The Beauty industry is capitalising on emerging trends inspired by a more eco-conscious lifestyle. Green labels are familiar in other product categories, from organic foods to eco-friendly packaging! When it comes to the beauty industry, the concept of Clean beauty is very vague, and people do not understand what brands are promising them. Marketing buzzwords such as Clean Beauty, Vegan, Organic, Green, Non-toxic and Sustainable are not well regulated and defined by the Beauty industry. As an eco-conscious consumer, how do you differentiate the trustworthy claim from greenwashing? Let’s look at Botany Essentials, one of the clean beauty market leaders in Australia and worldwide recently named Best Organic Skincare manufacturer.
Botany Essentials is a well-established Australian brand since 1997, pioneering natural skincare range wholly vegan and free from parabens and petrochemicals, long before the organic trend. The clean beauty brand is very much concerned about greenwashing, skincare being a trend-driven market. The industry is overwhelmed by every second product stamped with an ambiguous claim such as ‘natural’. So, what makes an authentic, clean beauty brand? Here are some definitions to clarify and distinguished real deals to misleading product claims.
1. Clean Beauty definition
A Clean brand meets eco-conscious requirements in terms of safety for consumers’ health and eco-friendly practices for the environment. It means non-toxic elements form the formula’s base, and the plant-based active ingredient to achieve skin results. Brands being 100% natural skincare fall under the clean beauty category.
2. Green Beauty definition
The Green label aim products that do not harm the planet’s resources, in terms of biodegradable packaging and its content such as reef-safe sunscreen.
3. Organic Beauty definition
Obtaining an official Certified Organic label can be a long and expensive process, as it has to be done by an independent certified company by the government. In Australia, six companies can deliver certified organic status; however, Australian Certified Organic (ACO) is the cosmetic market’s primary body. This certification guarantees consumers a minimum of 95% organic ingredients and 5% of other approved ingredients.
4. Non-toxic definition
More common in the eco-cleaning market, it means that ingredients that might be toxic in the wrong dose are carefully incorporated to meet maximum dose requirements for consumers’ safety. The non-toxic label is highly regulated by certified independent bodies and ensure no adverse effects on health at the right dose.
5. Sustainable definition
Sustainable has a more definite meaning than green in terms of maintaining natural resources. From production to end-users of the product, the whole process meets the highest eco-conscious standards. In other words, ingredients are ethically sourced, safe for the planet with fully recyclable or biodegradable packaging such as glass.
6. Is Vegan and Clean Beauty the same thing?
No. People think vegan and clean beauty is the same thing, while vegan means that a product doesn’t contain ingredients sourced from animals. In other words, vegan beauty products might have chemicals ingredients, and clean skincare might be made of beeswax.
