“Greenwashing” is when a brand makes itself look more environmentally friendly or ethical than it actually is. It’s everywhere in this industry. Here’s the checklist I use myself when researching products, so you can cut through the noise too.
1. The Parent Company Trap
A brand can have beautiful eco-friendly packaging and vegan formulas on the shelf. Who owns them is a different question.
- The Check: Look at the “About” or “Legal” section of a brand’s website. If they’re owned by a multinational conglomerate, that parent company’s investments and priorities don’t magically align with the “green” image sitting on your bathroom shelf.
- The Goal: Support independent brands with total control over their own ethical standards. No corporate strings attached.
2. Vague “Natural” Claims
Terms like “all-natural,” “green,” or “clean” mean nothing. They aren’t legally regulated in the UK.
- The Check: Ignore the adjectives and look for actual certifications. Leaping Bunny, PETA, Soil Association organic. If it’s not certified, it’s not proven.
- The Goal: Demand transparency. A genuinely ethical brand will tell you exactly why they chose an ingredient, lab-created or not, instead of hiding behind buzzwords.
3. Packaging vs. Product
Plenty of brands spend more on earthy-looking packaging, brown glass, recycled-look cardboard, than they do on what’s actually inside the bottle.
- The Check: Check for “Post-Consumer Recycled” (PCR) plastic or Ocean Waste Plastic (OWP). Then go further: is the formula itself biodegradable, or is it loaded with microplastics that end up in the water supply?
- The Goal: Both the bottle and the liquid inside need to hold up. One without the other isn’t sustainability, it’s decoration.
4. Carbon Offsetting vs. Carbon Reduction
Paying to “offset” pollution and actually reducing it at the source are not the same thing. One is a cleanup fee. The other is a real change.
- The Check: Does the brand talk about their manufacturing process at all? Renewable energy in their factories? If they can’t answer that, assume they haven’t done the work.
- The Goal: Back brands that cut their footprint at the source, solar-powered production, local ingredient sourcing to shrink “beauty miles.” Reduction beats offsetting every time.