The 7 Best Toiletry Bottles of 2023 | Tested by Travel + Leisure

Every traveler knows the harrowing moment when you reach into a toiletry bag and feel the leakage from toiletry bottles that failed to do their job. To help you avoid the frustration of cleaning up potentially expensive liquids on your next trip, we lab-tested 14 sets of toiletry bottles to uncover the best, most leak-proof ones for hassle-free travel. 

After we filled up each container with shampoo, lotion, and micellar water, we squeezed, shook, tossed, and dropped the bottles to see which ones prevailed, and which (quite literally) cracked under the pressure. At one point, it looked like the Bellagio fountain show in our lab with micellar water shooting every which way out of a tube. While we don’t recommend that particular bottle, we discovered seven other sets that stood up against our rigorous (but very effective) testing methods.

Our Top PicksBest Overall:Liquisnugs Premium Leak-Proof Silicone Travel Bottles at AmazonJump to ReviewBest Size Range:Morfone 16 Pack Travel Bottles at AmazonJump to ReviewBest Lightweight:Matador FlatPak Toiletry Bottle at Matadorup.comJump to ReviewBest Budget:Vitog Travel Bottles Kit at AmazonJump to ReviewBest Large Capacity:INSFIT TSA Carry-on Approved Containers at AmazonJump to ReviewBest Color-coded:Mrsdry Travel Bottles at AmazonJump to ReviewBest Splurge:Cadence Build Your 6 at Keepyourcadence.comJump to Review

Best Overall

Liquisnugs Premium Leak-Proof Silicone Travel Bottles

5

View On AmazonOur RatingsEase of Use5/5Quality5/5Design5/5Performance5/5Value5/5Why We Love It

The durable and flexible silicone bottles have suction cups that can stick to a counter or shower.

What to Consider

The set only includes four bottles without a bag or any other accessories.

Simple yet very effective, this set of four toiletry bottles comes with two 3-ounce bottles and two 2-ounce bottles. The lids can be unscrewed to easily fill the containers with all types of liquids thanks to the wide-mouth opening that makes cleaning out and drying the bottles a breeze, too. While watery liquids can be risky to pack, these silicone bottles kept oily and runny micellar water perfectly contained, even after we applied intense pressure to the bottles. Plus, the squishy silicone material is ideal for squeezing out every last drop of the product from the dripless valve. 

We tried several silicone bottles but these ones stood out by having suction cups on the end of each bottle so travelers can secure it to a countertop or shower shelf. Another one of our favorite features is the removable sticker labels that help identify the contents of each bottle with common products like lotion, conditioner, and shampoo pre-printed. If you’ve been searching for no-frills toiletry bottles that get the job done, these are the best ones. 

Price at time of publish: $20

The Details: 4 pieces | Silicone | Removable labels | Suction cup | No bag included

Best Size Range

Morfone 16 Pack Travel Bottles

4.7

View On AmazonOur RatingsEase of Use4.5/5Quality4.5/5Design5/5Performance4.5/5Value5/5Why We Love It

The set comes with different-sized silicone tubes, plastic bottles, jars, and accessories.

What to Consider

The lid on one of the small jars broke when we tossed the containers onto the ground.

For short or long trips and everything in between, the Morfone travel bottle set comes with all of the containers you’ll ever need. The 16-piece kit includes silicone bottles, plastic spray bottles, screw-top jars, a funnel, mini spatulas, and a scrub brush for cleaning but, of course, you can easily mix and match the containers to fit your exact needs. Not all of the bottles are the same size with 1- to 3-ounce capacities for storing as much or little product as desired, and all of the bottles have removable lids and wide openings for pouring liquids in or cleaning them out. Plus if you need some help getting liquids into the bottle or extracting the last drops, the mini funnel and spatulas are extremely helpful extras.

When it comes to durability, most of the bottles had no spillage with some rough handling except for one of the plastic jars where the lid did break off. 

Price at time of publish: $17

The Details: 16 pieces | Silicone | BPA-free plastic | Bag included

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Best Lightweight

Matador FlatPak Toiletry Bottle

4.6

View On Matadorup.comOur RatingsEase of Use4/5Quality5/5Design5/5Performance5/5Value4/5Why We Love It

The three containers are made with nylon material that can be hooked to a bag or packed nearly flat.

What to Consider

It’s difficult to get thicker products into the baggies.

Matador’s toiletry bottles are the ultimate space-saving containers thanks to the fabric pouch design that can lie nearly flat after being filled with liquids. Our favorite part of these 3-ounce pouches is the snap hook at the end of the bag to attach to a backpack or bag. We also loved that the hooks double as labels that can be written on with a permanent marker to quickly identify the contents of each bag.

