Wholesome, nature-infused labels on shampoos, shower gels and creams might make you think you're doing a meaningful thing for the environment, but don't be taken in by appearances.
Inviting images don't necessarily mean a genuine commitment to good ecology, and may simply play on associations to steer a product into your shopping basket.
"It's very popular to advertise on cosmetics packaging with images of plants and leaves, flowers and fruit," says Kerstin Effers, environmental and health protection officer at the consumer advice center in the German city of Dusseldorf.
According to Effers, you should take a closer look if a product's packaging states that it contains a certain proportion of natural ingredients that seem too good to be true, like 98%. This is because the water content of the product can also be included in this information under EU regulations.
"If you buy a shampoo or shower gel, for example, it can easily consist of 80% water then you really quickly reach the stated 98%," says the consumer advocate. "However, if you calculate this without the water, not just 2% but 10% would not be of natural origin."
Even if the manufacturer says a product is "free from" a certain ingredient, this ultimately tells you nothing about the rest of its composition. The claim "free from microplastics" does not exclude the possibility that other poorly degradable soluble plastics have been used.
And if certain ingredients are advertised, you should at least take a look at their position on the list of ingredients.
"It often happens that cosmetics are advertised as containing plant-based ingredients, which are often only present in very small amounts, while the main ingredients are synthetic chemical ingredients," says Effers.
Unlike foodstuffs, the percentage of an ingredient advertised in the title of a cosmetic product does not have to be stated. However, the ingredients must be listed in descending order of quantity.
"And then it may be that you buy aloe vera cream, for example, and aloe vera is still listed after the preservative in the ingredients," says Effers.
It's also good to know that if the keyword "upcycling" is used for a beauty or skin care product, this may mean that parts of plants have been used for a product that would otherwise not have been utilized, such as nut kernels or fruit shells. However, there are no legal requirements for the use of the term in products sold in the EU.
However, under legislation passed in January, manufacturers will in time be unable to adorn labels with the promise of "environmentally friendly," "climate neutral" or "biodegradable" without robust proof of this.
EU member states still have to approve the law passed by the European Parliament and will then have two years to transpose the directive into national law.
When it comes to ingredients that are as environmentally friendly as possible, it is a good idea to look for natural cosmetics labels, says consumer advocate Effers.
They certify that "Many substances that are problematic for either the skin or the environment are excluded from the outset. The requirements that these cosmetics labels place on the ingredients go far beyond what is prescribed by law."
If you also want your packaging to be as sustainable as possible, solid cosmetic products are a good option, like solid shampoos in bar form or shower bars, according to Effers.
The more compact shape reduces the amount of plastic packaging needed. As a rule, the items in unpackaged shops are not even packaged at all, elsewhere they are in a cardboard box, says the expert.
"And usually they are also less questionable in terms of ingredients – especially those with the natural cosmetics seal. This is definitely a good alternative to conventional water-based products in large plastic bottles."
