In the Planet Positive Beauty Guide Jayn Sterland, Managing Director of Weleda and Chair of the Sustainable Beauty Coalition, says: ‘Greenwashing not only means shoppers are making what they think are ‘green’ choices which can actively be harming the environment, it also drains credibility from brands genuinely dedicated to sustainability and being environmentally friendly.’

This lack of integrity is a key focus of Provenance’s new report ‘Skin Deep Beauty’. The survey clearly shows that a lack of transparency is driving consumers to reconsider their purchases. Shockingly, 90% of consumers consider sustainability when buying beauty and wellness products, a staggering 79% have difficulty trusting brands’ sustainability claims.

This lack of trust isn’t unfounded due to the lack of regulation and education that exists around ethical claims. In the British Beauty Council’s Courage to Change report, it reads: ‘1% organic material is all that’s needed for a company to claim a beauty product is organic.’

What’s more, only a third of consumers find it very easy to understand the criteria behind waste and recycling claims made by beauty and wellness brands, and that proportion drops to just 26% for nature and animal welfare, such as ‘reef safe’ and ‘cruelty-free’.

That’s why certifications, provided by Provenance and other accredited bodies, are key to busting greenwashing myths. And, consumers are on the hunt for them too…

The ‘Skin Deep Beauty’ report shows that shoppers search for certifications:

The ‘Skin Deep Beauty’ report surveyed more than 1,500 beauty shoppers, as well as leaders from Cult Beauty, Elemis, Douglas, Noble Panacea and B Corp Beauty Coalition. It found that more than 85% of participants trust an independent verifier, putting this source of information ahead of others.

Interestingly, the findings also highlight the lack of influence that social media content creators have in the sustainability space – only one-third of shoppers are likely to trust bloggers over a spotting a sustainability certification stamp.

Hold on, where does this leave Gen-Z?

It also spotlights Gen-Z as leaders of the transparency race:

Yes, young people are more likely to hunt for an accreditation logo over listening to their favourite Instagrammers. What’s more, Generation Z are holding brands accountable for more than their planetary promises.

44% of respondents in their late teens and early 20s say that ethics-related considerations are very important when buying beauty and wellness products – twice as many as those aged 55+. This factors include the diversity and treatment of workers in beauty supply chains.

Speaking exclusively to the British Beauty Council Jessi Baker, founder of Provenance, says: ‘If brands want to win the planet-conscious beauty shopper, there’s a requirement for transparency across all areas of sustainability.

‘The data suggests that shoppers are appreciating sustainability as a holistic issue and may not agree with a brand focusing on one or two areas of impact whilst ignoring other factors completely.

‘For example, 38% of consumers believe the treatment of workers is a very important issue, yet only 3% of brands are making credible worker related claims. For climate change impact we are seeing a similar thing; 36% believe it’s a very important issue, yet only 3% are making credible claims.’

It shows that British consumers are one step ahead:

British, German and US shoppers were surveyed for the ‘Skin Deep Beauty’ report and those from the UK showed the most scepticism when it comes to green claims. The report found that only 16% of British shoppers think beauty brands’ sustainability claims are very trustworthy, compared to 19% of German shoppers and 27% of American shoppers.

Also, they are even more likely (18%) than German (16%) or US shoppers (12%) to consider sustainability information as the single most important factor when making a beauty purchase, above price and efficacy.

You can find out more about the report, here.