Pretty Little Liars

All that shimmers is not gold, and all that claims to be natural may not be either. Companies have gotten the memo that “green” sells (green referring to eco-friendly, natural or organic products). The problem is that many of them have found it easier just to claim the product to be green rather than actually change the formulation to take out the bad and add in the good. That’s called Greenwashing.

So what is Greenwashing exactly? Well, it’s when a company markets an item as being good for the environment or for you (being natural and/or using organic ingredients) but in reality the product contains ingredients that are harmful to you and the environment. Terms like “natural”, “organic” and “eco-friendly” can be thrown around loosely and there is no real regulation of it. Unlike food which can be certified organic by the USDA, other products can have these terms on the label and have it mean nothing at all. It’s just a marketing ploy. For instance, You may come across a body wash that has one ingredient that is plant derived.. Suddenly it’s Natural! and Organic!.. or at least the label would have you believe that. It’s become very prevalent with cleaning products, along with personal care items and cosmetics. Nothing makes me madder than walking down the baby aisle at Target and seeing their natural section, which has some really great choices, but they’re right along side products that are full of chemicals and synthetic fragrances that don’t belong on a baby or in the natural section.

The best thing you can do to avoid getting duped is to READ LABELS! I can’t say it enough. Don’t just trust that it’s in the natural section or it says it’s organic. Turn the bottle over and see what’s in there for yourself. Be your own advocate and seek out companies that are transparent about the ingredients they use. 

Keep it natural! xoxo