Greenwashing can occur without harmful intent when brands rely on marketing language or supplier claims without fully understanding compliance and formulation science. Education provides clarity and enables more ethical and transparent practices.
When I started out in the beauty industry seven years ago, I truly believed I was creating something good. My products were “natural”, my intentions were pure. I was excited and my heart was in the right place, but looking back I can say something that many in the industry never will:
I was a greenwasher.
Not deliberately — never deliberately — but because I didn’t know any better.
Micro-Summary:
Greenwashing can happen even when intentions are genuine. Without technical knowledge, it is easy to rely on marketing language that appears ethical but is not always accurate.
I trusted what suppliers told me, and I used the marketing language that everyone else used. I thought if an ingredient came from a plant or mineral, it must be good for the skin and for the planet. Like so many others, I believed the word natural was enough.
The truth is, it wasn’t.
It wasn’t until years later, when I returned to study cosmetic chemistry in my late forties, that I realised how deeply I had been misled; and how I had been swept up in popular marketing claims that, in many cases, were simply not legally compliant.
In those early days of my first business, I read everything I could about ingredients — brand websites, beauty blogs, and anything a Google search would drag up. I assumed everything I read was the truth. I didn’t yet have the knowledge to ask the right questions, nor the resources to fact-check what I was reading. I lacked access to the professional networks, databases, and science-based sites that could have verified or debunked those claims.
Micro-Summary:
Without access to scientific education or industry databases, it is easy to accept popular marketing claims as fact. Many small brands fall into this pattern unintentionally.
Several incidents still stay with me. A supplier once sold me a batch of makeup brushes and assured me I could claim they were Certified Cruelty Free. When I went to register them for certification, I discovered they were made from wild squirrel fur — the very opposite of cruelty free. I suspect the supplier knew exactly what they were selling and was more concerned with making the sale than maintaining integrity.
Micro-Summary:
Supplier claims are not always reliable, and brands often repeat these claims in good faith. This is a common cause of accidental misinformation in the beauty industry.
On another occasion, I was told I was purchasing a natural makeup product, only to later verify as a student that it was made mostly from synthetic ingredients. So there I was, selling cruelty-free makeup brushes that weren’t, and natural makeup that wasn’t.
Micro-Summary:
The term “natural” is widely used in marketing but has no single legal definition. Products can be labelled natural while containing synthetic components.
I also believed what I read online about the common ingredient dimethicone, and shared with my customers that this synthetic ingredient and its derivatives were comedogenic — that they would block pores. Only later, as a student, did I cite scientific studies proving that many plant oils have a very high comedogenic score, and dimethicone does not.
Micro-Summary:
Scientific research does not always align with popular beauty advice. Some synthetic ingredients are gentle and non-comedogenic, while some plant oils can clog pores.
Another time, I ordered plastic skincare bottles and asked for plastic that could be recycled, only to find out — after I’d paid over $30,000 for them — that they would ultimately end up in landfill. Most council recycling programs don’t process packaging made from mixed materials, and that includes different types of plastic. The company in question even printed the recycling logo onto the packaging for me. So there I was, telling my customers to recycle their beauty packaging, only for councils to put it into landfill.
Micro-Summary:
Misunderstandings about packaging recyclability are widespread. Many mixed-material cosmetics containers are not processed by standard council recycling programs.
When I returned to formal study, I immersed myself in organic skincare formulation — the real nuts and bolts of how effective, safe, and sustainable skincare is made. I learned about formulation, stability, emulsification, preservation, and the principles that underpin quality and safety.
Part of my education also covered compliance: product safety, allowable input levels, and what marketing claims a brand can legally make while remaining within ACCC guidelines. I was stunned to learn how many unsubstantiated and false claims are made by small brands, myself included, that slip under the ACCC radar and go unchecked. And because these claims remain visible and unchallenged, other new brands see them and assume they must be true — or at least acceptable — simply because “everyone else is doing it.”
That entire period in my studies felt like one long audit of my own work. I was constantly revisiting and correcting my brand’s website after every study session. I had false claims on ingredients and product performance all over my site — I simply didn’t know any better.
Micro-Summary:
Studying formulation science revealed gaps in previous assumptions, and provided the clarity needed to recognise and correct inaccurate marketing claims.
Since becoming a cosmetic chemist, I remember one formulating client who was making what I believed to be false claims about sustainability. When I gently pointed this out, her response was, “Everyone else is saying that.” That one sentence summed up a major problem in our industry — we copy what we see, without always understanding what’s fact and what’s fiction.
Micro-Summary:
Imitating what other brands claim can unintentionally perpetuate misinformation. Repetition in the market can make misinformation appear true.
Another client I formulate for wanted a “natural” ingredient that happened to be wild harvested. Once their product was on the market, they began claiming it was sustainable simply because it was natural. It’s a common misunderstanding: the assumption that nature and sustainability are interchangeable, when in fact, they simply are not.
Every product I make now begins with evidence and claims that can be substantiated.
Each ingredient is there for a reason, included at a level that delivers visible results. I work with marine actives — clinically proven extracts from seaweed and micro-algae — because they offer powerful anti-ageing benefits in the gentlest, most sustainable way possible.
Every claim I make is supported by published clinical trials on the ingredients I use. And in the future, I plan to fund independent clinical studies on my full formulations — not just on individual ingredients — so I can share verified data on how they perform together. Proof is obtainable for brands; most simply don’t know what’s required, or how to access it.
But Seadragon Organic is about more than creating and selling products; it’s about integrity of performance and claims. It’s my way of rewriting the story.
Micro-Summary:
Seadragon Organic was created to prioritise integrity, evidence, and efficacy. Each ingredient is included at meaningful levels supported by clinical data.
When I look back on where I started I don’t feel shame, I feel gratitude. That experience gave me purpose and taught me that we can only do better when we know better. I’m proud to call myself a qualified cosmetic chemist, formulating for both my own brand and others who share the same evidence-based ethics.
These days, I question every claim before I publish a social media post or update my website: Is this true? And more importantly, can I prove it?
No false claims.
Just honest, high-performing skincare made with creativity, science, and a clear conscience.
Micro-Summary:
Growth came through education, reflection, and a commitment to evidence. Formulating now begins with verifiable claims and ends with products designed to genuinely support the skin.
If you’re a small beauty brand looking to do better, or simply want to understand what’s allowed and what’s not, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is an excellent starting point. They offer practical advice and guidance on marketing compliance — all you need to do is ask.
Visit the ACCC website.
Integrity in skincare comes from evidence-based formulation and verifiable claims. Understanding the science behind ingredients allows for transparency, trust, and sustainable product development.
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