What It Is & How To Spot It

Have you heard about greenwashing in skincare? No? Let’s talk about it this way then. What if I told you that your plant-based serums and antioxidants-packed oils are full of synthetic chemicals? Go check the labels if you don’t believe me. Most natural skincare products out there are all but natural. They use a few natural plants and oils to hook you in and, while you’re not looking, fill the bottle with all kinds of stuff that shouldn’t be there.

FYI, I’m not hating on chemicals here. If you’ve paid attention in science class, you know everything is a chemical. Even water. But if you’re buying a bottle of Argan oil, I think it’s safe to say you don’t want mineral oil in there, too. So why is it there anyway? Greenwashing. It’s a new marketing scam that capitalises on the popularity of natural skincare to sell you more traditional lotions and potions.

Here’s how to spot greenwashing in skincare so you can avoid it and get the natural skincare routine your skin craves:

Greenwashing Definition: What Is It?

Greenwashing is a marketing technique that labels a skincare products as natural, when the majority of its ingredients have no natural origin at all! “Green-washing is when a product makes claims to be natural, eco-friendly, organic or environmentally conscious—when they aren’t any of those things—as a sales tactic,” says clean beauty expert Jenny Duranski, owner and founder of Lena Rose Beauty in Chicago. “This can be done through the products’ descriptions or even the company name, or the use of images or packaging design that would make consumers believe the product is green.”

Here’s an example. If you see a beautiful bottle of Argan oil on the shelves at Sephora, you have every right to assume that’s what you’re gonna get. I mean, what else could possible be in there?! Problem is, Argan oil is expensive. To cut down the price and make a bigger profit, brands usually put only a few drops of Argan oil in the bottle and fill the rest up with all kinds of cheaper stuff. It’s just one of the many examples of greenwashing (yep, it doesn’t happen only with Argan oil).

Related: 7 Misleading Skincare Claims You Need To Stop Believing Now

Greenwashing Examples: How To Read A Skincare Label

Instead of telling you what a product that’s been through greenwashing looks like, I’ll show you an example. Let’s take Boots Ingredients Hemp Seed Oil. With a name like that, you’d think this bottle only contains hemp seed oil, right? Wrong. A closer look at the ingredient list reveals the truth:

Yep, there’s more Mineral oil than Hemp seed oil here. And Ethylhexyl Palmitate isn’t that natural either… Compare it to Kiki Health CBD Oil 5%:

Now we’re talking! FYI, Boots isn’t even the worst example. At least, it never claimed to be an all-natural brand. You can’t say the same for Origins Clear Improvement Oil-Free Moisturizer With Bamboo Charcoal. You can be forgiven for thinking it’s a natural product:

• Origin has a reputation for being “natural”
• The green jar features an image of a tree
• It clearly states on the jar “with Bamboo Charcoal”

Then, you take a look at the ingredient list:

As a rule, ingredients are listed in order of concentration. The higher the place on the list, the higher the concentration in the jar. These top ingredients are those that really do the job. As I’ve highlighted above, they’re all synthetic. Heck, there are even a few silicones in here! It’s official: you’ve been greenwashed.

P.S. To add insult to injury, most of the natural ingredients in the Origins cream are bad for skin. Lavender, lemon, spearmint and other essential oils often cause allergies and irritations, especially in sensitive skin!

Related: How To Read An Ingredient List (Even If You Hate Science)

Want to know what ingredients you really need to avoid in your skincare products? Sign up to the newsletter below to receive the “Skincare Ingredients To Avoid” cheatsheet:

Why Is Greenwashing Happening?

At this point you may be thinking, “Wait, how is this even legal?!” The natural brigade will tell you the beauty industry is more unregulated than the Wild, Wild West – and that’s NOT true. There are strict regulations for what you can put in your skincare products – hence why the best UV filters, like Mexoryl, aren’t approved for use in the US (so many expensive regulations to go through!).

What’s NOT regulated as well is the marketing industry. The truth is, there are no legal definitions for terms like “natural”, “naturally derived,” “synthetic,” “organic,” “green,” etc… No rule that a product must contain a certain percentage of natural ingredient to be called “natural” or “organic”. You know what this means?

As long as a product contains a smidgen of a natural ingredient, the brand can call it natural. It’s not illegal, but it’s deceptive and hurts the reputation of the industry as a whole, so that people are less likely to trust any product and brand at all. *sighs*

Common Greenwashing Claims

You won’t find the word “greenwashing” on your skincare products. So let’s take a look at what claims your products are making that could have been greenwashed. Just to be clear: these terms are unregulated but good brands will use them with the right intent. Others will greenwash them to mislead customers. So, when you see one of these terms on the packaging, check the ingredient list to make sure the claim is true.

