How to Ship Liquids and Cosmetics by Courier in Malaysia Without Leaks
Short answer: most liquids can be sent by courier in Malaysia if you do five things in order: tighten and tape the cap, seal the bottle in a zip bag, cushion it with bubble wrap or PE foam, stand it upright in a carton with the voids filled, and declare the contents honestly when you book. The exceptions are flammable and pressurised liquids, which means alcohol-based perfume, nail polish, aerosol sprays and anything with a flame symbol on the label; those are restricted or refused by most couriers and are not suitable for any route that flies, including Sabah and Sarawak. Shopee’s standardised packaging guideline, in force since January 2026, treats items that can leak as their own group with their own packing level, and Pos Malaysia’s warranty covers liquids less generously than other goods, so for liquids the packing is both the protection and the claim evidence. This guide covers the five layers one by one, what to do with pumps, droppers and glass, when a flyer bag is enough and when it is not, the courier rules that trip sellers up, and what a leak claim turns on. Small bottles ship safest in once-used Grade A cartons from RM1.10 with bubble wrap or PE foam inside and fragile tape on the outside.
Why liquids fail differently from everything else
A fragile item has one failure: it breaks. A liquid has three, and only one of them needs the box to be dropped.
The first is the cap. A courier parcel spends its journey on a lorry, on a conveyor and in a cage, all of which vibrate for hours. A screw cap that is merely closed by hand works loose under vibration, and a pump cap works itself down. The bottle does not need to be damaged; it just opens.
The second is pressure. A bottle filled in an air-conditioned stockroom and loaded into a lorry parked in the sun goes from the low twenties to well over forty degrees in the body of the vehicle, and the air above the liquid expands. On a thin plastic bottle that pressure finds the cap thread or a weak seam, and the liquid weeps out of a bottle that was, by every appearance, closed. Flip caps and droppers are the worst for this.
The third is the one everyone packs for: the bottle cracks or the box is crushed. Glass does this when it is dropped; thin plastic does this when it is on the bottom of a stack.
Packing that only addresses the third failure is why so many parcels arrive with the box intact and the contents swimming. The five-layer method below treats the cap and the bag as the first two layers precisely because they catch the two failures a box cannot.
The five layers
Layer one: the cap
Tighten every cap fully. Then tape over it: one strip of clear tape from the shoulder of the bottle, up over the cap and down the other side, then a second strip at ninety degrees. For a pump, lock it if it has a lock ring, and if it does not, unscrew the pump, cap the bottle with the original transit cap or cling film held with a rubber band, and ship the pump alongside in its own bag. A pump that is shipped on the bottle will be depressed by the first parcel stacked on top of it.
For a flip cap or a dropper, the tape matters more, not less. If the product is one you ship regularly, a plastic film seal under the cap (the kind a factory applies to a new bottle) is the right answer, and your supplier can usually provide the bottles with it. For a one-off, a square of cling film over the mouth of the bottle before the cap goes on does most of the same job.
Layer two: the bag
Every bottle goes into its own sealed zip bag, with the air pressed out before it is closed. This is the layer that decides whether a leak is a nuisance or a claim. A bottle that weeps inside a zip bag arrives with the product short by a few millilitres and the buyer none the wiser; the same bottle without a bag arrives with the carton soft, the label unreadable and, often enough, the courier’s other parcels marked as well. Couriers reject or surcharge parcels that leak onto other freight.
Use one bag per bottle, not one bag for the order. Two bottles in one bag knock against each other, and if one leaks it contaminates the other. Any stationery or packaging shop sells zip bags by the hundred.
Layer three: the cushion
Wrap the bagged bottle in one full turn of 10 mm bubble wrap with the bubbles facing in, and tape the wrap closed. Glass bottles get two turns, and a 2 mm sheet of PE foam between the glass and the bubble wrap if the surface or the printing matters. Our bubble wrap guide covers single versus double layer, and the PE foam thickness guide covers when foam is the better inner layer.
This layer is doing two jobs for a liquid. It stops the bottle cracking, and it keeps a flexible bottle from being squeezed, which is what forces product past the cap under a stack.
Layer four: the box
Bottles go in a carton, upright, with the voids filled so that nothing moves when the box is shaken. Upright matters more than it does for any other product: a bottle lying on its side keeps the liquid against the cap for the whole journey, and a bottle standing up keeps the air there instead, which is what you want when the parcel heats up.
Choose the carton by the bottle, not the other way round. For a single 100 to 500 ml bottle a mini or small carton is right; for a set of four or six, a small carton with a simple divider made from a strip of corrugated board folded into a zigzag, or two layers of bubble wrap between each bottle, keeps the bottles from touching. The small sizes in the once-used Grade A range and the mini and A4 sizes in the new carton range cover most of it. Fill the gaps above and around with crumpled kraft paper or the offcuts of your bubble roll until the lid closes on the filling rather than on air.
For a once-used carton, one rule from our thermal label guide applies with extra force here: check that the box is dry and clean before it goes out. A carton that has absorbed moisture from a tiled floor is soft, and a soft carton under a stack is how a bottle gets squeezed. Our humidity guide explains how to store them so they stay stiff.
