Packaging symbols: open jar, e-mark and more

The small symbols on the back of packaging are not decoration. Each carries information with a legal meaning. In this guide we explain, dictionary style, the symbols most commonly found on food and cosmetic packaging, and once you have learnt them the way you look at the supermarket and at your bathroom shelf changes. The dictionary below is deliberately kept short so that it can stay to hand both in the shop and while sorting out the bathroom cupboard.

Why do symbols exist, and which ones are compulsory?

A packaging surface is a limited space, and there is a great deal of information a manufacturer has to fit onto it. Symbols were invented for exactly this reason: they compress a sentence into a square centimetre and remain readable to someone who does not speak the language. But they do not all carry the same weight. That distinction is very useful in practice. Some are information the legislation makes compulsory; the open jar and the hourglass on cosmetics, and the glass and fork on food contact materials, belong to this group. Others are voluntary marks placed by the manufacturer to indicate membership of a scheme or a certification, such as the Green Dot and vegan logos, while a third group consists of purely marketing drawings with no oversight behind them at all. So the first question to ask when a symbol catches your eye is this: is this mark a rule, a certification, or a design choice?

Symbols on cosmetic packaging

Open jar (PAO): '12M', '6M'

The drawing of an opened jar with something like '12M' inside tells you how many months the product can be used safely AFTER OPENING (PAO: period after opening); '12M' means roughly 12 months from opening. Writing the opening date on the lid with a small note is what turns this information into something genuinely useful. Sticking to that period matters particularly for products that touch the eye, such as mascara.

Hourglass

The hourglass (or a 'best used before' statement) is used on products with a shelf life SHORTER than 30 months, and it means the product should be used by the stated date even if it has never been opened. It is the opposite of the PAO. One describes the life before opening, the other the life after it.

Hand and book symbol

The symbol of a hand reaching towards a book means 'refer to the enclosed information'. The usage and warning details that would not fit on the pack are on the leaflet inside the box or on a fold-out label.

Flame and pressurised container marks

On spray deodorants, hairsprays and some foams you will see a flame symbol in a red-bordered diamond, a warning that the product contains flammable material and should not be used near a flame. The same pack usually carries a pressurised container warning too, because the internal pressure rises as the can heats up. The practical meaning is simple: do not store the product on a shelf in direct sunlight or in a car glovebox, and do not spray near a naked flame. These symbols are safety information rather than marketing. They are among the most concrete warnings on any label.

Rabbit, vegan and certification logos

Drawings of a leaping rabbit are used to signal that no animal testing was carried out. There is a detail worth knowing here: animal testing on cosmetic products is already prohibited in the European Union, so on products aimed at the EU market this logo often does not indicate anything extra. Vegan logos answer a different question altogether, namely whether the product contains any animal-derived ingredient. A product may be free of animal testing and still contain honey, royal jelly or animal-derived glycerin. The two are separate matters. Some of these logos are certifications from independent organisations and others are symbols a brand has drawn for itself, and the way to tell which is which is to look for the name of the body next to the logo.

Symbols on food packaging

Glass and fork

The glass and fork side by side show that the material is SUITABLE FOR FOOD CONTACT; it is the basic mark to look for on storage containers and packaging. A container that does not carry it should not be used to store food. Its place is predictable. The symbol is usually on the base of the container or in a corner of the label.

Recycling triangle and plastic codes (1-7)

The triangle of arrows relates to the recyclability of the packaging, and the number from 1 to 7 inside it codes the TYPE of plastic: 1 (PET) is common in water bottles, 2 (HDPE) in milk and detergent bottles, and 5 (PP) in yogurt pots. The code is an identity for the material rather than a ranking of quality, and local recycling rules differ from code to code.

The e mark

The small letter 'e' next to the weight (for example '500 g e') declares that filling was carried out according to EU average filling rules: packs contain the declared quantity on average, and small individual deviations are tolerated. So 'e' is a measurement declaration rather than a quality stamp. Legislation in Türkiye uses the same average filling approach.

Green Dot

Two interlocking green arrows are known as the Green Dot. They show that the producer contributes financially to a packaging recovery scheme. The point that most often gets confused is this: the mark DOES NOT GUARANTEE that the packaging is recyclable or that it has been recycled.

Freezer, microwave and dishwasher symbols

The trio commonly found on the base of storage containers is as follows: a snowflake means the item can be used in the freezer, wavy lines mean it is suitable for the microwave, and a plate with water droplets means it can go in the dishwasher. These symbols show that the material of the container withstands that condition; using it in a condition it does not carry can wear the material down faster and damage the surface. A symbol with a line struck through it means quite simply 'not suitable'. It is one of the details most easily missed. That small area on the base of a container is the most practical information box on the whole pack.