• Botanical: This means it has ingredients derived from plants. But that doesn’t tell you much about safety or effectiveness. There are plenty of plants that are toxic to humans (poison ivy, everyone?) or that don’t do anything for skin.
• Chemical-free: This is a LIE. If you paid any attention to science class (I know, boring!), you’ll know that anything made of matter is a chemical, including water and plants. If this claim were true, you’d get an empty jar. Heck, you wouldn’t even get the jar (that’s made of chemicals too!). Brands use because the word “chemical” has a bad reputation, but don’t fall for it.
• Clean: I’m not really sure what this means – and that’s the point. It’s totally unregulated, so it can mean whatever the brand wants it to mean.
• Dermatologist-tested: This means that a dermatologist has tested the product, not that the product is good.
• Hypoallergenic: It means it’s unlikely to cause allergies and irritations. The term is unregulated, so brands can still put common allergens, like fragrance and essential oils, in a serum and still call it hypoallergenic.
• Natural: In theory, it means the product only contains natural or naturally-derived ingredients. But the term isn’t regulated at all, so anyone can use it even for products that barely contain any natural ingredients at all.
• Organic: The FDA does not regulate this term, but the USDA does. According to their website, “If a cosmetic, body care product, or personal care product contains or is made up of agricultural ingredients, and can meet the USDA/NOP organic production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may be eligible to be certified under the NOP regulations. The operations which produce the organic agricultural ingredients, the handlers of these agricultural ingredients, and the manufacturer of the final product must all be certified by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agent.” This is why brands prefer to use “natural” to “organic.”

Greenwashing Side Effects

Greenwashing isn’t dangerous. It’s just misleading. Ok, I wouldn’t touch the Origins cream above with a 10 foot pole. Way too many irritants in there for my taste. But the Boots oil is fine. Sure, it contains mineral oil, but contrary to popular opinion, that’s not bad for skin. Believe it or not, mineral oil is a lot gentler on the skin than most essential oils (like lavender and lemon).

Here’s the deal: Natural doesn’t equal good. Synthetic doesn’t equal bad. The origin of an ingredient doesn’t tell you anything about its beneficial properties or irritating potential. Simply put, there are plenty of natural ingredients that are good for you (shea butter, anyone?) and others that are bad (lemon oil, anyone? Yes, I’m picking on it – it has NO place in skincare).

The same can be said for synthetic ingredients. Some are good and others not so much. It all depends on what your skin needs and what it can tolerate. My problem with greenwashing is that it lies to you. It promises you one thing and gives you another. And that doesn’t sit well with me.

Related: What Makes An Ingredient Better Than Another?

How To Spot (And Avoid) Greenwashing In Skincare

Want to make sure that natural moisturiser you’re eyeing is the real deal before splurging on it? Here’s how to tell if a skincare product has been greenwashed:

1. Look For Any Well-Known Synthetic Ingredients

No one expects you to know all synthetic ingredients used in skincare by heart. By you can probably recognise some common faces in skincare. Things like:

• Cyclomethicone
• Dimethicone
• Isopropyl Palmitate
• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum

If you spot these in your lotions and potions, chances are they’re not as natural as they claim to be.

Related: 7 Skincare Ingredients With An Undeserved Bad Reputation

2. Check Out The First Five Ingredients

I’ll tell you a secret: it’s the first 5 ingredients that make the product work. With the exception of a few actives like retinol and salicylic acid that work even at 1% or lower concentrations, most skincare ingredients don’t really do much when they’re present in tiny amounts.

And after ingredient number 5, the concentration of an active is likely to drop to 1% or lower. So, if all the synthetic ingredients are at the top and the natural ones at the bottom – like in the Origins cream above – you’ve been greenwashed, my friend.

Related: How Do You Figure Out The Concentration Of An Ingredient In A Skincare Product?

3. Don’t Trust Buzzwords

If you shop in the natural beauty aisle and you spot a serum that claims to be organic and contains rosehip oil, you may trust that’s exactly what you’re getting without double checking the labels. Brands count on it. That’s why they spend more money on making a product look natural than making it natural in the first place.

They create tubes and bottles that remind you of nature. They highlight one plant on the front label and slather its picture everywhere. They pay millions to advertisers and influencers to spread and reinforce the false message. And they love to use words like:

• Clean
• Natural
• Organic
• Chemical-free

that imply one thing but actually mean nothing. That’s right. These terms aren’t regulated in any way. You could put a drop of olive oil in an all-synthetic formula and call it natural. Who’s gonna hold them accountable? They’re not exactly breaking the law if there’s no law in the first place…

4. Check The Ingredient Lists

So how can you defend yourself and avoid greenwashing? I know this is boring, but… It doesn’t matter how natural a skincare product looks, always check the ingredient list to make sure it’s the real deal.

The Bottom Line

Just because a skincare product claims to be natural, it doesn’t mean it is. Truth is, it’s easier to put a natural label on an old product than create a new natural formula that’s both aesthetically pleasant and effective. Always check the label to make sure you’re not being greenwashed!

About Gio

Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.