When looking for products with sound sustainability practices that are also free from toxic ingredients, you would be forgiven for thinking labels that feature words such as ‘eco’, ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ would fit the bill. Unfortunately, some brands include these terms to convince consumers that their products are credible when the facts suggest otherwise.
The term ‘greenwashing’ is used to describe marketing that deceives consumers into thinking a brand has better credentials than it actually does. Whilst there may be an element of truth behind some claims, benefits can be over-stated in contrast to questionable practices conducted behind the scenes.
As consumers become increasingly informed about harmful ingredients and their negative impact on the planet, clever marketing campaigns employ aspirational imagery, emotive language, green-coloured packaging or even false claims to appeal to this growing market.
It’s ‘buyer beware’ when purchasing products that make health, environmental or sustainability claims. Look out for vague statements and ambiguous terminology that are not backed by facts, evocative imagery that embellishes the truth, statements that aren’t supported by action and ideally read their ingredient lists looking for ones you recognise.
You can find a summary of ingredients we avoid here and some of the scents and active ingredients we include here.
Source: unsplash.com / Myles Tan
