By Lindsay Loo
Lindsay Loo is a New York-based hairstylist and master colorist who merges plant-based advocacy with wellness education and artistic flair. With 20 years in the field, the multihyphenate creative has done hair for New York Fashion Week and numerous films, served as a Color Department Director for award-winning salons, and is a certified Wella Master Color Expert, among her many achievements. Her work and industry expertise has been featured in outlets such as Oprah Magazine, Bustle, NBC News, and Birchbox. Follow Lindsay in this ongoing series as she tackles all issues surrounding hair, beauty, cannabis culture, and more.
What Does Greenwashing Mean In The CBD Industry?
In the CBD industry, the term "Greenwashing" has taken on new significance. This is a common strategy employed by brands to give the impression that they are natural and/or eco-friendly when in reality, they are not.
Cosmetics appear to be the main product category where this mislabeling occurs, tricking well-meaning consumers into purchasing products that include the harmful ingredients they were attempting to avoid. A lot of alleged CBD products—many of which contain almost no CBD at all—have this problem. Some businesses even sell "hemp" products, capitalizing on the well-earned buzz surrounding CBD without genuinely adding any of those advantageous cannabinoids to a product. This misleads consumers to think they’re going green when they’re not even close.
How Can You Avoid Red Flags Of Greenwashing When Purchasing CBD Products?
One major red flag in purchasing a CBD product is when it doesn’t contain cannabinoids. If you're looking for a product to help you with pain relief or anxiety, CBD should be present in reasonable amounts, such as 5 percent or higher in CBD oil drops. But many products labeled 'CBD' or 'Cannabis' use hemp/cannabis sativa seed extract rather than the plant's flower, leaves, or bud. Hemp seed has many beneficial properties, but it contains no cannabinoids. Always double-check.
(C) Honeysuckle Media, Inc.
Don't buy from companies that don't make it obvious where and how their hemp or cannabis is grown. These plants have the incredible ability to absorb everything from the soil in which they are planted, including poisonous waste and pesticides. As a result, hemp crops are frequently planted to clear up spills and "dirty" land, then subsequently sold to make large quantities of CBD oil. Many entrepreneurs and brands have realized this strategy for selling CBD can be profitable, especially if the material is purchased at a discount and then churned out. This is potentially very dangerous and egregiously unethical.
Too many businesses seem fine with deceiving customers, especially in marketing. Some use greenwashing to intensify their social media marketing reach (even though most social media platforms don’t allow CBD products to be advertised). Transparency, in the CBD market, is crucial if you want products to assist rather than hinder you.
How Can You Choose CBD And Hemp Products Without Falling For Greenwashing?
One could argue that it is the consumer’s responsibility to research and determine what they want and don't want, starting with reading the contents listed on product labels. Yet not everyone has the time or resources to perform the in-depth research required to verify which CBD products are real and which aren’t, or even which substances to avoid. And numerous ingredient labels are purposefully deceptive; some even fail to list their worst substances.
When purchasing CBD and hemp products, always choose brands that are transparent with their practices and ingredients to prevent damaging your health. Even if it costs more, you get what you pay for.
A Honey Of A Deal: Get 15 Percent Off Hair Services With Lindsay Loo
You can get 15 percent off any service with Lindsay Loo by using the discount code HONEY15 when you book. Visit jlbyrd.com or follow @iamlindsayloo on Instagram for details.
*A version of this article originally appeared in Honeysuckle's 18th print edition. Click here to order and choose your element - Fire with Bun B or Ice with Queen P!
Featured image: (C) Lindsay Loo @iamlindsayloo
