Greenwashing: don’t be deceived
Yesterday a friend sent me an article about a company with a deceptive brand name, that just settled a class action lawsuit for misleading consumers into thinking their products are in fact organic and safe.
This came as no surprise to me as I'm privy to several companies who do this. There is a term for it called greenwashing. Greenwashing is a form of spin in which marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that an organization's products, aims or policies are environmentally friendly and/or safe for human use.
Babyganics is just one of thousands of products that fall into this category. After reviewing the class action lawsuit against them, I went and found my own bottle of Babyganics (yep, I was duped too!) and sure enough, a quick scan of the label told me everything I need to know.
Lessons learned:
1. Do not be fooled by the product name. You need to read the list of ingredients and any caveats placed on the label. Unfortunately the term ‘organic’ doesn’t mean much these days.
A truly organic product should contain 95 perfect or more organic ingredients.
Babyganics SPF 50+ sunscreen spray lists over 40 ingredients and only two of them are certified organic.
2. Do not purchase until you’ve read the list of ingredients. I wrote a recent article about the top 6 ingredients to avoid. These are: triclosan, parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), propylene/ethylene glycol, and fragrance.
For sunscreen, I would add oxybenzone, octinoxate, retinyl palmitate, and homosalate as ingredients to avoid. Babyganics SPF 50+ sunscreen spray has 7.5% octinoxate.
3. Know the company. The only way to truly know if the products you are using are safe is to know the heart of the company. Check out their website. Read their mission statement. See what people are saying about it online. Heck, call the company and talk to them!
Sadly, there are very few companies left that care about the products they are producing and how they impact human health. One of my favorite companies that I absolutely trust is Young Living Essential Oils which makes FAR more than just oils. All of their products are beyond organic and they do whatever it takes to produce a truly clean product.
There are others out there and it is a worthwhile pursuit to find them and support them. After all, your dollars are your voice!
It goes without saying that I will no longer purchase Babyganics products nor will I be duped by product names or packaging. Just because a label is covered in green leaves and claims it is ‘natural,’ I know I need to do a bit more digging.
Know better, do better. It’s up to us to steer the market towards a cleaner (and honest) future.
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