Is Greenwashing in the Beauty Industry Worse Than Fashion?
The professional beauty industry is facing significant scrutiny for greenwashing, with many brands using terms like "clean" and "natural" without sufficient transparency or substantiation. According to a report by sustainability rating platform Good on You, while these marketing buzzwords are widespread, beauty companies often fail to provide clear information on how their products meet sustainability and ethical standards. This lack of transparency is seen in areas like ingredient sourcing, environmental impact, and supply chain practices, where beauty brands lag behind even the often-criticized fashion industry.
The report found that nearly two-thirds of the beauty brands assessed received poor sustainability ratings, with only a few brands like Odylique and Disruptor London earning high marks. Major issues include the widespread use of controversial ingredients like uncertified palm oil and mica, both linked to environmental destruction and human rights abuses. Additionally, 80% of the brands analyzed had no certification proving they don’t test on animals, highlighting the gap between ethical claims and actual practices.
As regulators push for more transparency in sustainability marketing, beauty brands are under increasing pressure to back up their green claims. Companies like Sephora are responding with revamped sustainability labeling schemes, but the industry as a whole still faces challenges in providing consumers with the information needed to make truly informed, ethical choices. The greenwashing problem reflects deeper structural issues within beauty’s complex supply chains, requiring brands to take more decisive action if they want to maintain consumer trust.
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