Seal the carton with an H of 48 mm packing tape, then put fragile tape or a fragile sticker on two faces and a “this way up” arrow on all four sides. Shopee’s guideline expects upright items to be marked and marked correctly, and a sticker that is placed sideways or upside down fails that test as surely as no sticker at all. Our tape guide covers the H-seal and why tape fails on a dusty or damp carton.
Layer five: the declaration
When you book, describe the product, its volume and that it is non-flammable, in one line. EasyParcel’s help centre gives the model: “Liquid shampoo 500ml (non-flammable cosmetic)”. “Liquid”, “cosmetics” or “accessories” on their own are the vague descriptions that get a parcel held at the hub or refused at pickup, and a declaration that does not match the contents voids the claim if anything goes wrong. For any product with a chemical ingredient list, keep the supplier’s safety data sheet to hand; some couriers ask for one before they accept a chemical-based liquid.
Pumps, droppers, glass and sets
| Product | Extra step beyond the five layers |
|---|---|
| Pump bottle (lotion, hand wash, serum) | Lock the pump or remove it and cap the bottle; ship the pump in its own bag. Never rely on the pump as the closure. |
| Dropper bottle (face oil, essential oil) | Cling film over the mouth before the dropper goes on, tape over the dropper collar, double bag; glass dropper bottles get two turns of bubble wrap. |
| Flip-cap bottle (shampoo, sauce) | Tape the flip lid shut across the hinge; these open under pressure before any other cap. |
| Glass jar with a screw lid (cream, jam, kaya) | Tape the lid, bag, two turns of bubble wrap, and a PE foam disc under the jar so it does not sit on the box floor. |
| Spray bottle (toner, setting spray, cleaner) | Turn the nozzle to the locked or off position and tape over it; if it has no lock, treat it like a pump and remove it. |
| Sachets and soft pouches (shampoo refills) | Bag them together, lie them flat between two layers of cardboard so nothing sharp in the parcel punctures them. |
| Sets of four to six bottles | A divider or a wrap between each bottle so glass never touches glass; one zip bag per bottle still. |
| Anything over 1 litre | A double-wall carton, not single wall; one bottle per carton unless you have a proper divider insert. |
Flyer bag or carton?
A flyer bag is fine for a product that cannot break and cannot be squeezed open: a bar of soap, a sheet mask, a powder compact, a lip balm, a lotion in a sealed plastic tube. Even then, bag it and wrap it first, because a flyer offers no cushioning at all. Our flyer bag size guide covers which size fits what.
Anything in glass, anything with a pump or dropper, and anything much above 100 ml goes in a carton. The reason is simple: a flyer under a stack of other parcels transmits all of that weight to the bottle, and a bottle that leaks inside a flyer has nothing between it and the courier’s label. Sellers who switch skincare from flyers to small cartons routinely stop seeing leak complaints without changing anything else about the product. For an order with mixed items, Shopee’s rule is that the item with the strictest requirement sets the packing for the whole parcel; a bottle of toner in an order of T-shirts means the order ships in a carton. Our packing station guide covers how to lay out a bench for a shop that sells both.
What couriers will not take, and why
The restriction every seller runs into is flammability. Most couriers’ prohibited lists include flammable and corrosive liquids, which in practice means:
- Alcohol-based perfume and body spray. Most fine fragrance is alcohol-based, which classes it as a flammable liquid; DHL’s own guidance puts it in the Class 3 category for air transport. Restricted or refused by the standard domestic services, and not suitable for anything that flies.
- Nail polish and nail polish remover. Solvent-based and treated the same way.
- Aerosols. Hair spray, deodorant spray, dry shampoo, spray paint. Pressurised, so they can rupture in heat regardless of what is inside.
- Hand sanitiser and anything with a high alcohol content. Check the percentage; some couriers draw their line at a specific concentration.
- Anything with a flame, corrosive or hazard symbol on the label. If the manufacturer put it there, the courier will treat it accordingly.
How each courier handles the grey area differs. EasyParcel’s help centre says plainly that some couriers allow certain liquids under conditions, others reject them entirely, and the deciding factors are volume and whether the liquid is alcohol-based. Its own beauty-shipping guide lists cosmetics and beauty products as generally shippable and perfume, nail polish and aerosols as items that may be restricted. So the practical rule is: before you list a product that is alcohol-based, pressurised or solvent-based, read the prohibited list of the specific service you intend to book, and if it is not clearly allowed, ask that courier in writing. A product refused at pickup is an inconvenience; a product accepted on a vague declaration and then found at the hub is a parcel you may not get back.
East Malaysia is the stricter case. Parcels to Sabah and Sarawak go by air, and EasyParcel’s own guidance for that route is to avoid dangerous goods and liquids entirely because of airport inspection. Water-based, non-flammable liquids declared properly do travel, but expect a longer check and pack with the assumption that the parcel will be opened and looked at.
What a leak claim needs
A leak is a damage claim, and everything in our damaged parcel claim guide applies: the Shopee window of one calendar day from the buyer’s return or refund request, EasyParcel’s two calendar days, Pos Malaysia’s five working days, and the same before-and-after photo evidence. Two things are specific to liquids.
