Beauty Industry and Greenwashing: The Inside Scoop and Legal Repercussions
5 minute read
Photo by Ashley Piszek
With the rise of class actions against greenwashing claims — or green advertising — it’s imperative that you align your beauty product labeling with current laws. Let me give you the inside scoop about what greenwashing is, why it’s problematic in the beauty industry, and how to steer away from it.
Photo by Poko Skincare
What is greenwashing?
Ooh, honey the deception! Greenwashing is about making false claims that products are more environmentally friendly or sustainable than they are. And people do this to increase sales. Can you say shiest?! This misleads people like Winifred on “Hocus Pocus” when she makes people dance for hours. While I love me some witches, I adore honest ones.
You don’t have to put a brainwashing, product label spell for people to buy from you. Honesty, morals, and integrity will grow your beauty business.
How does greenwashing trash your business?
Have you ever heard that saying, “Tricks are for kids”? Well, unfortunately, companies have applied this principle to their beauty products, and it has trashed their business. Many companies label their products, as clean beauty, natural beauty, organic beauty… and the list goes on.
But is this true? According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), social responsibility data from Thomson Reuters’ ASSET4 ESG database, and accounting and financial data from WorldScope, customers aren’t buying it… pun intended.
They can’t be fooled and can easily spot fraudulent claims. Glance over these examples of greenwashing accusations in the beauty industry .
Steering clear of greenwashing as a consumer
You can avoid greenwashing, but it will take you being informed. As a consumer, you must do your research and look for trusted sources to keep you up to date. Thankfully I’ve done some of that for you and compiled a list of eco-credentials for your next beauty splurge:
Search the brand and product you enjoy getting your beauty products from
Look for third-party certifications (such as Leaping Bunny, Fair Trade, ECOCERT, USDA, NSF/ANSI 305)
Thoroughly read ingredient lists
Look for products made from sustainable materials
Steering clear of greenwashing as a beauty brand
Avoid greenwashing as a brand and avoid unclear claims. How can you do that?
Here are some ways:
Have integrity and be purposeful – people can be opportunistic because beauty is trendy, but when you’re passionate about the environment and your consumers you have a different purpose.
Create sustainability goals – slapping a clean label on products is easy to do and detrimental for business… but when striving for complete sustainability, it’s important to note that it’s a long process. You will have to commit to this journey.
Strive to obtain independent certifications – show your consumers that you care and boost your credibility with a certification.
Educate yourself – you should always be researching eco-friendly and sustainability guidelines. This will help your business and your consumers.
Know your sh*t – you need to be able to back up any claims and showcase your knowledge. Consumers love transparency and a company they can trust.
Get going
Now that you know what greenwashing is and how to avoid making false claims, it’s time to implement it. As a business, you are the consumer and producer. And there’s a time and place for both. When you take the time to research and learn new information you are the consumer.
When you implement what you’ve learned, you become the producer. You never want to be on the same level as the consumer purchasing your products. You want to be seen as the authority so it’s key that once you obtain new information, you apply it as soon as possible and get going.