A TikToker’s ‘liquid gold’ got confiscated at TSA, so she gave it to a Delta worker instead of letting it go in the trash

A TikToker has gone viral after handing off her confiscated beauty products to a Delta employee at the airport rather than letting TSA throw them away, as detailed by BroBible. The video, posted by Haley Vossr (@haleyvossr), has racked up 1.8 million views and sparked a debate in the comments over whether the situation was avoidable.

In the clip, she is seen carrying perfume toward a bin before turning and handing it to a uniformed Delta worker instead. She then pulls out additional beauty products from her bag and passes those along too. On-screen text read: “POV: TSA made me toss all my liquid gold, they were too good to trash so the Delta employee scored them instead.” The comments were split. Some questioned why she had not simply checked a bag.

“All you have to do is pay $35-$40 for a checked bag,” one person wrote. “Is it your first time flying?” asked another. A third suggested airports should offer a system to ship confiscated items home rather than trashing them. TSA does not just flag perfume and beauty products either. The agency has issued warnings about items travelers might not expect, including ranch sauce flagged at World Cup screenings.

What the TSA liquid rules actually say

Others in the comments defended her. “Omg y’all not every brand makes travel size and also not everyone wants to buy another one for that,” one person pointed out. Another said, “I love that you choose to give it away instead of just wasting them.” Neither Delta nor TSA responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing.

According to the TSA, the 3-1-1 rule covers all liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in carry-on baggage. Each container must be 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters or less, all containers must fit into a single quart-sized bag, and each passenger is limited to one such bag. Common items that fall under the rule include toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, lotion and perfume. The TSA puts it simply: if it can be spilled, sprayed, pumped or poured and exceeds 3.4 ounces, it belongs in a checked bag.

The rule applies regardless of how full a container is. A half-empty bottle over 3.4 ounces will still be flagged. There are exceptions worth knowing. Medically necessary liquids, including medications, are allowed in carry-on in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces, but passengers must declare them to a TSA officer at the start of screening.

Formula, breast milk, and juice for infants are also exempt and do not need to fit within the quart-sized bag. Outside of those exceptions, the straightforward workaround is checking a bag, where there is no limit on liquid quantities. Had the perfumes been in checked luggage, they would have cleared security without issue.

A fourth commenter asked, “Do people not read TSA guidelines when packing?”