Beauty & personal care
Most beauty products are mixed and bottled in modern factories, but the mica that makes them shimmer and the palm oil in their soaps and creams are often dug or picked by people no factory audit reaches, including children.
80%
of the children found working in Jharkhand's mica supply chain were in child labour, in a 2024 US Department of Labor study
SourceUS Department of Labor (2024): Child labor in India's scrap mica supply chain (opens in a new tab)
114
workers were rescued from slave-like conditions harvesting carnauba wax in Brazil in 2023, a nine-year high
33,600
children worked in Malaysia's oil palm industry in the latest government survey, nearly 20,000 of them in Sabah
How the 14 brands we've graded split
- Good0 brands
- On Track0 brands
- Lacks transparency14100% brands, a poor grade
- Harm on record0 brands
The industry at a glance
In a 2024 US Department of Labor study in Jharkhand, India, 80% of the children found working in mica were in child labour, and more than a third had been injured or made ill by the work. (US Department of Labor, 2024: Child labor in India's scrap mica supply chain (opens in a new tab))
Palm oil is in most soaps, shampoos and creams as glycerin, fatty alcohols and cleansing agents. The US Department of Labor lists palm fruit from Indonesia and Malaysia for child and forced labour, and the oleochemicals made from it too. (US Department of Labor, 2024: List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (opens in a new tab))
Labour Lens grades where beauty products are made like any other industry. On top of that, a brand that uses natural mica needs to switch to synthetic mica or trace it to mines that are checked independently to be Good, and palm ingredients need to be traced or certified.
On the record
- About 60% of the world's mica is produced in Jharkhand and Bihar in India, where most mica mining is illegal. India and China are the two biggest exporters of mica. (US Department of Labor, 2024: Child labor in India's scrap mica supply chain (opens in a new tab))
- A 2024 BBC investigation filmed children picking jasmine in Egypt for perfumes sold under Lancôme and Aerin Beauty. L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, which own the brands, said they were acting on it. (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024: Luxury perfume supply chains linked to child labour in Egypt (opens in a new tab))
- Brazilian labour inspectors found carnauba workers paid 70 reais a day in cash, drinking from an old medicine container, with only 2 of 19 officially employed. (RNZ (BBC), 2024: The Brazilian farm workers exploited to harvest an everyday ingredient (opens in a new tab))
- The US Department of Labor lists vanilla from Madagascar and Uganda, and mica from India and Madagascar, for child labour. (US Department of Labor, 2024: List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (opens in a new tab))
- US Customs blocked palm oil from Malaysia's Sime Darby Plantation over forced labour from 2020 until February 2023, when it found the company no longer used forced labour. (US Customs and Border Protection, 2023: CBP modifies finding on Sime Darby Plantation Berhad in Malaysia (opens in a new tab))
- Most big make-up groups belong to the Responsible Mica Initiative, but Ethical Consumer warns that membership alone doesn't prove products are free from exploitation. (Ethical Consumer, 2026: Make-up shopping guide (opens in a new tab))
- The US Department of Labor lists 10 resources in this industry from 22 countries as made with child or forced labour. See the list
Along the supply chain
Jharkhand and Bihar in India, and Madagascar
What happens here
Children dig and sort mica by hand in illegal or unregulated mines, where pits collapse.
What we check
Whether the brand uses synthetic mica or none, or traces its natural mica to mines that are checked independently. Responsible Mica Initiative membership counts as working towards it.
Palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, carnauba from Brazil, jasmine from Egypt, vanilla from Madagascar
What happens here
Palm fruit, carnauba leaves, jasmine flowers and vanilla are harvested by hand, with forced labour on some plantations and children picking on small farms.
What we check
Whether palm ingredients are traced or bought through a physical certified supply chain, and whether other farmed ingredients are traced or fair trade.
Refineries, oleochemical plants, pigment makers and fragrance houses
What happens here
One cleansing agent can contain palm oil from hundreds of mills, mixed together.
What we check
Whether the brand knows the mills behind its palm-derived ingredients, not only the refinery.
Own plants and contract manufacturers in Australia, France, the US, Korea, China and Thailand
What happens here
Social audits reach these factories, and most of the evidence of abuse in beauty is further back in the supply chain.
What we check
Supplier lists, independent audits and a living wage, as in other industries.
Beauty brands, pharmacies and supermarkets
What happens here
The brand chooses its ingredients and how far back it traces them.
What we check
Cruelty-free labels such as Leaping Bunny cover animal testing only, not workers.
The extra check for Good
Uses only synthetic mica or none, or traces natural mica to independently checked mines, and traces or certifies other high-risk ingredients (cotton and palm oil and carnauba wax, jasmine and vanilla) where they're a major part of its range.
