What is a PAO symbol?Updated a year ago
Nowadays, many products are marked with a PAO symbol, which stands for Period After Opening. In the European Union, it’s mandatory on all products that will expire within 30 months of opening, and many American brands have started implementing it as well.
The symbol looks like an open jar with a number written inside it, like 6, 12, or 24, which represents months. This is the period within which you want to use up the product before it expires.
If your product hasn’t been opened, the PAO can still help. For example, if you bought a product 6 months or even a year ago, but the PAO lets you know it has a 24-month shelf-life, then you know you’re still well within a safe period to use it.