Warning: this text may ignite a real-life Mean Girls Regina George Kalteen bar type realisation, except you haven’t unknowingly been eating carb bars on the reg. It’s less about what you’ve been putting into your body, and more to do with what you’ve been putting on it – for instance, that ‘all-natural’ argan oil face cream you’ve been slathering on thick and fast…

The organic beauty industry is growing. In keeping with the Soil Association Certification, sales in organic health and sweetness products increased by over 20% in 2017, when the market was valued at £61.2 million within the UK alone. The way in which through which people shop beauty has modified, too. People worldwide are demanding transparency across every aspect of their lives, not least in the case of beauty. From natural skincare and vegan make-up to sustainable self-care products, consumers now need to understand how a product is made, whether it’s ethical, and its ingredients before they determine whether or not they trust that a brand’s proposition is worthy of their pound. But what does ‘transparent beauty’ really entail?

Krupali Cescau, Brand Director at brand experience agency, Amplify, attributes the change in consumer habits to increased education and data surrounding the impact of the ingredients we put in, and on, our bodies. “Food labelling and ingredient transparency have been a hot topic for years but we’ve got also seen a growing concentrate on looking beyond the immediate; responsible sourcing, environmental impact and carbon footprints. For young people especially, it’s not enough to take the brand’s word for it – they feel that they’ve been lied to by governments, corporations and the media for long enough. Once they select any product, including beauty products, they need to feel informed and empowered to make the most effective selections about their very own bodies and the world around them.”

In other words, we wish the reality. Gone are the times through which beauty brands could slap a logo on the front of a product, name check some exotic sounding ‘natural’ ingredient, and expect it to sell like wildfire. But that’s to not say they aren’t still trying, with their ‘greenwashing’ tactics (the act of coercing a customer into buying a product under false pretences). Take, for example, Boots’ Beautiful Hair Moisturise & Nourish Shampoo With Added Organic Argan Oil, which was rated worst out of 25 products within the Soil Association Certification’s Campaign for Clarity report which calls out mislabelled products. Argan Oil is boldly called out on the packaging, but it surely’s just one in all 16 ingredients, five of that are on the Soil Association Certification’s ‘Terrible Ten’ list that features components that could cause allergies, damage your immune system, or be toxic to the environment.

“Savvy-ness is a defining characteristic of today’s young consumers. They might be drawn to greener, more natural or responsible brands but they are usually not blindly buying them” – Krupali Cescau, Brand Director at Amplify

“Savvy-ness is a defining characteristic of today’s young consumers. They might be drawn to greener, more natural or responsible brands but they are usually not blindly buying them,” says Cescau. “Despite M.A.C stating categorically that they don’t test on animals, a teen is just a number of clicks away from checking out that to be able to sell to the $30 billion Chinese market, M.A.C does indeed have to pay for animal tests (that are performed by third parties) to get a licence. From there, the facility of social media takes over.”

As the large beauty players try and retain control of the market – each organic and non-organic – via uncertified and mislabelled products, it’s near unattainable to discover greenwashing tactics vs. the actual deal, particularly when the semantics of ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ beauty are something of an enigma. Within the UK, USA and Australia, anything that’s certified organic – whether that’s food or cosmetics – is manufactured using sustainable practice, without herbicides or artificial fertilisers, synthetic colors, preservatives or chemicals, parabens and sulphates. You possibly can rest assured that organic farms are some of the environmentally, socially and economically sustainable methods of production. ‘Organic’ is a regulated term. Nevertheless, the identical can’t be said for ‘natural’. To place it in perspective, each poisonous mushrooms and snake venom are natural, but we wouldn’t recommend rubbing either in your face. When the word ‘natural’ is used on a product without an official certification label it could mean just about anything. Scary, right?

Sophie Williams, Business Development Officer, Beauty and Wellbeing, at Soil Association Certification weighs in, “In April 2017, we highlighted widespread greenwashing throughout the industry through our Come Clean About Beauty campaign. We found a spread of products on the high street that make organic claims on the labels but contain ingredients that wouldn’t meet organic standards. Hundreds of individuals signed a petition to call on these brands to make use of the terms ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ responsibly, or by no means.”

So in the case of decoding misleading labels, how can we know where to start out? Thankfully there are a lot of certification bodies helping to be certain that products classified as natural are formed from plants, flowers and minerals, with no trace of parabens, sulphates, petrochemical ingredients or another harmful substances. It goes without saying that they need to never be tested on animals either. While the Soil Association Certification has created their very own COSMOS certification label that confirms a product is free from GM ingredients, chemicals, parabens, phthalates, synthetic colors, dyes or fragrances, Brussels-based non-profit Natrue goals to guard and promote true organic cosmetics by working with the European Parliament, and by releasing annual reports to teach consumers.

