Sustainable cosmetics: How consumers recognize pitfalls and find environmentally friendly products

Sustainable cosmetics: How consumers recognize pitfalls and find environmentally friendly products

According to a report by www.waz.de, experts from the Hamburg Consumer Center criticize the fact that manufacturers of care and cosmetic products repeatedly exploit loopholes in the law to advertise with slogans such as “sustainably produced” or “natural cosmetics”. However, these designations are not legally protected and often cannot really be verified. The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center also warns against misleading images on packaging that give the appearance of official seals but do not guarantee any ecological benefits.

Consumers should therefore critically question whether the advertised ingredients are actually environmentally friendly. One option for checking is the “Codecheck” app, which lists the ingredients of cosmetic products and identifies substances that are harmful to the environment. The smartphone app “ToxFox” also makes it possible to check for microplastics and harmful plastics in cosmetic products using a barcode scan.

Experts also recommend choosing products in solid form, as even conventional brands often do not contain any critical ingredients. Certified natural cosmetics seals such as “Natrue”, “Cosmos” or “Ecocert” exclude certain harmful substances. Ultimately, the general rule of sustainability applies: less is more. It is important to only buy products that are actually used in order to protect the environment and your wallet.

Increased education and information gathering on the ingredients of cosmetic products is therefore crucial in order to enable consumers to make environmentally conscious purchasing decisions.