free outlet still sells these fragrances in the controversially shaped bottles, and they can be added to your basket to click and collect when flying from Liverpool, as passengers will have already gone through security.
It’s worth noting that should you buy one of these fragrances when departing the UK, you may have issues when bringing the bottle back, as airport security procedures can vary from country to country.
In a bizarre mix-up in 2023, police were called to an airport in Ontario, Canada, after a man thought a woman had threatened him with a gun after he complimented her on her perfume.
The man allegedly told the woman that he liked her perfume, to which she replied it was named Juliette Has a Gun, which is a French fragrance created by Romano Ricci. The man mistakenly thought the woman had used the name as a threat, but police managed to de-escalate the situation.
Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
