Don't be fooled by false advertising.

I was picking up some essentials at my local pharmacy the other day when I took a stroll down the hair-care aisle. I was amazed and excited to find a product that said it contained argan oil and other products that have powerful antioxidant-rich vegetable oils in them. The bottle was pretty; the font was cool, and it seemed by the company's name that the ingredients would be organic. I thought how cool it would be that companies were starting to wake up and smell the chemicals. Maybe this company was actually listening to what consumers are starting to demand: organic products with whole plant goodness.

I could not have been more wrong. When I turned the bottle around to read the ingredients, I was shocked, dismayed, and angry to see that not one of their ingredients were organic. The product was FULL of chemicals and alcohol, and the omega-rich argan oil was not even one of the first few listed ingredients.

My first thought was that there should be some kind of regulation on this false advertising! It just left me so disgusted that a company would be that deceitful and misleading.

These days, you see this practice everywhere: products and packaging that have leaves or trees in their logos and ad campaigns. The play on words that make a shampoo, face cream, or cleaning product seem like it is natural or organic. Or my personal favorite, the one word that says it all, “GREEN.”

Did you know that there are currently no regulations on the words natural or green? Anyone can put a leaf or tree in a logo. Just the other day, I was in line at my bank and behind the teller booth was a video screen with the bank’s new leafy logo. Now, I’m not sure what a leaf has to do with banking, but it shows that any company can say it is natural or green. As long as you don't say your product or service is actually organic, you can use any variation of spelling or meaning of the word, such as organik or organix, and skirt any regulation or certification process that actually proves you are organic.

Friends, Countrymen, Consumers lend me your ear: this practice is known as greenwashing.

Companies who practice greenwashing, tend to hide the origins or ingredients of their products, instead focusing on buzz words in bold lettering on flashy packaging. This leads a consumer into believing that a product is organic or eco-friendly. Sometimes companies focus only on one part of the process, such as switching to LED light bulbs in their warehouse or going paperless. Even though making at least one change to reduce carbon foot print is a good step, it should not be used as a marketing ploy to trick the customer into believing the company is eco-friendly, especially when it has nothing to do with the final product. Some companies simply lie outright and claim to be green, natural, or eco-friendly and provide no proof to back up their vague claims. To learn even more about how companies are green washing, check out the seven sins of  greenwashing.

This is why La Bella Figura believes strongly in integrity and honesty in its products and marketing. Go ahead check out our ingredients here. What's listed there are the only ingredients we currently use. We strive to find the best organic sources for all of our ingredients, and in most cases our ingredients are certified organic. If we can't find certified-organic ingredients, we search for wild-crafted ingredients. If we are unable to find organic or wild-crafted ingredients, we will NEVER claim that an ingredient is something that it is not. Plain and simple.

Not only do we strive to find the best whole-plant ingredients, but we are also very concerned with finding the most environmentally friendly way to produce and package La Bella Figura products. Each product is carefully and lovingly crafted by hand. Our packaging is biodegradable and even our glass bottles are recyclable. We are continually searching for the most ecologically viable way to make and present our products. It is something La Bella Figura is passionate about.

All of our products are chemical, sulfate, toxin, and paraben free. We never test on animals. We are committed to honesty, transparency, and responsibility.

If you ever have any questions about our ingredients, sourcing, or products in general  please email us at info@labellafigurabeauty.com

To purchase La Bella Figura products please visit us at labellafigurabeauty.com