Arabella

After returning home from Florida on USAirways this afternoon, I noticed that a jar of moisturizing cream (that had been packed in a piece of checked luggage) was half empty. It was nearly full when I packed it this morning. Apparently, someone scooped about half of the moisturizer out of the jar.

Was he or she looking for explosives? Fending off dry skin? Sampling a new product?

A little unnerving that someone would tamper with my cosmetics. Anything like this happen to anyone else?

NYGirl

I would have thought that security was looking for something, but do they have to take half of your stuff out of the jar?? Couldn't they have just poked around in it? although, once you know someone has had their fingers in your cosmetics, they are going into the garbage anyway..ick.
US security is a little lame brained I think, they just don't quite know how to go about it, do they?

Patrick

This may be a little off beat. But checked luggage is subjected to a lot of pressure (or lack of it). Is it possible that a jar of "whipped" moisturizing cream simply compacted under the pressure in the checked luggage?

Quinty

Patrick that is funny. Before I even looked at your name to see who posted that reply, I knew it must be a man!

AnnD

Arabella, I had a similar experience a few years ago. After arriving home from a trip to the west coast, I found that my powder blush was cracked and crumbled in its case, and that my moisturizing cream was substantially reduced in volume.

Since the flight had gotten quite rough about an hour after take-off, I had concluded that my cosmetics had simply been slammed around in the overhead compartment.

Of course, it might have been more fun to think that my cosmetics had been slammed around by a strapping, naive, young luggage handler. But no one had handled my purse but me.

orgy7

I don't now whats up with moisturizing cream..
I was flying back too the states from BOGOTA, COLOMBIA South America about 10 years ago... Ovbiously we have a cocain problem.... anyways a security gurad/militery guy. opened my luggage and took out my moisturizing cream and opened it up. I guesse he squeezed as he was doing so and a whole blob of gung just hit his uniform, it was funny as hell but somewhree I learned "never laugh at a man with an UZI"... my point is may'be it had something too do with searching for drugs..

Patrick

Actually, I'm not sure that there might not be some point of truth to my hyposthesis. I do know that on more than one occassion, when I have arrived after a flight, my brand new tube of toothpaste was considerably compressed. I assumed it was from the pressure in the hold. So now you're telling me that somebody has always been swiping some of my toothpaste?

HowardR

Hey, another conspiracy theory, this one involving moisturing cream!
C'mon now, do you really think the inspectors are stealing it out of a jar?

HowardR

PS: And the next thing you know, they'll be stealing that package of plastic cups you've brought so that they have some place to put the moisturizing cream.

OliveOyl

I think Patrick is right. Even in my carry on I've found things such as suntan lotion become compressed as if they've had all the air sucked out of them. Open them up and they squirt anywhere. Shampoo looks as if it's been stepped on.

I'll tell you, too, with moisturizer running $70 per 2.5 oz jar, no way on earth would it go into the trash either! Sorry, those finger germs just aren't going to harm me that much!! I've read some of the weirdest fears the past couple of days. I may be totally out of it in health concerns re glasses, blankets, what have you, and get a giggle out of the posts, but I can't remember when I've been sick last either, so must be doing something right!

xaimimgr

OliveOyl I totally agree with you.

Lenore

I've learned the hard way never to fill my travel shampoo, conditioner, lotions etc to the top because they "explode" when you open them after a flight. The first squirt of toothpaste is always blobs out too. Obviously the altitude and compressed air involved with flying has something to do with it. I seriously doubt a TSA person helped themselves to your lotion!

GoTravel

This same thing happened to me one time and from then on out, I never put my health and beauty aids into my checked luggage. It always goes on the plane in my carryon.

Quinty

Patrick,
Not that your theory isn't completely feasable, it's that you thought of that first.

I've never had anything compress on airplanes though, it always blows up if anything. Wonder what would cause the different results? After all, pressure is supposed to be less way up there in the air, right?

For instance, I live at 6000 feet altitude. When I shop at 1500 feet and bring my stuff up the hill, the chip bags look like mylar balloons, and lotions/liquids leak if not kept upright.

Any thoughts on how compression happens? Unless the air expanding in that small amount of space presses against the contents of the container causing compression. Just guessing here.

al

Wow, this reminds me of something that happened to me a number of years ago.

I smuggled a bottle of Jack on the plane. When I got to my destination the bottle was almost empty and I swear I don't remember drinking it!

It's uncanny, I tell you.

As for the moisturizing cream, I'm with Olive and Patrick. It's a pressure thing, not a screener in search of explosives or supple skin.

Cassandra

Question for Arabella: was the moisturizer otherwise unchanged, e.g., same thickness, viscosity, or creaminess? Some creams and lotions may have been whipped and might have "collapsed" with pressure changes. Others may be chemically changed by temperature extremes, which could reduce volume.

Yeah, speculating, but I don't think anyone's got a handle on this yet.

JJason

some of the baggage screeners tend to be a bit ashy.

HowardR

Damn, there goes another conspiracy theory shot down!

Arabella

I've used this brand of moisturizer for years, have flown with it countless times and it has never compacted or compressed. It was clearly scooped out with a big fat finger or two.

Lola

Ick ick!