UK beauty brands are misleading consumers with ‘organic’ claims, finds report

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Apr 27, 2017

Major beauty brands in the UK have been named as culprits of greenwashing by using the term ‘organic’ on their labels despite their products being uncertified and produced with ingredients banned under organic standards.

As part of its ‘Come Clean about Beauty’ campaign, the Soil Association has released a market report revealing a list of 13 products from high profile brands which have labels that could suggest to consumers that they are wholly or mainly organic, yet are not independently certified.

Products from beauty brands such as Boots, Dr Organic and Faith in Nature have been named in the report, and Soil Association said there potentially thousands of products for sale on the UK high street which are misleading consumers.

“We are clear that risking misleading consumers in such a sensitive area as beauty products, even in one case, is completely unacceptable. The confusing terms on the labels we encountered suggest that it is often very difficult for consumers to know they are making the right choice when doing their shopping,” said the organisation.

Sales of organic health and beauty products jumped by more than 20% last year, with the market now worth over £61m in the UK. But while the term ‘organic’ is regulated in relation to food and drink in the UK and EU, there is no legislation in place for the use of the terms ‘organic’ and ‘natural’ in the beauty industry.

A further Soil Association survey has found that 72% of consumers would lose trust in a brand if they found out that a product which said ‘organic’ on the label could potentially not meet organic standards. 64% of people said they would also lose trust in the retailer.