Greenwashing, Cleanwashing + Bluewashing

The last decade marked incredible growth for the Clean Beauty category, a term that, 10 years ago, was fringe, at best. Few pioneering brands saw the future and were brave enough to put their resources and reputation on the line in the name of clean beauty. Fast forward 10 groundbreaking years, and we see that the trend for non-toxic beauty and transparent businesses has skyrocketed. But, it has been equally scrutinized, criticized and compromised, in the name of profit and efficiency.  As I reflect on product and political gains made in the last ten years, I am more motivated than ever to reclaim what has been lost in the decade to come. 

First, we celebrate stubbornness, which is what it takes (along with unwavering integrity and gritty resourcefulness) to stay the course in clean beauty.  Au Naturale has been able to grow without compromising our vegan, organic, natural, and environmentally driven standards. These standards have not been a hindrance to profit and productivity; they have been our anchor in the stormy sea that is the beauty industry. From our sustainable supply chain to our lab facility where our products are manufactured fresh, our labor intensive production path is not for the faint of heart. Our raw ingredients come from vetted organic farms where we carefully audit the farmer, harvest, and process to ensure that the end product is not compromised. We qualify each partnership to ensure their standards are aligned with our own, and more importantly, with our customers’. This attention to detail is nothing less than what is required to uphold our audacious mission and continue to trailblaze a path of innovation that has come to define organic beauty. In an industry that has ushered in a wave of greenwashing and bluewashing and left the conscious consumer bewildered and confused, we have remained steadfast in our mission, promise and product.  

2020 looks very different for us than it does for many other clean beauty brands. Companies with good intentions like Ilia, Beautycounter, Pacifica, and Drunk Elephant have veered from their original commitment to natural and organic by introducing “safe synthetics”, further compromising and adding confusion to the category of “clean beauty.” Of the organic beauty companies in existence, we are a company that stands alone as purists in our mission offering only unadulterated clean color that is made fresh in the USA.

Au Naturale is kicking off this new decade in the spirit of truth. We will educate, innovate, produce, lobby, and move the needle for the health, safety, and sustainability of our consumers and the beauty industry as a whole. 

We look forward to impressing and inspiring you.

In the Spirit of Truth,

Ashley