Greenwashing

It's not all… green in the world of cosmetics. Beauty brands are riding the natural and eco-responsible trend, but what's really hiding behind these new concepts?

In the end, isn't the “naturalness” claim just an anesthetic for consumers, who'll be more tempted to buy without worrying about the real impact of what they're doing?

Today, in this article, Versatile is once again putting on its inspector's hat to try to demystify greenwashing in cosmetics and perfumery.

WHAT IS GREENWASHING?

Greenwashing, or “éco-blanchiment” in French, means using environmental arguments in a misleading way. Yes, we know: anything goes to keep you buying by making you believe you're doing something good for the planet!

PACKAGING

• Formula VS packaging

A nice clean message in a fancy plastic bottle, tempted? The formula and its effects on your skin will be guaranteed; the recycling, not so much! But never mind, it's inner beauty that counts, right?

• Overpackaging

So yes, you can make outer packaging from recycled paper (hi, Versatile) or biodegradable plastic and so on, but just because it's recycled doesn't mean you can use it willy-nilly! It's still waste that will need to be recycled.

• Heavy packaging

As we all know, in luxury, anything heavy is associated with “quality.” That's why you see bottles with a base (the bottom part of the bottle) and sides made of very thick glass. We tell ourselves it's glass, so it's infinitely recyclable, but in reality it's much heavier, so more expensive to ship, and a lot more fuel gets burned.

FORMULATION

• All about natural

Synthetics are getting a bad rap right now. All of a sudden, big brands are changing their tune and claiming to be green: synthetics are now under fire.

Be aware that the “of natural origin” claim doesn't mean much. Brands play with words and with packaging in “lighter,” more natural colors to lure you in and make you believe it's healthy. Except it isn't!

For example, an ingredient of natural origin (plant or mineral) may indeed be sourced from nature, but its extraction method can be catastrophic. This technique of drawing resources from the ground also ends up destroying ecosystems, all so we can look beautiful… Not great!

• Natural pigments

Be aware that looking like a disco ball may not be green (even if it says so on the packaging).

Some pigments come from semi-precious stones, which had to be extracted from the ground. That means sending people underground to look for them, raking through entire quarries to find these minerals, and of course none of it managed sustainably. We help ourselves to a lot, but give nothing back to the planet.

THE CARBON FOOTPRINT (out of reach?)

Between the way our carbon footprint is calculated and our depleted natural environment, which absorbs CO2 less effectively as a result, it's a more than shaky equation.

SYNTHETICS ARE GOOD TOO

In conclusion, let's stop putting down synthetics and glorifying natural. The Earth isn't infinitely expandable, and neither are its natural resources (flowers, pigments…)! Let's focus instead on creating a harmony in which both the Earth's health and our own are respected.