BEHIND THE SHIMMER
If you’re obsessed with makeup, your beauty routine probably consists of a poppin’ highlight, glossy lips and glitter cut creases — but have you ever wondered where all that shine actually comes from? Chances are, the ingredient that makes your nail polish reflective and your highlight glisten is mica, which is the name for a group of 37 minerals that are used in various industries, including cosmetics, automotive, tech and construction. Mica adds shine to cosmetics and car paint, but it’s also used as an electrical conductor in electronics, a more durable alternative to glass in stoves and kerosene heaters, and even as a soil conditioner in potting-soil mixes. All of which is to say, mica is a valuable substance. In fact, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) predicts the market for this group of minerals will grow to almost US$700 million in 2024. Mica can be found in China, Russia, Finland, the U.S. and even in Canada, but the cosmetics industry overwhelmingly sources its supply from India, where it’s often mined by children as young as four or five years old. (Horrifyingly, this is because their hands are small enough to fit into the tight crevices where mica is commonly found.)
The problems with mica mining have received mainstream attention only in the past few years, and even then, mostly in Europe — British Vogue, Wired, The Guardian and Spiegel have all reported on the link between shimmery makeup and child labour. But despite growing media attention in North America, Canadian consumers likely aren’t always aware of the issue. In fact, according to a 2018 report published by World Vision, we’re spending more than ever on products that are likely to include child labour in their supply chains — $798.2 million, to be exact, which is up 136 per cent over the past 10 years. Though “cruelty-free makeup” has long been about animal testing, these numbers make it clear: It’s high time the term starts to encompass child labour, too.
Mica mining is “dirty, dangerous and degrading.” According to SOMO, a quarter of the world’s mica comes from the eastern Indian states of Jharkhand and Bihar, where more than 22,000 children work in mica mines. Mines in these states are often illegal and unregulated — it’s common to see children crouching on dusty floors, sifting through crumbling powder for hours on end, looking for little clusters of mica. Some of these kids were kidnapped and forced into child labour. But in many cases, they’re working alongside their parents, who have pulled them out of school to help support the family. “(Poverty) forces people from disadvantaged communities to take up these risky jobs and rely on children to help provide for their families instead of sending them to school,” says Jakub Sobik, the communications manager at Anti-Slavery International. And these jobs are very risky. According to a 2016 investigation by Reuters, seven children died in mica mines in just two months. Since using children to mine mica is illegal, the people running these mines are operating under the radar, and there are very few safety regulations, like reinforced walls or protective equipment. Mine collapses are quite common, children use hazardous equipment like picks and hammers, and according to a recent article in Marie Claire, they’re constantly breathing in “fine particles (of mica, which) can lead to respiratory conditions such as asthma, silicosis, and tuberculosis.”
“That kind of poverty is not very familiar to Canadians,” says Cheryl Hotchkiss, the vice-president of public engagement at World Vision Canada. “These are families that really have no other option.”
But there is a solution to this problem. Or rather, there are three: Families need a way out of poverty, brands need to take a closer look at their supply chains and consumers need to take action, too.
Beauty brands need to be more transparent about their supply chains. Procter & Gamble, Coty Inc. and L’Oréal Paris Group are three of the largest brands that use mica. L’Oréal Paris Group, which owns brands like L’Oréal and Maybelline and sells 948 mica-containing products, is one of the few cosmetic brands that directly addresses its mica supply chain on its website, saying it sources “from legal gated mines only, where working conditions can be closely monitored and human rights respected.” The company says most of its mica comes from America, and that as of 2017, its Indian supply chain is mostly secured.
And Coty, which owns Cover Girl, OPI, Sally Hansen and Rimmel London, has at least acknowledged that its supply chain may include child labour. In a June 2017 report, the company says it “has joined the Responsible Mica Initiative along with our suppliers and competitors to collaboratively address these complex issues and aims to achieve a responsible mica supply chain over the next five years.”
In contrast, Procter & Gamble says very little about its mica supply chain — though a 2016 Guardian investigation linked the cosmetics giant to Indian mines that use child labour. (Attempts to reach out to Procter & Gamble, Coty Inc., Maybelline and L’Oreal Paris Group for comment didn’t receive a response by press time.)
Consumers need to demand answers, too. Advocacy is key, so what can Canadian consumers do? If you’re a Canadian makeup lover, taking action is actually quite simple. “Reach out to your favourite brand … and ask them what they know about their mica supply chain,” says Candace Grenier, the founder of Pure Anada. The sustainable cosmetics company is dedicated to using ethically sourced mica without the use of child labour in their products.