In an effort to call out the beauty companies that mislead consumers with talk of “natural” ingredients, TheGreenBeautyGuide.com is just what beauty mavens need to translate cosmetic labels into straight talk.

With reviews of green beauty products (and some that claim to be but aren’t) and a database of truly eco ingredients, the GBG enables you to arm yourself with the information you need to make an informed choice about what you slather on your face, body, and hair.

This is the place to learn whether rosemary makes an effective preservative, and why “synthetic lavender” is a contradiction in terms.

And for the old school among us, there’s even a book! AKA the eco-beauty’s bible. Check it out.

Reuters’ Green Business blog picked up an interesting piece yesterday on the recent expansion of Payless Shoes into eco-fashion territory.

In a welcome departure from the sustained round of applause the affordable shoe giant has been getting from the ‘green’ fashion crowd, Matter Network contributor Andrea Nocito opts for a challenge:

Payless has said selling eco fashion is important because it shows that being green can be affordable. No argument there. But, maybe an expansion of ideals is really in order. That is, selling eco fashion is more than being part of the trend and making that trend affordable so that middle America, the majority of retail shoppers, will purchase at Payless.

Selling eco fashion is about converting corrosive and destructive manufacturing practices into products that do not take away from the environment, but, dare I dream, enhance it? …

[A]n expansion of eco brands can be the answer as it will continue to close the misunderstood cycle of eco products and make eco fashion much more interesting to consumers. The more interest, the lower prices can go and the more profits for Payless.

As Nocito argues, making eco-fashion more affordable is one piece of an important puzzle: How to get more consumers interested in changing their purchasing habits, while somehow ‘giving back’ to the environment at the same time. (As she points out, Payless will plant about a billion trees through its collaboration with Zoe and Zac.)

Photo: “Laura V” by Patric Shaw on Flickrista

All right, Vogue. As much as we appreciate your heritage and all, there was something in your May issue that we just cannot let go.

Page 220, a woman shops at Whole Foods:

While my eight-month-old wriggles around in the grocery card, I’m scanning the labels, attempting to translate each ID into a concept I can understand: safe to eat or not safe to eat.

At first we thought maybe this was one of those oddball self-help stories you like to run on occasion, like “How I Beat My Paranoid Personality Disorder” or something. Or perhaps this woman is going to share her experience with raising a child with severe food allergies.

Nope. Next sentence:

Like other supermarkets, Whole Foods doesn’t provide mercury concentrations in the fish they sell.

Really?

Everyone knows there’s mercury in fish, but isn’t this a little sensationalist? We admit we’re not experts on mercury, but then again, neither is Vogue. Have people been dying from mercury in fish and we missed it? (No. We checked. Even Jeremy Piven is still at it on “Entourage.”)

(more…)

The New Republic blog published a very interesting review of the Guess party we blogged about last week. Highlights:

Michael Dumlao, the co-founder of Fashion Fights Poverty, standing next to a display of distressed men’s jeans.

“This is a very political event,” he tells me…

His organization fights poverty by throwing parties like tonight’s grand opening.

When I ask why FFP hasn’t registered with the IRS as a 501c3 charitable foundation, he insists that his “is not a company; it’s a non-profit.” Dumlao also co-founded, with Kadrieka Maiden, a PR firm called Style and Image Network, whose biggest client is Fashion Fights Poverty.

So, what makes the Guess grand opening so political? Dumlao says the party is political because it addresses the indefensible “lack of commerce in philanthropy.”

Philanthropist and PR professional. And photographer!

We’re not sure what it means to bring more commerce to giving, but these charms, t-shirts, and look books seem to fit the bill. Proceeds go to Fashion Fights Poverty. Which is indeed not technically a charity.

There’s something to be said about the fact that the mastermind behind one of the most groundbreaking sustainable fashion initiatives ever, SANS digital sewing patterns, says there is no such thing as eco-fashion:

“How can fashion possibly be good for the environment? You produce things – you make them.”

SMAC dives in with a revealing interview with designer Lika Volkova.

“Just substituting artificial fabrics with natural ones is not going to be the solution… it’s more important to come up with different values about clothes.”

One of the biggest problem in the world of fashion is that of over-production. In response, SANS has introduced downloadable patterns on their website.

Lika explains that providing patterns cuts down on carbon intensive mass production and distribution. Instead of mass producing a garment that gets shipped throughout the world, people can buy a pattern (prices range from $6 to $25) and either create clothes themselves or bring it to their local tailor to create it for them. The idea is that the garment is made locally.

