A registered mark: we describe it in words and do not reproduce it.

EU Ecolabel (the flower with an ℇ)

The product meets the Commission’s environmental criteria for its product group, set on a life-cycle basis. For cosmetics (Decision (EU) 2021/1870, rinse-off and leave-on, private and professional, valid until 31 December 2027) the criteria cover toxicity to aquatic life, biodegradability, excluded and restricted substances, packaging, sustainably sourced palm oil and fitness for use. Goods containing substances classified as toxic, hazardous to the environment, carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction cannot get the label, except by specific derogation.

Who awards it

The European Union’s voluntary EU Ecolabel scheme under Regulation (EC) No 66/2010, with criteria adopted by the European Commission; the label is awarded product by product by a national competent body, which signs a contract with the maker.

What it does not certify

It does not certify that a product is organic, natural, vegan or cruelty-free: those are not its criteria — the regulation only asks criteria to consider ‘as far as possible the principle of reducing animal testing’. It does not certify medicines or medical devices, which the regulation excludes. And the award is ‘without prejudice’ to the other laws a product must follow, so it is not a safety approval.

This page explains what a symbol or mark on the pack means in law or in the scheme’s own rules. It is not advice on whether a product or an ingredient is safe for you or suits your skin: for that, read the product’s warnings and ask a pharmacist or doctor.

What it looks like: The official EU Ecolabel logo, a flower whose centre is the ℇ of Europe, with a registration number printed near it. We do not reproduce it.
Also called: EU flower; EU Ecolabel cosmetics; European Ecolabel

Good to know

The registration number has the form xxxx/yyy/zzzzz: country of registration, product group and the number given by the competent body. A genuine EU Ecolabel on a product carries that number, because the maker must print it (Article 9(9)).

Other certification marks

Sources

Quoted from the scheme owner’s own published criteria, each fetched and read on the date shown. Schemes revise their criteria; the owner’s current document is the authority.

Scheme owner — EU Official Journal text of the EU Ecolabel regulation, reproduced by legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives): Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel — Article 9, Award of the EU Ecolabel (as adopted) — Article 9: the competent body assigns a registration number once the product complies; ‘The operator may place the EU Ecolabel on the product only after conclusion of the contract. The operator shall also place the registration number on the product’; award ‘without prejudice to environmental or other regulatory requirements’. Checked 2026-09-26.
Scheme owner — EU Official Journal text of the EU Ecolabel regulation, reproduced by legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives): Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel — Article 6, General requirements for EU Ecolabel criteria (as adopted) — Article 6(3): criteria ‘determined on a scientific basis considering the whole life cycle of products’, including ‘(g) as far as possible the principle of reducing animal testing’; Article 6(6): no award to goods containing substances classified as toxic, hazardous to the environment, CMR, or SVHCs under REACH Article 57, subject to 6(7) derogations. Checked 2026-09-26.
Scheme owner — EU Official Journal text of the EU Ecolabel regulation, reproduced by legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives): Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel — Article 2, Scope (as adopted) — Article 2(2): the regulation applies neither to medicinal products for human or veterinary use ‘nor to any type of medical device’. Checked 2026-09-26.
Scheme owner — EU Official Journal text of the EU Ecolabel regulation, reproduced by legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives): Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 on the EU Ecolabel — Annex II, Form of the EU Ecolabel (as adopted) — Annex II: the registration number ‘xxxx/yyy/zzzzz’, where xxxx is the country of registration, yyy the product group and zzzzz the number given by the competent body. Checked 2026-09-26.
Scheme owner — European Commission, owner of the EU Ecolabel (EUR-Lex): Commission Decision (EU) 2021/1870 establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for cosmetic products and animal care products — Article 1: the product group ‘cosmetic products’ covers substances or mixtures within Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and includes rinse-off and leave-on products for both private and professional use; the criteria are ‘valid until 31 December 2027’. Recital 8: products ‘that have limited impacts in terms of eco-toxicity and biodegradability, which may only contain a limited amount of hazardous substances and that use less packaging’; Annex criteria 1–8 (aquatic toxicity, biodegradability, excluded and restricted substances, packaging, palm oil sourcing, fitness for use, label information). Checked 2026-09-26.