Environmental claims in skincare: how to read them after Directive 2024/825

Green leaves on the label, sand-coloured packaging, words that sound good and say nothing concrete. For years, that is how many beauty brands talked about the impact of their products. Since 27 September 2026 the rules have changed in the European Union, and that changes how you should read a label too.

This guide explains what the new directive bans, what counts as verifiable information and which questions you can ask any brand, including us.

What changed with Directive (EU) 2024/825

Directive 2024/825, known as "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition", amended the European rules on unfair commercial practices. The aim is simple: to stop vague environmental claims from influencing your purchase with nothing to back them up.

The directive added new practices to the so-called blacklist, meaning practices that are considered misleading in all circumstances. Nobody has to prove that a consumer was misled. The practice existing is enough.

In skincare, the effect is direct. A large share of the sector's marketing relied on exactly the words the directive now restricts.

What is now banned

Generic environmental claims without proof

Terms such as "environmentally friendly", "sustainable" or "eco-friendly" are generic claims: they sound like a benefit but don't say which one. They can no longer be used when the brand cannot demonstrate recognised excellent environmental performance relevant to what it claims. In practice, a single word on a bottle is no longer enough.

Seals and labels without certification

Seals and logos created by the brand itself, with a leaf, a planet or a green tick, can only be used if they are based on a certification scheme verified by an independent third party, or set up by a public authority. A seal drawn by the marketing team doesn't count.

Claims about the whole product when the fact concerns only one part

If only the cardboard box contains recycled content, the brand cannot present the whole product as having a lower impact. The claim has to say which part it refers to.

Offsetting presented as neutrality

Saying a product is carbon neutral because the brand buys offset credits is now banned. Offsetting can be communicated for what it is, but not as a feature of the product.

Legal requirements presented as a differentiator

What the law requires of every product in a category cannot be presented as one brand's advantage. For example, animal testing for cosmetics is banned in the EU. A brand can say so, but it cannot present it as a merit of its own.

What a verifiable fact looks like

The directive doesn't ban talking about packaging, materials or production choices. It bans doing so without precision. A verifiable fact has three features: it says exactly what, it says which part of the product, and it can be checked.

• Packaging material: "glass bottle", "aluminium cap", "cardboard box". It is specific and you can check it with your own eyes.
• Recycled content with a percentage: "bottle made with 50% recycled plastic" says far more than "responsible packaging". No number, be wary.
• Recyclable, with instructions: saying packaging is recyclable is only useful if you know which components to separate and which bin they go in.
• Refill: if a refill exists for the product, that is a fact you can check in the brand's shop.
• Certification by an independent body: a real certification has a name, a body that awards it and often a licence number you can look up. If the brand doesn't say who certified it, it isn't a certification.
• What's in the formula: "vegan formula" or "fragrance-free" are facts about the product, not environmental claims, and you can check them in the ingredient list.

Questions to ask the brand

You don't need to be an expert to tell whether a claim holds up. You need to ask the right questions, calmly, and see whether the answer is concrete.

1. Which part of the product does this refer to? The formula, the bottle, the box, the shipping? A clear answer is a good sign.
2. What is the number? Percentage of recycled material, packaging weight, amount of product per refill. Numbers let you compare.
3. Who verified it? If there's a seal, ask for the name of the certification body and look it up. If the answer is "it's an internal commitment", the seal has no value as a certification.
4. Is this required by law? If the answer is yes, it's information, not a difference.
5. Where can I check? A brand that has facts can point you to them: on the packaging, on the product page or in a public document.

If the answers are vague, the claim probably is too. And that tells you something about the rest of the communication.

Warning signs on a label

• Adjectives without a noun: "conscious", "responsible", "green", without saying what or how.
• Seals you can't find anywhere outside the brand's own website.
• Aesthetics doing the work of words: earthy tones, leaves, kraft paper, with no fact behind them.
• Promises about the future with no plan: "by 2030 we will…", with no interim targets and no independent verification.
• Comparisons without a reference: "less plastic" than what?

What this changes in your routine

The good thing about this directive is that it pushes you, and brands, back to what is concrete. And what is concrete in a skincare routine is fairly simple.

Read the ingredient list before the front of the bottle. The INCI list is mandatory and regulated. The front of the bottle is marketing. When the two don't match, trust the INCI.

Buy what you'll use up. A product forgotten in the cupboard is money that didn't work for your skin. A short routine, with Cleanse · Activate · Hydrate · Protect, is usually enough for most people.

Choose information over adjectives. "Glass bottle" is information. "Vegan formula" is information. "Kind to your skin and everything around it" is not.

In short

Since 27 September 2026, a beauty brand in the EU can no longer sell you a word. It has to give you a fact: which material, what percentage, which part of the product, who verified it. When you come across an environmental claim, ask it the same questions you would ask an ingredient: what is it, how much is there and how do you know. If there's no answer, the claim shouldn't be there either.