“When you have a piece that you made yourself, you relate to it differently. You value it differently.” says Lika.

Brilliant.

As you may know, my own DIY journey has been hot and cold. But Volkova’s take here is really inspiring. Maybe it’s time to pick those knitting needles back up again…

(Also worth checking out: SANS Fur for A/W 2009-2010)

This article in WWD today hints at an interesting point about why more companies are taking steps to become more ecological: In these economic times going “green” makes good business sense, plain and simple.

First and foremost, consumers want it — whether they’re environmentalists, see the practical benefits of eco-products (last longer, more efficient use of energy, etc.), or are more willing to buy something with a feel-good label on it.

But “eco-friendly” measures like packaging reduction, switching to more energy-efficient production and operating methods, and encouraging customers to switch to reusable bags are cost-saving measures. It’s economical!

And as the article points out, the fact that this increased demand for green is closing the price gap doesn’t hurt either.

Higher sales, lower costs, easier transition… No wonder so many clothing companies are finally coming home to their earth-friendly customers.

Image: Untitled by Miss Lulu & The Teaspoon Shortage on Flickrista

We’re proud to announce the eleventh and very new issue of E.S., themed Illusions. Fashion is an industry built on fantasy, but sometimes advertisers and other wheeler-dealers overstep the line. In this issue, we bring you:

• A look at how greenwashing goes beyond just unsubstantiated environmental claims.
• A flip-through of the spring fashion magazines and the mixed messages they send.
• A slideshow of the most scandalous fashion headlines from the past 15 years.
• To what extent do you think print advertisements are photoshopped? Even jaded fashion followers might be surprised.
• Because of lax regulations, buying fur and faux from China remains a game of chance.
• And finally, a bit of lightness amid all this darkness: The line of creative eco-fashion by designer Brook There is the real deal.

Hollywood starlets are out in full force wearing their message tees — but only some of the shirts actually support charitable work.

High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens has been wearing the “We Not Me” Team USA tee by Imaginary People to “promote a more harmonious existence.” Somewhat vague, right?

And Jessica Alba has been seen out and about in her “Love In Any Language” shirt by Mighty Fine, though the company doesn’t claim to support any sort of charitable venture.

But sometimes message tees do support charity. Audrina Patridge, one of the stars of The Hills, has been spotted in a tee by Public Library for the Samburu Project (a different design for the cause has been sported by Beyoncé Knowles). Twelve percent of the proceeds from those $34 tees support water-sanitation projects in Africa.

For a slideshow of more message tees that actually support ethical ideals, click on over here.

Eight in ten consumers haven’t cut back on their green-minded shopping because of the struggling economy, according to a new survey.

More than half of respondents say they are buying the same number green products now (compared to before the stock market crash), and another 19 percent say they’re buying more. The trend is proving resilient, the survey’s sponsors say, and marketers would do well to consider redesigning production or at least packaging to attract on such consumers.

Among the other key findings of the survey:

– Twenty-one percent of consumers say a product’s reputation is the biggest factor they weigh when making purchasing decisions, followed by word of mouth (19 percent) and brand loyalty (15 percent). Just 9 percent say green advertising is their primary influencer.
– About one in three consumers say they don’t know how to tell if green product claims are true. 
– One in 10 consumers blindly trust green product claims.
– Consumers verify green claims by reading the packaging (24 percent) and turning to research (17 percent).

The survey helps websites like EthicalStyle, too. We’ll try to continue producing blog posts that help dispel greenwashing myths and cut through the bull so consumers know when to trust green product claims.

Dear Elle U.K.,

Thanks so much for tipping us off on Rani Jones today. We enjoyed your article about the new Blocks line, which we totally agree is fashion-forward and “ticks all the boxes when it comes to social responsibility, eco fabrics and ethical business practice.”

However, we wish you would not have started the article with this:

If you like the idea of ethical fashion but find that much of what’s on offer simply doesn’t cut the mustard when it comes to wearable style-led pieces then give three cheers for rani jones…

As indicated by the fact that Elle has its own ethical fashion guide, there is plenty of wearable and style-led fashion out there for ethically-conscious shoppers! We appreciate that the intention was to talk up a great new ethical fashion designer, but why revert to such a tired cliche?

Sincerely,

E.S.