When you turn your beauty product over, there are all of these symbols on the back. What do they even mean?
There are so many different ‘organic’ symbols and ‘bunny’ symbols. Do they all have the same meaning? There’s even a little tub with a number on it. Are we supposed to know what they mean and how they affect us?
I used to wonder the same thing. It’s like the symbols on the labels of clothes. Where are the instruction booklets with all of the meanings?
I will be your instruction booklet. You will not have to look further. Here are 10 common symbols found on your beauty products and what they mean.
1. PAO= Period After Opening
This symbol tells you how long your product is good for after you open it. The number inside the open container is how many months it is good for.
2. Hourglass
This symbol tells you how long your product is good for, even if it has not been opened.
3. Leaping Bunny
This symbol indicates that no animal testing was performed.
4. Mobius
This symbol means that the packaging can be recycled. If there is a number in it, that indicates the percentage of recycled material in the packaging.
5. Flame
This one is more obvious, and it indicates that the product is flammable and should keep away from fire or high heats.
6. GF
This symbol indicates that the product is certified gluten-free.
7. Bunny Face
This symbol is from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), it shows that the product is both cruelty-free and vegan.
8. USDA Organic
This symbol means that the product can only contain organically produced ingredients.
9. “V”
This symbol means that the product is certified vegan.
10. Lowercase ‘e’
