Is Acure sustainable or is it greenwashing? 👀 Acure was founded to make clean beauty products accessible. Their products are vegan and leaping bunny cruelty-free as well as Paraben free, Sulfate free & Phthalate free. They also note they are free from mineral oil, petrolatum and formaldehyde (don’t usually see those claims in the beauty industry but I’ll take it??).

Is Attitude Living sustainable or is it greenwashing? Attitude was founded in 2006 to develop products that are better for our health and the environment. They are EWG VERIFIED™, PETA Cruelty-Free & Vegan, FSC Certified, & ECOLOGO® Certified (more common to see for Canadian brands).

Compostable bags come in two main formats - sandwich bags and trash bags. Obviously there are a lot of brands out there - but for this we’re going to focus on HoldOn bags. HoldOn is a B Corp, and packaging is FSC certified & fully recyclable, I also love how HoldOn partners with local groups for community cleanups.

Native was founded as a way to to make “clean” & “nontoxic” deodorant which has since moved into other body care products. As we know, words like “clean” and “nontoxic” aren’t regulated - so let’s dive into what that means for Native. Ingredients are Phthalate free, Paraben free, cruelty free (without a third party certification, so to me that doesn't really count), and their scents abide by the International Fragrance Regulatory Association (IFRA). *deodorants are aluminum & talc free.

9 Elements is a household cleaner and detergent brand found at most grocery stores, and it gets its name from the ingredients list being 9 ingredients or less - not bad! One thing I noticed right off that bat is that the main marketed ingredient is vinegar, and their marketing really plays on the DIY vinegar solutions, but I find that a little misleading since vinegar isn’t the main* cleaning ingredient in any these products. *Vinegar is towards the bottom of their ingredient list.

Grove started as an online marketplace but has since moved into offering their own products, which is what we’re going to focus on. Grove is a B Corp, Carbon Neutral Certified, Certified Plastic Neutral, EPA Safer Choice Partner, and their products are leaping bunny cruelty free, Phthalate free, Paraben free, free of synthetic fragrances, and their core cleaning products are USDA BioPreferred.

Allbirds was cofounded by famous soccer player Tim Brown who wanted to incorporate merino wool into sustainable shoes. It’s since moved into athletic wear as well, but we’re gonna stick with the shoes for this video.

Allbirds is a B Corp, Certified Climate Neutral, and FSC-certified for fiber, rubber, & paper. They are not certified cruelty free, but ZQ Merino Label certifies the wool it sources.

The amount of comments I get to research Blueland is astronomical - so here it is! Blueland offers refillable cleaning products to promote eliminating single use plastics. Starting strong, they’re a certified B-Corp, gluten free, Paraben free, vegan, and leaping bunny cruelty free plus every ingredient is on the EPA Safer Chemical Ingredients list…

We have a whole month of sustainable or greenwashing articles leading up to Earth month, so let’s hop into it. 🐝

Starting off, Burts Bees was founded as a back-to-the-basics product that connects to nature. It’s leaping Bunny cruelty free, but not vegan (since they use Beeswax). They’re Carbon Neutral Certified, and source their beeswax from communities in Eastern Africa who wild-craft the beeswax. All palm oil used is ethically sourced (RSPO Certified).

One year ago I said dove wasn’t greenwashing, but let’s dive in and see if anything has changed …. 🕵️‍♀️

Dove was founded with the Dove Beauty Bar in 1957 - and the company is PETA cruelty free, uses sustainably sourced palm oil (RSPO), and all bottles are made with 100% PCR plastic. They have a commitment to reduce plastic by 2025, which is why they launched their refillable products & switched their bottles to be made with PCR plastic.

Raw Sugar was founded to promote clean and healthy living through products. Let’s start with the good stuff: Raw Sugar products are vegan (*lip balms made with beeswax), Paraben free, Sulfate free & Phthalate free, & use many organic ingredients in their products. They are cruelty free but they don’t have a third party certification which always makes me feel a little weary.

Now I always thought this was a cleaner, greener brand, bc when you look at the packaging things look promising.

Let’s start with the positives. All products are leaping bunny certified cruelty free & I appreciate how you can look up each ingredient online and see specifically what it’s used for. Their palm oil is sustainably sourced by Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). & the down the drain products meet the European OECD standards for biodegradability. Some, but not all, products manufactured in a LEED-platinum certified factory & they offer a line of products which goes towards turning vacant lots into green spaces.

The argument in favor of toothpaste tablets is essentially that tablets help reduce plastic by eliminating plastic toothpaste tubes & they also reduce water waste during production and transportation. Other positives are that tablets are travel friendly since they are TSA approved.

Love Beauty and Planet was founded by Unilever in 2018 and influenced by the fast-growing trend for natural ingredients. They are PETA cruelty free, vegan, paraben and sulfate free, and their packaging uses PCR plastic.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 on the principal of creating social change (It was one of the first companies to prioritize natural, cruelty-free and ethically-sourced ingredients in 1976), however it’s gone through several owners since then, and most recently was bought by a private equity firm in late 2023.

Shampoo and conditioner bars are essentially just that - shampoo and/or conditioner in bar form.

The argument in favor of bars is essentially that liquid shampoo and conditioner is 80% water, so by removing the water you have a product that’s undiluted, lasts longer, and can be completely plastic free. Plus the smaller packaging means it costs less to ship which means less carbon emissions.

Seventh Generation is a well known household cleaning brand and originally started as a mail-order catalog business that specialized in energy-, water-, and resource-saving products. The name is a reference to a philosophy which says “in our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

Now I don’t want to burst your bubble, BUT has anyone else noticed how rampant greenwashing is? I’ve been seeing it everywhere lately, and these companies need to be held accountable for misleading marketing practices. While we aren’t going to get into THAT today - I do want to take a moment to help you know how to spot greenwashing when you’re out and about.