A national independent survey, released as part of The Soil Association’s Campaign for Clarity, has revealed that 76 percent of consumers feel misled by some labelling on beauty products that purport to contain natural or organic ingredients.

What’s more, the UK organic certification body’s research revealed that vast majority of consumers (72 percent) claimed that they would lose trust in a brand that made misleading claims about its organic status, commonly known as ‘greenwashing’.

The Soil Association named Boots, Dr Organic and Faith in Nature as chief culprits in overstating their natural and organic claims, using the marketing terms without any official certification to back it up; a label the products would not qualify for as they contain ingredients banned under organic standards.

“This is the tip of the iceberg,” said Soil Association Policy Director Peter Melchett. “The labels on products we encountered were littered with confusing terms. Our consumer research shows that it is very difficult for consumers to know they are making the right choice when doing their shopping.”