Not All That Glitter Is Gold

I love anything that shimmers from makeup to nail polish, but it never occurred to me where that shine actually comes from until after watching The Dark Secret Behind Your Favorite Makeup Products, a documentary that exposes child labor on Mica Mining, the dark side of beauty is that, not all that glitter is gold. 

So what exactly is Mica? It is a naturally occurring mineral dust often found in foundations, as filler in cement and asphalt and as insulation material in electric cables. Mica is pretty much everywhere, so to speak, it is used in construction materials that require the use of protective gear and masks when exposed, as prolonged exposure may cause lung scarring. Mica can be found in Russia, China, Finland, U.S., and Canada but India is the largest producer of this mineral. 

Mica is mined by children as early as four or five years old because their hands are small enough to fit into the tight crevices where it is commonly found. Imagine the children in remote villages of Jharkhand and Bihar who risk their lives every single day going inside dangerous caves without protection because there is no vital means of livelihood in the area. Children have died in collapsed mines but those who survived still kept coming back because they are left with no choice to sustain their lives. According to Responsible Mica Initiative that about 25% of the world production of mica comes from illegal collection in North-East India where more than 20,000 children are working in extremely harsh conditions to support their family (source: https://www.responsible-mica-initiative.com/the-mica-issue.html). Mica being linked to child labor is known to the cosmetic industry but laxity is the problem that is why even vegan makeup brands have no guarantees that it is cruelty-free for children. There are makeup brands, however, that are working towards ethically sourced mica such as Sephora Collection, Revlon, Estee Lauder Companies (which includes Bobbi Brown, Becca, Smashbox, Tom Ford Beauty, Clinique and Too Faced), L'Oreal Companies (such as Urban Decay, Maybelline, Essie and NYX) just to name a few (link to source here).

The mica miners of India

As a vegan, it hit hard me that supporting cruelty-free brands is NOT enough. Yes, animals are the most abused living beings on this planet but it does not mean that humans especially children do not experience cruelty as well. The ugly truth about the beauty industry is child labor. Slavery is very rampant not just in the beauty industry but pretty much in every industry and the only way to make it stop is to discontinue support for brands that continue to enslave and take advantage of helpless human beings just for profit. 

A little bit of compassion goes a long way so please, take child labor out of your cosmetics.