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What recycling symbols do you find in your bathroom?

You can see a whole bunch of recycling symbols on the back of your cosmetic products.

Because you encounter them so often, you eventually get the feeling that you know them well but you often don’t know what they mean. What if we could help you learn everything there is to know about the symbols found on your bathroom products? We promise you that after reading this you’ll be a recycling symbol pro!

THE BEST KNOWN RECYCLING LOGOS:

We could bet on the fact that you’ve seen these recycling signs on the back of your cosmetic products, but are you sure you know what they mean? If not, here is everything you need to know about the most common recycling logos:

Tidy Man logo

This is a classic that everyone has certainly seen at least once in their life. This eco-citizen logo called Tidy Man is simply there to remind you to throw all your waste in a bin. For your non-recyclable cosmetic products, get information about the collection points on our beauty3thefuture website.

PET logos

When packaging is made from recycled materials, this symbol can be found on the label. This symbol also means that your product can be recycled. The difference is that there is a percentage at the center which shows how much-recycled material is really in the packaging.

Triman logo

The Triman logo is the most recent recycling symbol. It shows that the packaging of our cosmetic products is recyclable. The Triman logo was created in 2015 and has become compulsory on all recyclable packaging and products, as well as on the leaflets. Since 1st January 2019, it has not yet been featured on glass packaging, even though glass also has to go straight to recycling!

Möbius loop logo

The Möbius loop is impossible to miss as this recycling logo is ubiquitous. It first appeared on our products in 1970 and its purpose is similar to the Triman Logo’s - to indicate that our product can be recycled and should be thrown into the recycling bin.

Green dot logo

Contrary to its aforementioned friends, the green dot is not a recycling symbol. It indicates that the company which made our product is contributing financially to the management of waste in France. So the green dot is like a star given out to the producer or importer for paying their contribution to an accredited body in charge of packaging management. It will tend to be replaced with the more explicit Triman logo in the future to avoid any confusion.

THE GREENEST RECYCLING LOGOS:

If you’re a fan of organic or eco-responsible products, then there’s a very good chance that you’ve already seen the following logos.


Ecocert logo

Ecocert is the main inspection and certification organization for organic farming products in France. It can guarantee that organic cosmetics are of the highest quality against European criteria. But that’s not all - these quality standards also define production standards to respect the environment in terms of residues and waste. For example, the Sanoflore cosmetic product line has been certified by Ecocert.

THE MORE SPECIFIC (AND PRACTICAL) RECYCLING LOGOS

These logos are less well known but equally useful, giving you practical information on the recycling of your hygiene and care products.

 

Recyclable steel logo

You probably already recycle your plastic and cardboard skincare packaging, but did you know that you can also recycle your steel packaging? This symbol lets you know whether or not your product is recyclable!

Recyclable glass logo

The glass recycling logo

The bottles and jars which are home to your perfumes, masks or scrubs can also be recycled! This logo of a bottle surrounded by two arrows lets you know that your product can be placed in the glass recycling bin. To know what to do with your nail polish brush or your glass jar lid, check out our beauty4thefuture website.

OTHER LOGOS FOR GLASS RECYCLING

There are other logos to remind you that glass is a material that can be renewed indefinitely and that it should be thrown into the glass recycling bin.


Recyclable aluminium logo

Recyclable aluminium

Just like steel, the aluminium used for your hair sprays, deodorants and shaving foams for instance is also recyclable. This symbol is here to confirm it!

 

Plastic recycling logos

The logo for plastic recycling is a triangle made of arrows. At the center is one number with letters underneath. These letters are an abbreviation of the plastic-type name and the digit is the number attached to it. It indicates that the product is recyclable, but please note that this logo doesn’t mean that the product will necessarily be recycled.

Number 1: PET, Polyethylene Terephthalate

Number 2: HDPE, High-Density Polyethylene (which can often be found in shampoo packaging)

Number 3: PVC, Polyvinyl Chloride

Number 4: LDPE, Low-Density Polyethylene

Number 5: PP, Polypropylene (often used in caps)

Number 6: EPS, Expanded Polystyrene

Number 7: all the other plastics