Confused by beauty product symbols?

Vegan Trademark

Relatively self-explanatory, the vegan symbol indicates that the beauty product is vegan-certified. This means that the product contains no animal products, no animal by-products, and was not tested on animals during the manufacturing process. Note: “animal by-products” refers to animal-sourced ingredients such as beeswax and honey, while animal products refers to substances such as gelatin and squalane, sourced from the animals themselves.

Recycling Arrows

When you see a recycling arrow on a beauty product, this means that the product packaging is suitable for recycling. Some symbols will also include a percentage, indicating how much of the packaging itself was made of recycled materials.

COSMOS

If you see the COSMOS logos on your beauty product, good news! A COSMOS logo is a stamp of approval from the Soil Association, confirming that the product has met the association's standards when it comes to organic products. The ​​Soil Association is considered to be the most prestigious mark of organic certification in manufacturing, so having that stamp of approval is great news if you’re a fan of clean beauty.

Flammable

Again, this symbol is pretty self-explanatory. A flammable symbol, typically shown on aerosol products such as hairsprays, indicates that the beauty product you own shouldn’t be exposed to any open flames. A flammable symbol indicates that the product presents a pretty serious fire hazard, meaning you need to keep it away from any lit candles or open fireplaces when using it.

(PAO) Period After Opening

When you see a PAO symbol, this indicates that the beauty product has a limited shelf life (usually around 25-30 months.) This shelf life applies as soon as the product has been opened, so you don’t need to take this number into account until you’ve actually opened your beauty product.

‘E’ = Estimated Sign

An estimated sign means that the quantity indicated on the packaging is guaranteed. Products with an ‘E’ estimated sign might contain slightly more products than indicated, but never less.

Leaflet

A leaflet symbol is included on product packaging to indicate that a leaflet had been included, with more detailed information on the product’s ingredients and instructions. You can also find this symbol on certain over-the-counter medications.

UVA symbol in a circle

When you see a UVA symbol in a circle, this means that the product has met the conditions laid out by the European standard when it comes to skin cancer protection and prevention. You’ll typically see this symbol on sunscreens and products that contain UV protection.

Eco-cert

If you find an eco-cert symbol on your product, it means that at least 95% of the product was manufactured using all natural ingredients. If the ingredients were organic, the word ‘organic’ will appear alongside eco-cert, along with the percentage of natural, organic ingredients used.

Hourglass

An hourglass symbol is used to indicate that the lifespan of a beauty product is under 30 months. When you see this hourglass symbol, you should look for the Best Before the date, which should be located somewhere on the product.

Jumping Bunny

Found a leaping bunny on your new beauty product? Great news if you’re a vegan or animal lover - a leaping bunny indicates that the beauty product hasn’t undergone any animal testing during the manufacturing process. However, this does not mean that the product does not contain any animal products or animal by-products; plenty of cruelty-free beauty brands aren’t completely vegan.