Consumer NZ has listed several examples of greenwashing committed by mainstream beauty brands following a recent investigation.

The organisation looked into the green claims on a range of cosmetics and found some of them were lacking the required evidence.

For example, a skin cleansing wipe made by Nivea claims to be biodegradable in water. However, using the wipe to remove makeup could lead to non-biodegradable particles entering the environment.

Garnier says its Micellar Reusable Eco Pad can be thrown in the washing machine and reused. However, the pads are made from polyester, which can shed microplastics in the wash, making it not eco-friendly.

Skin Republic’s Retinol Hydrogel Under Eye Patch says the packaging and patches are biodegradable, but there is no information about the conditions and time needed for them to biodegrade.

“Our investigation highlights just one of the many sectors wielding significant influence over eco-conscious consumers,” said Gemma Rasmussen, head of research and advocacy at Consumer NZ.

“Green marketing is powerful because it’s assuring – but if it’s inaccurate, it’s not okay.”

According to Consumer NZ, one in 10 New Zelanders have changed their spending habits for environmental reasons. However, three in four shoppers do not check the accuracy of a product’s green claims.

“It is incredibly hard to verify many claims on products marketed as environmentally friendly or ethical choices.

“…Our investigations continue to find that many green claims are unsubstantiated and risk breaching the Fair Trading Act,” added Rasmussen.