Green & red flags to look for in your favourite wellness products

Transparency is top of the list for me when choosing a wellness product. I want to support the brands who are prepared to lay their cards on the table rather than just telling me what they think I want to hear. With long experience in wellbeing, and natural health experts on hand, it’s usually easy to spot when brands are overclaiming, oversimplifying, or only telling half the story.

For me, what builds trust and loyalty is full, clear and honest presentation. We all value different things, and to make choices based on those values we need to be provided with good and complete information on the products we’re considering. That’s something I’m passionate about.

Here at HealthPost, we do a huge amount of work with our partner brands on transparency - from full ingredients lists to disclosure of supply chains and delving into business practices. Our Mindful Brands is one way we share this behind-the-scenes work with our customers, to make it easier for conscious consumers to find the brands that align with their personal values. Connecting brands who are doing things better with customers who share their mission is an important part of what we do.

Green flags to look out for as a conscious consumer:

1. Full list of ingredients and traceability
   This includes fillers and binders, not just the active ingredients. Some ingredients go by multiple names, especially those you may want to steer clear of e.g., palm oil.
   
   
2. Strength, quality and bioavailability of active ingredients
   If applicable. They are not all equal. 
   
   
3. Independent certifications to verify claims and commitments
   Examples include B Corp, NATRUE, Carbon Zero, Certified Fair Trade and Certified Organic. 
   
   
4. Authentic product reviews
   Has this product delivered for others? Check that the brand appears to be publishing all reviews, not just the glowing ones! 
   
   
5. Specifics on business practices and supply chain transparency
   Check the company website for evidence that a business understands its broader impacts. From their environmental impact to labor practices, charity contributions and so forth. If charitable contributions are important to you, then make sure they’re quantified e.g. How many dollars? How many schools? How many trees? 
   
   
6. Language that is clear and down-to-earth
   Versus overclaiming or sweeping statements of benefit (if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is!). 
   
   
7. Packaging that is reusable, refillable or easily recyclable in your area.

This is a fair bit to think about, though it gets easier as you ‘get your eye in’. We’re working hard to make a high level of transparency the norm in the wellness industry in Aotearoa, with less of the legwork left to busy consumers. And in the meantime, we’ll continue running our ETHICS check – covering these points and more – on every product we stock, to help make your mindful, healthy choices easier.