6 Greenwashed Beauty Buzzwords

Greenwashing means making a product seem "green" or "organic" by basically misleading you, dear green beauty, into thinking you're getting the real deal. You'll see greenwashed cosmetics all over the beauty counters here in Dubai (and the rest of the UAE) and these are some of the terms to look out for. Of course, not every manufacturer that uses these terms are greenwashing. Some are in fact doing the right thing. But if you see these greenwashed beauty buzzwords on the label, it's a cue to look further.

1. Natural - This one's been around the longest. It's supposed to mean that the ingredients are not chemically produced or synthetic. An "all-natural" product may still contain harmful ingredients that are naturally occurring.

2. Organic - Is calling a beauty product made with synthetic fragrances, dyes, parabens "organic" accurate? How much organic is in that product?

3. Vegan / Cruelty-Free - Some brands also try to bolster their "green" image by using recyclable packaging and putting the cruelty-free label on it, or making the claim that they're vegan, which might confuse shoppers into thinking their formulas are green or organic when they're not.

4. Chemical-Free - Every ingredient, natural or synthetic is a chemical. Duh! Free of harmful chemicals would be better.

5. Preservative-Free - Cosmetics that contain water need to have a preservative. You wouldn't want any product to grow yeast, bacteria or mold, which is not only gross, it's unsafe.

6. "Toxic Free" "Non-Toxic" "Organic" Nail Polish - There is just no such thing as this period. Unless you are making your own from fruits and vegetables, in which case it doesn't look anything like nail polish and won't last longer than you can say Five Free.

The proof is in the ingredients, the rest is just marketing. Read the ingredients and never trust or believe what is written on the front of the box. The front of the packaging is purely an advertisement. You shouldn't trust it any more than a commercial on TV (which I don't trust at all).

So again, be on the lookout. And to make it easy on yourself, shop from companies like Green Beauty Box that make it our life's work to bring you real organic and (yes, we're using the term) all-natural beauty products.