First, the burden on the packing is higher. Shopee’s non-claimable list refuses fragile items with improper packaging or insufficient warning labels, and a leak is almost always argued as improper packaging because the claim handler’s first question is whether the cap was taped and the bottle bagged. Your before-shipment photo should therefore show the taped cap and the zip bag, not just the bottle in the box. Pos Malaysia’s warranty covers fragile and liquid items at a lower cap than other goods, so for a valuable liquid product, the packing is worth more than the insurance.
Second, the buyer’s evidence is different. Ask for a photo of the bag and the bottle, not just the wet carton, and a photo of the fill line against the label. A leak of a few millilitres inside a bag is a goodwill partial refund, not a claim; a bottle that arrived half empty with no bag is a claim you will win only if your own photo shows there was one.
Climate notes
Everything in this guide assumes a parcel that gets hot, because in Malaysia every parcel does. Three habits follow from that.
Fill bottles to the manufacturer’s line, not to the brim; the headspace is what absorbs expansion. Ship early in the week so a parcel does not sit in a hub over the weekend. And for products that soften or separate in heat, such as balms, butters and some natural skincare, a thin layer of PE foam around the bottle slows the temperature swing, but no packing keeps a parcel cool for a day in a lorry; for those, a same-day courier or a cold-pack service is the honest answer, not a cheaper parcel and a hope.
Checklist before a liquid parcel leaves
- Cap tightened and taped in a cross; pump locked or removed; flip lid taped across the hinge
- One sealed zip bag per bottle, air pressed out
- One turn of bubble wrap (two for glass), taped closed; PE foam under jars
- Standing upright in a carton sized to the bottle, voids filled so nothing moves when shaken
- Glass never touching glass; divider or wrap between bottles in a set
- Box is dry, clean and stiff; H-seal with 48 mm tape
- Fragile marking on two faces, upright arrows on four sides, placed the right way up
- Declaration names the product, volume and “non-flammable”
- Product checked against the courier’s prohibited list if it is alcohol-based, pressurised or solvent-based
- Before-shipment photos show the taped cap, the bag and the box, with the label readable
FAQ
Can I send liquids by courier in Malaysia? Yes for most water-based, non-flammable liquids such as shampoo, lotion, toner, sauces and drinks, as long as they are sealed, bagged, cushioned and boxed, and declared accurately when you book. Flammable and pressurised liquids are the exception. Alcohol-based perfume, nail polish, aerosol sprays and anything with a flame symbol on the label are restricted or refused by most couriers, and air routes such as East Malaysia are stricter than lorry routes within the Peninsula.
How do I stop a bottle leaking in a parcel? Five layers, each catching what the one before it misses. Tighten the cap and tape over it so vibration cannot unscrew it. Put the bottle in a sealed zip bag so a leak stays inside the bag. Wrap the bagged bottle in bubble wrap or PE foam so it cannot crack. Stand it upright in a carton with the voids filled so it cannot fall over or move. Then mark the box upright and fragile and declare the contents. Most leaks that reach the buyer come from a missing cap seal or a missing bag, not from a weak box.
Can I ship cosmetics in a flyer bag instead of a box? Only if the product is a solid or a soft tube that cannot break, such as a bar of soap, a sheet mask, a powder compact or a lotion in a plastic tube. Anything in a glass bottle, anything with a pump, and anything over about 100 ml goes in a carton. A flyer bag protects nothing inside it from a stack of parcels, and once a bottle inside a flyer leaks there is nothing to stop it reaching the label and the parcels around it.
Is perfume allowed by courier in Malaysia? Most alcohol-based perfume is classed as a flammable liquid, which puts it on the restricted or prohibited list for the standard courier services and makes it unsuitable for any route that flies. Some couriers accept small quantities under their own conditions, others refuse it entirely, so check the specific courier’s prohibited-items list before booking rather than declaring it as “cosmetics” and hoping. Water-based and alcohol-free fragrance is generally treated as an ordinary liquid.
What do I declare when I book a parcel with liquid in it? The product, the volume and that it is non-flammable, in one line, for example “Liquid shampoo 500ml (non-flammable cosmetic)”. Vague descriptions such as “liquid” or “accessories” are the main reason liquid parcels are held at the hub or refused, and a declaration that turns out to be wrong voids the claim if the parcel is damaged. EasyParcel’s own help centre gives exactly this wording as the model.
Where to get it
The box, the wrap and the tape are on the shop, with current prices on the product pages: once-used Grade A cartons from RM1.10 in small sizes for single bottles and sets, new mini and small cartons where the outside matters, bubble wrap and PE foam for the cushion, and 48 mm packing tape, printed fragile tape and a metal tape cutter for the seal and the marking. Delivery across KL and Selangor is free on orders of RM300 and above, and a flat RM30 per trip below that.
Not sure which carton fits your bottle set, or whether a product you want to list can go by courier at all? WhatsApp +60 16-891 6381 or contact us with the bottle size and a photo, and we will suggest the box and the inner layers. We are open Monday to Friday 8.30am–5pm and Saturday 8.30am–1pm, and closed on Sundays and public holidays.