The EU organic leaf and farming certifications

The leaf made of stars on a green background is the EU organic logo. It shows that the product was made according to organic farming rules and passed the relevant inspection. Next to it you will usually also find the code number of the inspecting body and the farming origin of the raw material; the logo carries its meaning together with that information rather than on its own. On organic products sold in Türkiye, look for the national organic farming logo and the name of the certifying body. The point that gets confused here is that phrases such as 'natural', 'from the farm' and 'village style' have no such inspection mechanism behind them, whereas organic is a defined and audited concept.

Front-of-pack nutrition marks and Nutri-Score

On the front of some packs you will see coloured letters from A to E, or circles showing a percentage per portion. These are voluntary systems that try to sum up the nutrition table on the back at a glance; they are not compulsory in Türkiye, so one product on a shelf may carry one while its neighbour does not. The most widespread example is the Nutri-Score system. The letter is decided by the balance between sugar, salt, saturated fat and energy on one side and components such as fibre and protein on the other. If there is no letter on the pack, you can also find a product's score on our Nutri-Score lookup page. These marks do not replace reading the back of the pack, but they are useful for a quick comparison between two products.

Barcode and batch number

The first three digits under a barcode show which national organisation the company registering the product belongs to. Those beginning 868 and 869 belong to companies registered in Türkiye. The common misconception is that this number shows where the product was made; in fact a company registered in Türkiye may have manufactured elsewhere, and the reverse is equally possible. If you want to know the place of manufacture, the place to look is not the barcode but the producer and origin information on the label. The batch (lot) number, meanwhile, shows which production group the item belongs to and helps identify which batch is affected if there is a recall. On cosmetics it is usually written with the abbreviation 'LOT', and on food as a serial number. If you would rather use your barcode-reading habit to see what is inside a product, you can scan it.

A symbol dictionary at a glance

Things widely believed about symbols that are not true

• The number inside the triangle does not mean that the packaging is collected where you live; which plastics are collected varies with the local system.
• The Green Dot is not an environmental badge; it only shows that a financial contribution has been made to a packaging recovery scheme.
• The letter 'e' is a declaration about the filled quantity rather than a stamp of quality or inspection.
• The first digits of a barcode show the country where the company is registered, not the country of manufacture.
• The PAO period does not start running while the product is unopened; if the box has sat sealed for two years the clock has not started, though an hourglass date still applies.
• A logo saying no animal testing was done does not mean the product is vegan; those are two separate questions.

Mistakes people make when reading symbols

• Reading the PAO period on a cosmetic and never noting the opening date; the information is useless if it is not put to work.
• Putting a storage container in the microwave without ever checking the symbols underneath.
• Reading the claim on the front and skipping the ingredients list on the back; symbols give a summary, not the detail.
• Failing to notice symbols with a line through them; the line means 'not suitable' and the eye slides past it easily.
• Mistaking a decorative logo the brand designed itself for an independent certification; a certification carries the name or code of a body beside it.
• Confusing the hourglass with the open jar on cosmetics; one describes life before opening, the other life after it.

A thirty-second symbol sweep at the shelf

• On cosmetics, look at the back of the box first: is there an open jar or an hourglass? They answer different questions.
• If you are buying a storage container or kitchen item, find the glass and fork mark; without it, the container was not designed for food.
• On sprays, notice the flame symbol and choose where you store the product accordingly.
• If a food carries a certification logo, check whether the name or code of a body appears beside it.
• If there is a coloured letter on the front of the pack, read it together with the table on the back rather than on its own.

Who benefits most from knowing this?

Reading symbols makes shopping a little easier for everyone. In certain situations, though, it solves a real problem, and for the following groups the information in this guide has a concrete pay-off in daily life:

• People who accumulate make-up: keeping track of the PAO period, particularly on eye products, concerns both waste and eye health.
• Families with small children: checking the food contact and heat symbols on containers and utensils is the most practical safety step there is.
• Anyone with sensitive skin: the fold-out label inside the box usually holds the full ingredients list and the warnings, and the hand and book symbol points you there.
• Anyone watching what they eat: front-of-pack marks allow a quick comparison, while the table on the back and the additive codes give the detail; we explain the logic of the codes on our what an E-number is page.
• Anyone with a known allergy: what is described here is general information, and where an allergy is involved you should read the full label text and speak to your doctor when needed.

Marks on sun care products

On sunscreens the SPF number describes protection against UVB. The letters 'UVA' inside a circle show that the product provides adequate UVA protection according to the EU recommendation, so you need to look for both together. You will find the detail in a separate guide where we explain how to choose a sunscreen.

In short

Symbols are the small-print but most honest part of a label: the PAO tells you to open it and start counting, the glass and fork tells you the container suits food, and the Green Dot only tells you a contribution has been paid. If you want to see the ingredients side with the same clarity, you can scan the product. We have gathered the basics of label reading in this guide. Next time you shop, try turning a pack over and finding three of these symbols. A guide settles best through practice.