People are only just finding out what the symbol on their shampoo and conditioner means

If you've ever looked on the back of a shampoo bottle, you might have been overwhelmed by all the ingredients and information written on the label.

But there's one specific symbol which is pretty important to be aware of, yet many people have never realised its significance.

Do you know what this means? Watch the video below:

In the clip, TikToker Denise - aka @denisephx_official - shared a video of a screengrab which featured a photo of a shampoo and conditioner bottle, with a circle around a symbol found on the reverse.

The screengrab explained: "How old were you when you found out... that this means how long you have to use that product from the date you break the seal before it's no longer considered a 'good product'."

Denise added: "Still blows my mind."

TikTok/@denisephx_official

The symbol in question is a little tub with a number, followed by the letter M written inside - for example, '6M' or '12M'. This means that once opened, it's safe to use the product for that many months.

You may have noticed the little symbol on beauty products before and not realised, but it's certainly a handy guide to use to know when a product is past its best.

Some products also feature a best before date - which is represented by an hourglass with a date stamp - indicating when the product should be used by.

This is used in products which have a shelf life of under 30 months.

To remember when you first opened the bottle or tub, it's a good idea to write a date on the product itself, to keep track of how many months it's been since opening.

Colin Underhill/Alamy Stock Photo

And people couldn't believe they had never realised the symbol existed.

One person wrote on TikTok: "I was today's years old."

While another said: "What? For real?? Let me check."

And a third added: "Today years old and I was a hairdresser for 10 years smh."

Meanwhile a fourth commented: "Heading to my cupboard to look. I never even noticed that symbol before!"

And a fifth admitted: "Today years old!!!"

The symbol can be especially important on products such as sun cream.

It’s important not to ignore the symbol as after the expiry date ends, the active ingredients in the product begin to decompose and can become ineffective - which could result in some nasty sunburn!

Did you know about it?