What in the world is greenwashing? You may have heard this term before, especially if you’ve been switching to more natural and organic products. It’s something that a LOT of people fall victim to, so come closer! We are about to tell you all about it.
"Greenwashing is when companies mislead consumers by claiming that their products are safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and natural when in reality they are NOT. This often done for marketing gains or to appeal to a certain audience"
Over the last decade, there has been a shift in beauty-savvy, eco-conscious consumers searching for labels that denote health, wellbeing and ‘toxin-free’ claims. It's awesome to see more conscious consumers, however, we have to get the facts right. Not all "chemicals'' are bad. In fact, everything we see has a chemical component. Brands are vying to keep up with the ‘green’ trend, but they’re not necessarily going about it the right way. They’re investing in smarter marketing, but not necessarily improving the health benefits or quality of their products. Keep an eye out for claims and verification.
EXAMPLE: Brands saying they are "Chemical Free"
Common Signs of Greenwashing
If you see some of these terms on the front label of a product, that should automatically trigger you to be skeptical, in my opinion! A lot of these terms are unregulated and can be used by anybody with no real meaning:
- Chemical-free: Literally everything in the world has a chemical make up
- Botanical
- Dermatologist recommended: What dermatologist?
- Earth-friendly
- Extracts
- Gentle
- Green
- Herbal
- Mineral
- Natural
- Naturally essenced or fragranced
- Oil-free
- Organic: According to the FDA for something to be labeled organic it needs to have 70% organic content and the remaining 30% doesn't have to be!
- Plant-based
- Plant-derived
- Pure
- Raw
- Sensitive
To Conclude
Labeling in the world of cosmetics and skin care products is tricky and many companies exploit vagueness and loopholes in regulations to make their products sound healthier. Don't get paranoid, just be more honest with yourself, and conscious about what you need from a product.
Here’s what you can do:
- Be skeptical and ask questions! Who owns this company? Are they owned by a big corporation? Where do they source their ingredients? Are they trying to hide something? Are the ingredients hard to find? etc
- Look over the ingredient labels.
- Choose honest companies like Serumize Skin.
- Check for third-party certification.
- Research till you drop.
- Lastly, Choose smaller, independent, and local brands.
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