Two part question. Any experience and knowledge is welcome
How can you tell if something is greenwashed? (Examples: Mrs. Meyers, Method Cleaning products, H&M), etc.
there are websites where I can look but then find out that companies can pay to have their brand look better than it does
What’s the deal with essential oils? Where do they come from? Where can I buy real ones without worrying they’re made from synthetic whatever? How can I tell real from fake?
I was at Whole Foods today and they have a entire section! I walked away because I didnt know what I was looking at or for and what the true quality is.
@idontadamandeveit greenwashed companies won't have any organic certification, anyone can call their product organic or all natural, but only products that are 95% organic can be certified usda organic, so look for the usda symbol. I'm not sure about a website of greenwashed companies, but if there's something you're looking to avoid there's usually a website for that, like I use the detox project to search for products certified glyphosate free.
a lot of essential oil companies are MLMs, so look out for that. I personally think they're a little overhyped, I don't put them on my baby and probably never will, I used to diffuse them for aromatherapy but I don't now because baby and cats. they aren't regulated by the FDA so you really have to look into the specific company you're buying from and what they put in their products.
@idontadamandeveit no problem!! they are really interesting. they smell nice, I really do believe in aromatherapy! I've used it while admitted to the hospital, in early labor, for anxiety, it helps with like the lightest headaches. I think what you enjoy is going to relax you most, although different ones are made for specific things, smelling something you love is so nice.
we do use rosemary oil for hair thinning, not sure if it's working but we started that recently. if you're into skincare I do love the brand pura d'or, they've got some great options, I add vitamin e to my lotion, I've used their retinol + vit c and it was amazing. but that's more like oil oils than essential oils lol.
@idontadamandeveit I’ve known of essential oils for 15 years, since working at a small health store that had them. Ultimately, I think people overuse them believing they are truly better than pharmaceuticals, but we don’t really have evidence for that. My philosophy with EO’s is to use them sparingly and always double check the one you want to use - especially on skin - if you’re pregnant or using it on a baby or small child. That’s just my personal opinion.
Aura Cacia is a reputable essential oil brand that I’ve known about longer than any other. Not an MLM as far as I know.
@idontadamandeveit You can't really go wrong if you avoid essential oils altogether. It's been so overused that the market is oversaturated with nonsense, and picking out the few things that aren't inefficacious at best and outright dangerous at worst isn't really worth it unless you're really into essential oils for one reason or another.
@idontadamandeveit I think the term greenwashing is thrown around wayyyy too often by people who just want to be complacent and not even try to look for better products. Made with recycled plastic, carbon emissions offsetting, paying to be EWG certified or on the Sephora "clean" section, non GMO, okay might be more on the greenwashing side. That being said EWG is still a decent source to look up products at a glance without having an app.
But when you have companies legitimately trying to eliminate plastic packaging or formulate products without phthalates, usda certified organic, idk usually worth looking into for me. I seem to find more products that don't care at all than actual greenwashed products.
I also avoid essential oils because it's more trouble to research them than it's worth. Some people avoid "fragrance" on ingredient lists because it can technically mean anything, I personally look for a separate promise of "formulated without phthalates" before I take a chance on anything that has the "fragrance" listed.
@idontadamandeveit Re: greenwashing I would say if you’re seeing a product where there is a lot of “story” but very little data on ingredients/sourcing/standards, that’s more likely to be greenwashed. Specificity on meeting certain certifications, details on sourcing, etc. often correlate with more responsibly produced stuff. Also beware of word like “natural” and “eco-friendly” - those don’t have any actual meaning or standard behind them. Certifications like USDA organic, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), B Corp, etc. all have documentation behind them, so although there are arguments to be made about whether certain ones are effective, at the very least the company is disclosing enough data to meet those thresholds.
