do you know where your make-up ingredients come from?

you could be buying 'all natural' and non animal tested and on and on. but did you know there is a giant possiblitiy part of that makeup was mined by CHILDREN? i didn't. i do now

Child labour used in cosmetics industry
Nicola Smith

Deep in the jungle of Jharkhand state in eastern India, at the end of a rutted track passable only by motorbike, a six-year-old girl named Sonia sat in the scorching midday sun, sifting jagged stones in an open-cast mine in the hope of earning enough money for a meal.

Sonia was halfway through her working day and she was already exhausted and dishevelled. Her hair was matted and her pretty flower-patterned dress spoilt by dust.

She barely had enough energy to glance at her eight-year-old cousin Guri, toiling intently beside her as they searched the stones for pieces of mica, a shiny material whose many uses include putting the sparkle into make-up.

If the girls spotted enough mica, they might earn 63p each for a 12-hour day. If they found none, they would probably go hungry.

The contrast between this ugly scene of exploitation, hidden from view in a forest teeming with Maoist guerrillas where few westerners dare to venture, and the glamour of the cosmetics industry could hardly be more glaring.

India’s exports of mica are used to make paints and electronic goods as well as glossy lipstick and eyeshadow..................

...........Some of the mica goes on to Merck KGaA, the German-based pharmaceuticals and chemicals giant, whose products are used to create gold, bronze and pearl effects in make-up.

Merck confirmed it was aware that children were collecting mica in Jharkhand. In a statement, the company said its suppliers were “contractually required” not to employ children.

It added, however: “Unfortunately, it is very difficult to monitor further along the supply chain, ie with regard to the collection of mica in remote areas, especially since these areas are considered not safe.”

A spokeswoman said a study completed last year by the Indo-German Export Promotion Foundation had found that “children are indeed involved in the collection of mica — however exclusively within the scope of family groups. It is an important result for us that no cases of permanent work, bonded or slave labour were found”.

She said Merck had been “informally” funding one local school and would follow the study’s recommendations to set up another school for a maximum of 200 pupils............

pic:

(Nicci Smith)

Sonia digs for mica, a key ingredient of cosmetics