Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 12 sources
Mass-market anti-ageing skincare brand owned by Procter & Gamble.
Olay's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2020, which it has only partly acted on, and it has no full independent audit.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, unaudited production in high-risk countries and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2020) was a link through a supplier, which the company has only partly acted on.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 0 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: abuse of workers link, last recorded in 2020
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Uses only synthetic mica or none, or traces natural mica to independently checked mines, and traces or certifies other high-risk ingredients (palm oil) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From product labels; Olay doesn't say where its products are made. The rest is shown as where beauty and personal care products are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| AustraliaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| United StatesUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| FranceUsual for the industry | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ItalyUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| GermanyUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| JapanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United KingdomUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Close to a living wage | Low |
| SpainUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: mica is dug partly by children in India and Madagascar, and the palm-oil ingredients in soaps, shampoos and creams come from plantations on the US list for forced and child labour. Carnauba wax, jasmine and vanilla add slave-like work and child labour on farms.
- Modern slavery statement
- It's a member of the Responsible Mica Initiative, or uses natural mica in only a few products, but doesn't trace its mica to mines that are checked independently. The initiative audits processors, but most Indian mines aren't traced and children still work in them.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its palm oil. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes The Olay creams checked on Australian retailer listings are labelled Made in Thailand; P&G says Australia is purely a distribution market and lists 104 manufacturing sites worldwide without naming them or saying which make Olay. Some Olay creams, such as Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream, list natural mica, and P&G's Australian statement says nothing about mica; it traces over 98% of its palm oils to the mill and buys nearly all palm-based ingredients for its brands through RSPO Segregated or Mass Balance, but its palm supply has been linked to forced labour at FGV, its joint venture partner in Malaysia, and on Indonesian plantations. P&G says high-risk suppliers get announced SMETA audits but publishes no findings, supplier list or living wage commitment.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Procter & Gamble Australia Pty Ltd lodges modern slavery statements; its FY2023 statement says Australia is purely a distribution market, lists 104 group manufacturing sites without naming them and reports no audit findings or cases. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Problem found | US Customs blocked palm oil imports from FGV Holdings, P&G's joint venture partner, and its joint ventures over forced labour from September 2020 until modifying the order in January 2026; P&G itself is not on the UFLPA Entity List. View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Procter & Gamble was named among beauty groups linked to palm plantations where an Associated Press investigation found abuse of women workers (2020); it responded. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list includes palm fruit and the oleochemicals made from it from Indonesia and Malaysia (child and forced labour), and mica from India and Madagascar (child labour). View |
Confirmed issues 3
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Link through a supplierUS Customs and Border Protection blocked imports from Malaysian palm oil company FGV Holdings, including its joint ventures, in 2020 after finding forced labour indicators such as debt bondage, withheld wages and confiscated documents; FGV was P&G's 50/50 joint venture partner and a major palm oil supplier (Supply Chain Dive, 2020). Source · archived copy | PartlyP&G said in 2019 that FGV had agreed to work with it and others to drive change; FGV later repaid recruitment fees to 23,461 workers and US Customs eased its order in January 2026. |
| 2020 | Link through a supplierAn Associated Press investigation (2020) found physical and sexual abuse of women workers and exposure to harmful chemicals on palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, and linked palm oil from them to the supply chains of Procter & Gamble and other beauty groups (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2020). Source · search the archive | PartlyP&G responded to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and publishes a palm grievance tracker, but reports no remedy for the workers. |
| 2016 | Link through a supplierAmnesty International (2016) found children aged 8 to 14 doing hazardous work, women threatened with pay deductions to work longer hours and pay below the minimum wage on Indonesian plantations of Wilmar and its suppliers, and traced their palm oil to Procter & Gamble among nine buyers (Amnesty International, 2016). Source · archived copy | PartlyP&G confirmed buying from Wilmar in Indonesia but didn't say which refineries; it now traces over 98% of its palm oils to the mill, but reports no remedy for these workers. |
Sources and actions
Sources 12
Show all 12 sources
- The Procter & Gamble Company RSPO Annual Communication of Progress 2024 · search the archive · Consumer goods: 159,241 t of derivatives, 157,844 t through RSPO Mass Balance and 1,397 t credits; 103,661 t palm kernel oil, 99,401 t Mass Balance; palm oil mostly Segregated
- Palm Oil: Global brands profiting from child and forced labour (Amnesty International, 2016) · archived copy · Child labour, forced labour indicators and below-minimum pay on Wilmar-linked plantations in Indonesia; palm oil traced to nine buyers including Procter & Gamble, which confirmed sourcing from Wilmar in Indonesia
- AP investigation reveals women face dangerous working conditions, widespread abuse & rape in palm oil supply chains of global cosmetics brands (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · AP found abuse of women workers and harmful chemicals on Indonesian and Malaysian palm plantations whose palm oil allegedly reaches Procter & Gamble and other beauty groups; P&G responded
- Procter & Gamble Australia Pty Ltd Modern Slavery Statement FY2023 (Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Year to 30 June 2023: Australia is purely a distributor market with no manufacturing; about 70 countries and 104 manufacturing sites group-wide; high-risk suppliers audited by announced third-party SMETA-based audits; no findings or cases reported; no palm oil or mica disclosure
- CBP blocks palm oil imports from FGV over forced labor (Supply Chain Dive, 2020) · archived copy · CBP withhold release order on FGV Holdings, its subsidiaries and joint ventures (September 2020) after finding forced labour indicators including restricted movement, abuse, confiscated documents, withheld wages and debt bondage; P&G is FGV's 50/50 joint venture partner
- Lessons learnt from the US CBP WRO modification (The Star, 2026) · search the archive · CBP modified the FGV order effective 15 January 2026 after FGV reimbursed recruitment fees to 23,461 current and former workers and upgraded or built worker housing
- Olay Total Effects Touch of Foundation Face Cream SPF 15 50g (Your Discount Chemist via Lasoo) · search the archive · Made in Thailand; colourants are iron oxides and titanium dioxide, no mica
- Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream 48g (Your Discount Chemist) · search the archive · Country of origin: Thailand
- Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream 50g (Everyday / Woolworths) · search the archive · Ingredient list includes titanium dioxide and mica
- Olay Complete UV Protection SPF15 Moisturiser 150mL (Woolworths) · search the archive · Ingredient list without mica
- Palm overview (P&G investor relations) · search the archive · Traces 98%+ of its palm oils supplies to mills; P&G brands' palm oil 100% RSPO certified in FY24-25 (88% Segregated, 12% Mass Balance) and PKO and derivatives 100% certified; FY24-25 brand volumes 8,244 t palm oil, 130,233 t palm oil derivatives, 46,991 t PKO, 59,130 t PKO derivatives
- NGOs applaud US Customs and Border Protection's ban on palm oil imports from FGV (Rainforest Action Network, 2020) · search the archive · P&G named as FGV's joint venture partner and a major palm oil customer; RSPO had resuspended FGV certification over pay and conditions
Company details
- Owned by
- Procter & Gamble
- Headquarters
- United States
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Olay ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/olay, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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