As we've told you before, while there are ethical guidelines surrounding this use of the term "natural" in beauty, there aren't actually any legal guidelines. Which means as everyone becomes more interested in sustainable and organic living, there's a dangerous trend towards greenwashing — claiming a product is more natural or organic than it actually is. To avoid this happening and ensure that you're fully equipped to judge a product based on its claims, there's a great app that's worth knowing about: Eco-Labels ($0.99). The brainchild of Consumer Reports, the app reviews all claims from a product — from it being hypoallergenic to organic — and tells you whether it actually is or not. It covers everything from food to beauty products making it a great addition to your life. The only downside is that it's a US-based app so we do miss out on local knowledge, but that's where Shop Ethical! ($4.49) comes in. Using information based on the Ethical Consumer Guide website it rates over 3,800 products found in local supermarkets based on assessments from Greenpeace, Choose Cruelty Free, WWF, Responsible Shopper and Friends of the Earth. Between the two you're on the way to being a greener shopper.
