Behind the sparkle of cosmetics is the situation of many Indians working in dark, deprived and dangerous conditions to exploit raw materials.
Across India, there are thousands of miners illegally mining mica - a mineral used in cosmetics such as eye shadow, lip gloss... to increase the shine of products. Cosmetic companies love this ingredient because of its refractive properties, super smoothness, and natural color.
However, to get this ingredient, miners often have to work in toxic environments, with danger always lurking, according to Channel News Asia.
No choice
Widow Basanti Mosamat (40 years old) collects and sells mica for a living. This is also the only source of income for her family.
Every week, Mosamat, her father-in-law and five children walk 5 km to set up camp in the forest near the village. Collecting mica without protective equipment left this woman's hands scratched and bruised. Her eldest daughter, Karishma Kumari Birhor (10), has been picking mica since she was 14.
“My father passed away, so I need to help my mother,” the girl said.
Mica is an ingredient found in many cosmetics.
1 kg of shredded mica sells for 7 rupees (0,10 USD). On a lucky day, the Mosamat family hopes to earn 150 rupees ($2,06 USD).
"There is nothing here, a life of hunger and fullness makes us unable to look forward to the future," Birhor said.
When scavenging in forests or other areas is no longer effective, some mica miners turn to caves and abandoned mines, where there is more mica. However, they do not have lights or protective equipment and only rely entirely on experience.
“People can slip and fall somewhere or get hit in the head by a rock. Mining is very difficult. We always have to be alert, the mine can collapse at any time. Sometimes one person's mistake can kill everyone," said Mukesh Bhulla, who started picking mica since he was a child.
In January, there were at least three reports of mine collapses in Koderma and Jharkhand. An estimated 1 to 3 people die each month due to the risks of mica mining.
Mica miners have to work in toxic environments.
In fact, there are many more accidents than what is reported. But amateur miners have no choice but to accept the risk. “If we didn't work here, we would all die,” shared Dimpi Devi, a mother of three.
This makes people like Devi very vulnerable to exploitation, especially when they do not have enough money to take care of living expenses. If they cannot borrow from mainstream banks, they have to turn to loan sharks with interest rates of up to 200% per year.
“Some people told us that they were only allowed to sell mica to their creditors at the price these traders demanded,” said investigative journalist Peter Bengtsen. He has been following the mica trade in Jharkhand for more than a decade.
“Basically, the deal will last until they pay off all their debt,” Bengtsen said.
Inspections by forest authorities are also common, and miners sometimes have to pay bribes to continue working. "The police don't come often, but the rangers always follow us," Mosamat shared.
“There is a network of people manipulating mica mining and they are very powerful,” said Deepak Bara, a freelance journalist based in Jharkhand.
Unsolvable problem
Mica mining sparked controversy in the mid-2000s, after investigations into child labor abuses were launched. Currently, it is estimated that up to 70% of India's mica production comes from illegal mining.
According to the International Labor Organization, India has more than 10 million children working even though they are not old enough to work, especially "child" miners working in mica mines.
However, according to many journalists and politicians, children born into mica mining families have no choice but to continue their parents' work.
Many Indian children are participating in mica mining.
“They have to earn more income for the family. The government does not have a policy to support children or if it does, it is ineffective," Bara said.
To eliminate this situation, a number of campaigns were established and strongly implemented, such as the Mica Initiative. Chanel, L'Oréal and Sephora are famous names participating in this campaign.
Several other brands also committed to more stringent inspection of the supply chain. However, they also have to admit that managing mica resources is very difficult.
In 2019, mica exports in India reached more than 37 million USD (according to World Bank data). With so many transactions, it's impossible for brands to track exactly where their mica comes from.
According to thiennhien.net