Sustainability & Skincare: Greenwashing in Disguise?

With Earth Day as the perfect excuse, we wanted to share our (totally personal, subjective, and based purely on our own perspective) take on the state of sustainability in the beauty industry. 

  • The beauty industry has a major sustainability problem. 

  • Many brands are overdoing it—playing the sustainability card to boost sales rather than actually making a difference. 

  • That makes it harder for the genuinely responsible brands because consumers start distrusting all of us. 

  • We believe in sustainability that’s real, not performative. Less noise, more action. Less marketing, more impact.

The Beauty Industry = Pollution

IT’S A FACT. ANY INDUSTRY WITH THE WORD ‘INDUSTRY’ IN IT? IT POLLUTES.  

When it comes to cosmetics, here’s the top five offenders: 

  • Plastic packaging. 📦 The beauty industry produces 120 billion non-reusable plastic containers every year. That’s not even counting the sponges, tubes, and applicators. 

  • CO2 emissions. 💨 Making and shipping products comes at a cost. From ingredient sourcing to packaging to delivery, every step leaves a carbon footprint. 

  • Water consumption. 💦 It’s not just the water in your moisturiser—it’s the litres used to grow ‘natural’ ingredients, run factories, and keep production going. 

  • Intensive farming. 🌱 Some ‘eco-friendly’ ingredients (shea butter, rose oil, argan oil…) actually cause massive harm to ecosystems, soils, and local communities. 

  • The most toxic ingredient of all: greenwashing. Pretending to be sustainable without actually being sustainable. 

 

GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK (OR JUST ANOTHER MARKETING GIMMICK?)

With sustainability on everyone’s mind, beauty brands have jumped on the bandwagon—some more dramatically than others: 

  • Labeling anything as ‘sustainable’ just because it’s vegan, natural, or organic—when that’s not even the same thing. 

  • Slapping on labels like ‘toxic-free’ or ‘cruelty-free’ (which often mean absolutely nothing) to sound more eco-conscious. 

  • Bragging about ‘helping local communities’ while failing to mention the carbon footprint of sourcing exotic ingredients from across the world. 

  • Hiring a hot influencer to front a ‘save the oceans’ campaign while squeezing suppliers dry behind the scenes. 

 

Basically, everyone’s out here claiming to be more eco-friendly than Greta Thunberg on a mission. But when it comes to actual sustainability? Let’s just say Thunberg would probably score higher on an A-level Chemistry exam than some of these brands do on their eco-practices. 

 

THE RESULT? CONSUMERS AREN’T BUYING IT.

Research shows that 70% of shoppers don’t fully trust beauty brands’ sustainability claims. And honestly? We’ve earned that skepticism.

Our Take: Less Talk, More Action 

So, what do we actually do about it? We’re not here to preach—we’re just sharing how we approach sustainability at Siwon: 

  • Sustainability is fundamental. No big hype, no bragging—it’s just common sense. You wouldn’t expect us to announce, ‘Hey, we treat our employees well and pay our taxes!’… Right? Same deal. Sustainability should be standard. 

  • We embrace green chemistry. Prioritising smart, efficient resource use over obsessing about whether an ingredient is ‘natural’ or ‘synthetic’. 

  • We say no to ‘toxic-free’ BS. It’s misleading wording, and in cosmetics, it’s not ingredients that are harmful—it’s the way brands manipulate words to mislead consumers. 

  • We focus on full-circle sustainability. Because a business is either truly sustainable, or it’s not. And for us, that means making money (duh) and treating people, the planet, and our supply chain right. 

  • We believe in responsible hedonism. Self-care and sustainability can co-exist. You can enjoy a skincare routine without feeling guilty about killing the planet. 

 

P.S.: Yes, we plant trees to offset our CO2. And yes, we’re constantly improving our packaging. But we’d rather focus on real impact than just catchy headlines. If you buy from us, do it because you love our products—trust us, we’re handling the eco-conscious side of things in the background. 

 

P.P.S.: Want a product that’s packaged in 100% recyclable materials, and produced in small batches for extra freshness? Our Tan-Tan-Go self-tanning serum is your go-to. Five days to a natural, even tan—no sun required. 

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