Spotlight on Greenwashing
(and Other Spooky Practices)
Spotlight on Greenwashing
(and Other Spooky Practices)
It’s an awesome holiday, and I appreciate that my daughter is in on the fun this year.
Granted, she’s still a toddler, but she’ll get to dress up and fully experience October 31.
You too may be spending the next few weeks carving jack-o-lanterns, finalizing your costume, and digging up those spooky decorations.
But “spooky” doesn’t always translate. For instance, it should be the last thing you expect from your favorite personal care brands.
Scary Practices in the Personal Care Industry
Maybe you’re buying makeup or face paint for Halloween.
The label may say your cosmetics are “all-natural,” but wait—you’ll want to do your due diligence before checkout.
We mentioned previously that if a product isn’t certified to a natural standard, then you can’t inherently trust it. This brings us to some of the creepy practices we’re seeing in our industry today.
Greenwashing
Is it any wonder that 88% of Gen Z doesn’t trust brands’ ecofriendly claims?
Again, words like “clean” and “natural” don’t mean much without the certifications to back them up—and deliberate vagueness is a clear sign of greenwashing. If you don’t see a third-party agency confirming that a brand’s products are certifiably better, it’s likely they just aren’t.
Packaging Waste
Many personal care brands take pride in their aesthetic packaging. And while the unboxing experience reigns supreme on social media, it isn’t always ideal for the environment. Far too many companies prioritize convenience over recyclability, and they may include more packaging than necessary.
Animal Cruelty
It’s devastating that 500,000 animals worldwide suffer due to cosmetic testing each year. Animal cruelty is real, and this terrible practice has to end. While 10 U.S. states have banned the sale of animal-tested cosmetics, it’s still best to work with brands that are Certified Cruelty-Free .
Carbon Production
From manufacturing to shipping, many brands’ carbon emissions add up. Now, some of those emissions are inevitable—but I think more companies should work to offset them. There are so many claims floating around, and brands need to be transparent about the work they’re doing
This brings us back to International Organic Day: a celebration of the clean beauty movement. This holiday is also an opportunity to recognize the impact of organic certification on our planet—and on future generations. Ending this blog on a personal note, my hope is that today’s kids can grow up in a world where certifiably-better choices are the norm. Will you join me in making that happen?
Sky Organics Is Certifiably Better
When Sky Organics first launched in 2015, our co-founder (my brother Steven) and his wife Sara Jade were new parents. Naturally, they wanted to do right by their kids. But Sara Jade’s search for clean personal care options left a lot to be desired.
She was frustrated by brands’ confusing “natural” claims and complicated ingredient lists. It didn’t take long before she learned that Certified Organic products were less processed and genuinely sustainable. Today Sky Organics is a Certified B Corp , which reflects our effort to create the items Sara Jade only wished she had in 2015. Our cotton products are certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and we also follow the NSF/ANSI 305 marketing standard.
And for products where organic certification isn’t possible, like mineral powders and salts? We are still committed to using pure and potent ingredients sourced from nature.
That’s not all. Sky Organics is committed to moving away from the spooky practices that plague our industry. In addition to our certifications, here are some of the ways we try to make a difference:
• Sustainable Packaging
We’re always looking for ways to improve our packaging. Almost half of our products are sold in glass bottles, and our plastic bottles and jars are made from 100% post-consumer recycled material and are recyclable. Much of our packaging is also made from sugarcane and compostable paper. And our partnership with Pact makes it easy to recycle packaging like pumps and dropper.
• Cruelty-Free
Sky Organics values the life of all living beings and will never test products on animals. Our ingredient suppliers share the same commitment to protect the creatures we so love—and our certification through the Leaping Bunny Program is evidence of this.
• Climate-Forward
It’s no secret that we want to offset our carbon footprint. This is where our partnership with Ecologi comes in. They’ve helped us plant over 15,000 trees to date—and create jobs in the process. Today we proudly plant one tree for every order we receive on our website (and for every email signup).
Because if one thing is certain, it’s that the world is a little spooky right now. It is almost Halloween. Yet I want my children—and their children, and your children—to grow up spook-free. And I’m hopeful that the personal care industry will keep moving in the right direction.
Organic Jojoba Oil
Tinted Lip Balms