“Our recent research found that 77% of individuals can be reassured if a product which said ‘organic’ on the label was certified to an independent standard” – Sophie Williams, Business Development Officer, Beauty and Wellbeing, at Soil Association Certification 

“We all know from our latest Organic Beauty & Wellbeing Market Report that more people than ever are buying certified organic beauty products (24% growth 12 months up to now). There’s a transparent rise within the conscious consumer, as persons are in search of an accredited logo after they shop and selecting products which are effective and align with their very own values,” says Williams. “Our recent research found that 77% of individuals can be reassured if a product which said ‘organic’ on the label was certified to an independent standard.” Meanwhile, their wider Campaign for Clarity campaign found that 76% of their panel of 1000 felt mislead upon discovering their products weren’t certified and that such a realisation would cause 72% of them to lose trust within the brand. With the danger of such negative consequences, you’d expect beauty brands to reconsider the best way through which they impart their products – sadly, that’s not at all times the case.

In keeping with The Fashion Institute of Technology’s proprietary FIT Transparency Perception Assessment Survey (2018), consumer trust is driven by three key aspects; accountability, transparent communication and alignment with values. While FIT’s Masters Program: cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management, 2018 Brand Transparency research identifies that 76% of consumers want brands to make sure secure ingredients. “The brand new expectation amongst 66% of consumers is that a brand will transparently share product testing practices, ingredient sourcing (65%) and environmental impact (54%). With the common consumer having 4 sources or touch points before making a purchase order decision, the most effective solution to ensure a brand is communicating the specified information is to incorporate key content across the assorted touchpoints your consumers leverage. This might include product packaging, on a brands social platforms, online and with retailer partners.”

Greenwashing and the mislabelling of products has proved costly for some brands, for instance, Jessica Alba’s – unfortunately named – The Honest Company that was sued for falsely labelling products as natural, while LUSH – who pride themselves on an all-natural approach – have come under scrutiny on many beauty blogs for the fillers and preservatives they add to their products to increase their shelf life. Or Glossier’s Lash Stick that was labelled as vegan, until customers identified that it contained beeswax.

In fact, it’s not all bad. There’s a growing cohort of startups disrupting the wonder scene – whether that’s through a what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach to labelling their products, by selling direct to consumers, or by talking to their audience in alternative routes. Whichever way they’re approaching things, there’s a key overarching principle: transparency. From clear cut ingredients and pricing to honest communications – many brands are harnessing transparency as their cultural cachet.

Coffee-based, beauty brand Frank Body is an example of a brand that is using true transparency, non-toxic, natural and naturally derived ingredients (like robusta coffee grinds, antioxidant packed cold-pressed sweet almond oil, free-radical fighting vitamin E and sea salt) and a trademark millennial-friendly tone of voice as its ticket to success. All the time speaking within the voice of Frank – the personification of frankness – Frank Body makes “natural skincare for the times you don’t need to touch your legs and have them feel rougher than your last hangover”.

“It will be important to challenge corporations making natural and organic claims” – Sophie Williams, Business Development Officer, Beauty and Wellbeing, at Soil Association Certification 

Danish skincare brand Nouri can be leading the best way with its “100% natural means 100% purity” motto and small batch skincare solutions, formulated from natural ingredients which are free from parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, phthalates, silicones, sulfates, synthetic preservatives, stabilizers, fillers, fragrances and colourants. Served in minimalistic packaging stamped with a start-by date and an expiry, they formulate their batches every 12 weeks to be able to avoid using those harmful ingredients often added to increase shelf life.

So how can we be certain that we’re not being greenwashed, and that we’re buying products from brands we are able to trust, across the board? In keeping with Cescau, brands have to develop into more aware of their audience. “They need to know that they’re coping with a young audience with an inherent mistrust of promoting and growing scepticism of ‘claim culture’. They’re celebrating brands pioneering real-ness, diversity and body positivity and starting to shun the unrealistic beauty ideals which have been forced on them.”

For Williams, it’s about trust-worthy independent certification logos. “These logos represent a rigorous process where all the things from farm and lab to finished product is traceable. It will be important to challenge corporations making natural and organic claims. Asking questions can lead to alter and eventually more real organic products available on the high-street.” She’s also a believer in online resources and apps that aid ethical selections, for instance, ThinkDirty, an app that permits consumers to scan the barcode of a specific product to be able to gain impartial information.

As consumers, we’ve got the best to query what we’re putting onto our bodies on a every day basis, not least in the case of beauty and thankfully it’s becoming easier to achieve this. So if you happen to can’t find a sound certification stamp on that ‘all-natural’ argan oil face cream, trade it in, in favour of a transparent skincare regime from a trusted beauty start-up that’s consciously going against the grain. Fearful about hidden ingredients? Look to the apps and certification bodies rallying to eradicate greenwashing, while educating us with the knowledge we want to make intelligent decisions. Above all, corporations have to take responsibility to truthfully say, “this can be a natural product” for transparency to develop into greater than only a trend, but as Williams points out, “consumers have the spending power, so purchase with power!”