While we had a bit of trouble getting thicker creams into the bottom of the rectangular-shaped pouch, it was effortless to fill the smaller opening with watery liquids like shampoo. After beating up the bags a bit, there weren’t any spills, ruptures, or breakage so we feel confident that these rugged toiletry pouches have a long life ahead. 

Price at time of publish: $38

The Details: 3 pieces | Cordura nylon | Snap loop with labels | No bag included

Best Budget

Vitog Travel Bottles Kit

4.5View On AmazonOur RatingsEase of Use4/5Quality5/5Design5/5Performance4.5/5Value4/5Why We Love It

The clear bottles make it easy to see when one needs a refill.

What to Consider

The largest bottle is only 1.3 ounces.

One of the best parts of testing a variety of toiletry bottles is discovering that the least expensive set can still rival a pricier alternative. This 11-piece kit has spray, pump, and screw-top bottles so you can fill each one with various liquids or use the two jars for jewelry and medication. The clear bottles are ideal for being able to see how much product is in each container and when it needs to be refilled. 

We had no issues filling each container with micellar water and shampoo but we had a bit of trouble getting the thicker lotion to filter through the funnel. However, once everything was filled up, these budget-friendly bottles stood up against our drops and tosses without even the tiniest droplet escaping. All of the bottles are 1.3 ounces so we wish there was a bit more variety in the capacities but, considering this set is under $1 per bottle, we’re plenty satisfied with the durable and easy-to-use selection. 

Price at time of publish: $9

The Details: 11 pieces | PET | Removable labels | Bag included

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Best Large Capacity

INSFIT TSA Carry-on Approved Containers

4.9View On AmazonOur RatingsEase of Use4.5/5Quality5/5Design5/5Performance5/5Value5/5Why We Love It

Each of the four included bottles can fit 3 ounces of liquids.

What to Consider

It can be difficult to squeeze the tubes to get liquid out when there’s not much product left.

For longer trips, you may want some toiletry bottles that can hold the maximum capacity to be TSA-approved so we recommend these hefty 3-ounce ones. The four silicone tubes come with handy label stickers and a zippered case that fits all of the containers for excellent organization. With the wide-mouth openings, it was a breeze to fill up each bottle with shampoo, micellar water, and thick lotion. You can even see all the way inside the bottle when the lid is off which makes filling it up and cleaning it out even easier.

We put quite a bit of pressure on these easy-squeeze bottles and we’re happy to report that, even when filled to the brim, the contents remained in the bottles without any spillage. One common issue with the silicone bottles is that once you get close to running out of product, it can be difficult to squeeze out the rest so you may need to do a refill at about halfway through. 

Price at time of publish: $14

The Details: 4 pieces | Silicone | Removable labels | Bag included

Best Color-coded

Mrsdry Travel Bottles

4.5View On AmazonOur RatingsEase of Use3.5/5Quality5/5Design4/5Performance5/5Value5/5Why We Love It

The bottles are all different colors to keep track of what product is in each tube.

What to Consider

It’s difficult to get all of the product out of the bottle when it’s low.

The color palette of this set of four toiletry bottles is one of the prettiest and most helpful of all the toiletry bottles we tried. Each silicone tube is a different shade so it’s easy to designate a specific color to a liquid and tell them apart. (There are also additional sets with more colors so you’re not limited to just four different hues.) The 3-ounce capacity is ideal for bringing plenty of shampoo, conditioner, or other liquids for both short or long trips, and the squishy silicone material makes it easy to dispense from the no-drip valve.

We did find it a little difficult to squeeze out the remaining product when the bottle was almost empty but that was our only slight issue. However, we’re big fans of the wide-top opening for loading up any product into the tube and cleaning it out after a trip. Best of all, the tubes didn’t leak at all after rough handling, and they’re easy to pack in the included zippered bag.  

Price at time of publish: $12

The Details: 4 pieces | Silicone | No removable labels | Bag included

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Best Splurge

Cadence Build Your 6

4.7

View On Keepyourcadence.comOur RatingsEase of Use5/5Quality5/5Design4.5/5Performance4/5Value5/5Why We Love It

The six magnetic capsules make it convenient to change the shape of the set to fit in a variety of toiletry case sizes.

What to Consider

The individual capsules are a bit small for longer trips.

