It’s been about a month and a half since I published a blog post and while some of that is life and schedule-related, it’s also because I’ve been feeling disconnected from the green beauty community over the last several months. When I first started blogging in 2011, this community was a lot smaller and while I think it’s fantastic that the community – and overall interest in green and natural products – has grown so substantially these last six years, it also brings with it challenges – growing pains, if you will – and a few things just haven’t been sitting right with me of late.
Regular content will resume shortly, but first I want to clear the air and put into words what it is that’s been bothering me lately. If you’re only interested in product-related content, feel free to skip this one!
Regular content will resume shortly, but first I want to clear the air and put into words what it is that’s been bothering me lately. If you’re only interested in product-related content, feel free to skip this one!
Ingredient-Shaming + Green Competition
To me, green beauty is predominantly about making healthier choices. Choices
that you, as an individual, are comfortable with. It’s not about being greener than anyone else
or judging other people’s choices.
Still, I regularly see people being shamed and
dismissed on Instagram and in green and natural Facebook groups.
Specific instances I’ve seen in the last few months? Ganging up on a green blogger for going back to some conventional products, dismissing someone's shower gel with phenoxyethanol as "not even natural," berating someone else’s use of prescription acne
medication, and ridiculing yet another person who had yet to switch from conventional
mascara and deodorant. Not to mention
non-beauty related examples like mouthing off at someone for feeding their
children boxed cereal, enjoying an occasional French fry, or using a disposable
coffee cup.
It’s not okay. Please don’t be someone who polices other
people’s choices, even under the guise of help or concern. I get it – I’ve had my more strident
ingredient purist days too, but remember that your standards are just that –
yours – and don’t carry over to anyone else.
Fearmongering
I'm also so turned off by the fearmongering that some brands (and influencers too!) put out there. I don't doubt that it sells products in this industry, but it's so tacky.
I really think it should go without saying -- just don't. There's so many better ways to sell green living and natural products than fear of chemicals and cancer!
Elitism, Overspending +
Overconsumption
Luxury beauty will always have its place, but I’ve always believed that
there’s a space for everyone (and every budget) in the green beauty world. I feature products across a range of price
points, but I think most of you already know that my heart particularly goes out to
affordable gems.
Whether it comes comes from having more wiggle room for a larger marketing budget or something completely different, a lot of the content out there focuses on high end natural products. I'm in no way bashing those brands or products, but I hope we'll see a shift towards better representation of all the great inexpensive options out there too! Better quality ingredients do cost more, but that only goes so far – a $100 clay mask vs. $25 one, for example, is usually more a matter of marketing than ingredient quality.
Whether it comes comes from having more wiggle room for a larger marketing budget or something completely different, a lot of the content out there focuses on high end natural products. I'm in no way bashing those brands or products, but I hope we'll see a shift towards better representation of all the great inexpensive options out there too! Better quality ingredients do cost more, but that only goes so far – a $100 clay mask vs. $25 one, for example, is usually more a matter of marketing than ingredient quality.
I also cringe a little at the overall overconsumption and overspending
that’s so rampant in the beauty world as a whole. I believe basic skincare – and even makeup – can be considered necessities, but beyond that, we’re in luxury territory. I love seeing gorgeous shelfies and
rows upon rows of fantastic green goodies on Instagram as much as the next person, but I do wonder how much it
perpetuates an idea of beauty overconsumption as the norm.
Disclosure, Paid Content +
Dishonest Influencers
I’m all for bloggers and influencers being paid for their work, but nothing gets my goat more than undisclosed
paid content and brand affiliations. Earning
a living as an “influencer” is still somewhat new and while there are certainly
people doing it right, there’s also a lot of questionable behaviour and
unscrupulous product-pushing.
Accepting free product or compensation doesn’t make anyone dishonest,
but I think readers and followers have a right to know what’s paid and what’s
not so they can judge that for themselves. The FTC has been cracking down on
huge celebrities like Kim K for not disclosing sponsored and affiliated content this year, but since green beauty is tiny fry in comparison,
there’s not any real supervision in this regard right now.
Where do we go from here?
I hope this post doesn’t come across as too negative! Despite feeling somewhat disenchanted with these particular things, I'm still really excited about other parts of the community and I've got some great content planned for the next few months.
To wrap this up, basically, what I want to say is ---
Be as green as you want to be.
Buy or don’t buy.
Take social media for what it is
– a glimpse of a person’s life and what they’re choosing to share with the
world. And also a way to earn a living.
I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the content I create here on Naturalla
Beauty. Whether you’re fully green or
just dabbling, I’d love to have you here.
I’ve always been and will continue to be fully transparent about paid
content, PR samples, and brand affiliations.
Likewise, I'm always honest in my reviews and will never mislead you just to sell a product.
Leave a comment and let me know where you stand on all this – I’d love to know
if you feel similarly! – and stay tuned for regular beauty content, coming soon.
