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Alberto Balsam

How ethical is Alberto Balsam?

Alberto Balsam is a brand of hair care products which has a below-benchmark score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Shampoo & Conditioner Ratings Table. Although Alberto Balsam has not yet met our ethical benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

We would have extra confidence in Alberto Balsam if it submitted itself to apply for Ethical Accreditation, whereby The Good Shopping Guide would make further detailed assessment and recommendations for ethical improvement.

Find out more about the ethical issues facing the Ethical Shampoo & Conditioner sector.

What does Alberto Balsam do?

Alberto Balsam is a personal care brand owned by Unilever. It was launched in the 1950s and makes a range of hair products.

In which areas does Alberto Balsam perform poorly?

Alberto Balsam was marked down under our criteria for Organic due to a lack of certification. It was also marked down for GMOs as its parent company, Unilever, believes that GM ingredients are safe to use. Unilever also states that it does use Animal Testing where required by law.

Alberto Balsam also scored poorly under our Irresponsible Marketing criteria. Its parent company, Unilever, had to rename ‘Fair & Lovely’, its skin-lightening cream, after petitions attracted almost 20,000 signatures of people shocked by its promotion of negative stereotypes around dark skin tones. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.

Past Criticisms of Alberto Balsam’s record

Unilever, Alberto Balsam’s parent company, has come under fire for failing to deliver on its promise to scale back its presence in Russia. Unilever has also been named as one of the companies sourcing palm oil from mills controlled by the Harita Group, who are responsible for the destruction of indigenous communities in Borneo.

In which areas does Alberto Balsam score well for its ethics?

Alberto Balsam’s parent company, Unilever, has an Annual Report and Accounts 2022, which contains a wide range of environmental targets across different areas giving them a good score for Environmental Report.

We found no criticisms relating to Nuclear Power, Fossil Fuels or Armaments so Alberto Balsam scores well for these criteria.

How can Alberto Balsam improve its ethical rating?

The below-benchmark score that Alberto Balsam is awarded with on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Shampoo & Conditioner Ratings Table is the result of an evaluation of multiple ethical criteria.

To reach our minimum ethical benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Alberto Balsam has some issues to resolve, including its use of animal testing and GMOs. If it applies for Ethical Accreditation, The Good Shopping Guide will be able to give Alberto Balsam some guidance to improve on these areas.

Were you aware that your brand could benefit from Ethical Accreditation? Brands accredited by The Good Shopping Guide can display our ethical mark, showcasing to consumers that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact us or complete a Free Initial Assessment form.

Ethical performance in category

0

GSG score

25
67

GSG category benchmark

100

Ethical Rating

Environment

  • Environmental Report

    Good

  • Genetic Modification

    Poor

  • Organic

    Poor

  • Nuclear Power

    Good

  • Fossil Fuels

    Good

Animal

  • Animal Welfare

    Poor

  • Vegetarian/Vegan Verified

    Poor

People

  • Armaments

    Good

  • Irresponsible Marketing

    Poor

  • Political Donations

    Poor

Other

  • Ethical Accreditation

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms

    Poor

  • Public Record Criticisms+

    Poor

= GSG Top Rating = GSG Middle Rating = GSG Bottom Rating