These aesthetically-pleasing magnetic capsules are the most unique set of toiletry bottles we tried. The small capsules each hold 0.56 ounces and the set comes with six hexagon-shaped containers that conveniently stick to one another via magnets on every side. This is ideal for being able to alter the shape of the set altogether to pack it into a toiletry bag as a circle or in a row. The capsules remained completely sealed when we dropped them onto the floor several times and the thick plastic material wasn’t dented or damaged at all. We love that when you order the set of capsules, you can customize the label printed onto each removable tile so they can be switched between the capsules as needed. Our only gripe is that the capsules are very small so you may need to use multiple to bring enough of the same product for a week-long trip, or opt for one of their larger options instead. 

Price at time of publish: $84

The Details: 6 pieces | BPA-free plastic | Comes with custom labels | No bag included

Other Toiletry Bottles We Liked

While the containers below didn’t leak badly, the biggest issue we had with these still-high-scoring toiletry bottles is that their quality felt a bit lower than our top performers. 

Cosywell Travel Containers: These ultra-compact screw-top containers are ideal for thicker products like gel or creams but the micellar water leaked ever so slightly, and we wish the set came with a few other bottle types for variety. 

Kitsch Travel Containers: Designed for saving space and lying flat, these baggie-style containers are super easy to fill with product but the quality feels a bit flimsy and we worried that the bags could break open if too much pressure was applied while traveling. 

Our Testing Process

We do some pretty serious testing in our New York City lab when it comes to travel products and this toiletry bottle test was no exception. For this test, we poured travel essentials like shampoo, micellar water, and lotion into the toiletry bottles, tubes, and capsules to see how easy it was to fill each one up. Then, we squeezed, dropped, tossed, and shook the containers to simulate the rough handling and pressure when you travel by air, car, train, or even on foot with toiletry bottles. Did shampoo explode from one bottle and shoot several feet in the air? Maybe. But don’t worry, we didn’t recommend that one. 

After some rigorous (and occasionally messy) testing, it was clear which bottles were the winners. Arguably, the most important thing when it comes to toiletry bottles is that they safely contain the potentially pricey skin and hair care products held inside so we closely examined each bottle post-testing for any leaks or damage. Our favorite, winning toiletry bottles are easy to fill up, completely leakproof, and compact enough to pack in toiletry cases. 

Tips for Buying Toiletry Bottles

Prioritize leak-proof containers

The most important thing to look for in a toiletry bottle is that it performs as expected which means all of the liquid remains sealed in the container. It’s hard to tell whether or not toiletry bottles are leak-proof until you travel with them so it’s important to read reviews and seal the bottles as tightly as you can before you pack them away for a trip. 

Know the types of bottles 

It’s amazing how many types of miniature containers there are for travel these days so it can be helpful to know which type of bottle you need depending on which products you’ll bring. There are silicone squeeze bottles that are ideal for shampoo or conditioner but if you’re packing any type of spray product, you’ll want a hard plastic bottle that comes with a spray cap. For pills, vitamins, or even jewelry, a capsule or container with a screw lid are a great option for storing smaller items. For face wash or lotion, a hard plastic bottle with a lockable pump lid can be helpful.

Consider the capacity 

The TSA restricts carry-on liquids to 3.4-ounce containers so if you’re planning to only carry a bag into the cabin, you need bottles at or below the size limits. Smaller 1- or 2-ounce containers can be easier to pack but that means you’ll have less product to work with so be sure to pack accordingly depending on the length of your trip and the amount of product you think you’ll need.

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a toiletry bottle TSA-approved?

For carrying liquids onto a plane, the TSA requires all containers to be at or under the 3.4-ounce size limitations. All bottles must fit in a quart-sized bag and, if a bottle is larger than 3.4 ounces, it must be checked before going through security. According to the TSA, gels, creams, pastes, and aerosols, all count as liquids and must be in approved bottles.

Are silicone or plastic toiletry bottles better?

In general, silicone toiletry bottles are more durable than hard plastic bottles, as they aren’t prone to cracking or breaking like harder plastic materials. However, when it comes to leaking, both can have the potential to expel liquids so it depends on the quality of each product. 

How do I clean toiletry bottles?

Cleaning out toiletry bottles can be extremely difficult depending on the style of the container. Bottles with wide mouths can be easily rinsed out and dried but other bottles with smaller necks or no cap can make it difficult to switch products. In some cases, it might be easier just to keep refilling the same bottle with the same thing but some sets will come with brushes or spatulas to clean out all of the product. 

Why Trust Travel + Leisure

T+L commerce writer, Anna Popp, writes most of the team’s tested content where we recommend products we got our hands on in the lab or out in the world. Anna participated in this test and evaluated two types of toiletry bottles. She’s currently long-term testing the Cadence capsules while traveling and looks forward to reporting back on how they hold up over time. 

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