Podcast 290: Is it time to break up with natural beauty?

The beauty industry has long sold us the dream that natural equals good – good for us, good for the planet, good for everyone. But what if that connection is more myth than reality?

In this thought-provoking episode of Green Beauty Conversations, Lorraine Dallmeier, Chartered Environmentalist, Biologist, and CEO of Formula Botanica, explores whether it’s time to question our blind faith in natural beauty.

Surveys show that most consumers assume ‘natural ‘ means sustainable, ethical, and eco-friendly. Yet, the truth is that the word ‘natural’ is completely unregulated.

A brand can bulldoze forests, harvest threatened plants, or exploit communities and still call their product natural. So, does the label actually tell us anything about the environmental or social impact of our beauty choices?

Following on from last week’s inspiring interview with Asa Suguitan of Hawaii Sandalwood, who shared his family’s journey in restoring one of the rarest ecosystems in the world, this week’s episode asks a tough question: is it time to break up with natural beauty once and for all?

“The word natural is a feel-good label that can hide a thousand sins.” — Lorraine Dallmeier

Key takeaways:

• Natural and sustainable are not the same: We often conflate natural beauty with sustainability, but the two concepts are very different. An ingredient can be labelled as natural and still cause environmental harm. For instance, cutting down a 200-year-old tree in a fragile ecosystem, refining it into oil, and selling it as natural is completely legal – yet far from sustainable.
• Ecosystem health matters more than labels: The best cosmetic ingredients come from thriving ecosystems – forests with rich soils, balanced water cycles, and diverse species. Sustainability requires us to think beyond extraction and focus on regeneration. Brands and suppliers need to ensure that the ecosystems they draw from are being left healthier, not depleted.
• Natural beauty can hide exploitation: Because natural is unregulated, the label can conceal damaging practices: monoculture farming, deforestation, exploitation of labour, and biodiversity loss. Consumers are lulled into believing they are making ethical choices when, in reality, they may be contributing to environmental and social harm.
• Rethinking what beauty really means: It’s time for the beauty industry to ask harder questions: is this ingredient traceable? Regenerative? Does it benefit local communities? The natural label doesn’t answer these questions. Instead of clinging to ‘natural’, we should prioritise integrity, transparency, and regenerative practices that truly honour the land.
• Learning from restoration projects: Last week’s conversation with Hawaii Sandalwood showed that another way is possible. By restoring degraded land and replanting diverse native species, they demonstrated how businesses can thrive while protecting ecosystems. This model gives hope for a future where beauty aligns with ecological care – and challenges us to demand more from the industry.

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Formula Botanica Green Beauty Conversations podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please share, subscribe and review this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube so that more people can enjoy the show. Don’t forget to follow and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Lorraine Dallmeier

Lorraine Dallmeier is a Biologist, Chartered Environmentalist and the CEO of Formula Botanica, the award-winning online organic cosmetic science school. Read more about Lorraine and the Formula Botanica Team.