Missing it holds a brand at On Track at best, and taking no steps at all means Lacks transparency.
High-risk materials we look for
- Cotton
- Forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions.
- Palm oil
- Forced and child labour on some Malaysian and Indonesian plantations.
- Carnauba wax, jasmine and vanilla
- Slave-like conditions on Brazilian carnauba operations, children picking jasmine in Egypt, and child labour on vanilla farms in Madagascar and Uganda.
Resources on the US Department of Labor's list
The list names resources and the countries where the Department found child labour or forced labour in producing them. It covers whole countries, not companies.
10 resources shown
| Resource | Child labour | Forced labour |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton | Argentina, Azerbaijan, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Zambia | Benin, Burkina Faso, China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan |
| Palm Fruit | Indonesia, Malaysia, Sierra Leone | Indonesia, Malaysia |
| Crude Palm Oil | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) |
| Oleochemicals | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) |
| Refined Palm Oil | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) | Indonesia* (made with listed inputs), Malaysia* (made with listed inputs) |
| Mica | India, Madagascar | Not listed |
| Vanilla | Madagascar, Uganda | Not listed |
| Coconut Oil | Philippines* (made with listed inputs) | Not listed |
| Hair Products | Not listed | China |
| Rubber Gloves | Not listed | Malaysia |
* Made with inputs listed for child or forced labour, such as cocoa or cotton grown elsewhere.
What earns each grade
Good
0 of 14 brands
- Uses only synthetic mica or none, or traces its natural mica to mines that are checked independently
- Traces its palm oil ingredients or buys them through a physical certified supply chain
- Publishes its factories, has them independently audited, and shows a living wage or makes in countries such as Australia where legal wages are about a living wage
On Track
0 of 14 brands
- A Responsible Mica Initiative member that doesn't trace its mica to the mine
- Uses natural mica in only a few products
- Uses natural mica it can't trace, which alone means Lacks transparency
- Says nothing about where its palm ingredients come from
For example Sukin, Aesop, NIVEA · See all 14
- Child or forced labour found in its supply chain in the last five years that it hasn't put right
Signs of a fair supply chain
- Synthetic mica, or none, in shimmer products
- Palm ingredients traced to the mill, or RSPO certified through a physical supply chain
- Fair trade or traced vanilla, jasmine and carnauba wax
Warning signs
- Cruelty-free or vegan labels presented as proof of fair work
- "Responsibly sourced mica" with no mines or programme named
- RSPO credits presented as certified palm oil
Try the rules
Pick an example or tick what a company can show, and see the grade the rules would give it.
The grade it would get
Grade: Lacks transparency
This company makes its products in France, but publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list. Until it switches to synthetic mica or traces its natural mica to mines that are checked independently, it can't show that children don't dig it.
Good requirements 3 of 7
- Met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certification
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: Shows where its earlier production stages happen, not just the final one
- 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 2
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
- Red flag: Uses natural mica it can't trace to the mine
- Red flag: Fails its category's check on mica synthetic or traced to checked mines (means Lacks transparency)
A made-up company, graded by the same rules as every brand on Labour Lens. What Lacks transparency means
The full rules are on the Grading page, with the finer points on Resources.
The brands we've graded
Where they make things
13 of the 14 brands say where they make their products. The countries they name most:
| Country | Brands | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 7 | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Japan | 6 | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Germany | 5 | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| Spain | 5 | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| United States | 5 | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Low |
| Belgium | 4 | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| France | 4 | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
| Italy | 4 | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
Labels they hold
Browse by type
No beauty & personal care brand is Good yet
The brands list shows the best available in each type.
Questions and answers
6 questions
Does a cruelty-free or Leaping Bunny label mean workers were treated fairly?
No. Leaping Bunny and other cruelty-free labels certify that products weren't tested on animals. They have no rules about the people who mine, grow or make the ingredients.
Is synthetic mica better?
For workers, yes: it's made in factories, so no one digs it from a mine. Labour Lens counts a brand that uses only synthetic mica, or none, as passing the mica check.
Does RSPO-certified palm oil mean no forced labour?
Not on its own. RSPO audits are announced in advance, and labour abuse has been found on certified plantations. RSPO credits don't even mean certified palm oil is in the product.
Labour Lens counts palm ingredients that are traced, or bought through a physical certified supply chain, and doesn't count credits.
Why does my toothpaste get a mica check?
It doesn't. Only brands that use natural mica, mostly make-up and shimmer products, need to trace it. Toothpaste, razor and period product brands with no mica pass the mica check, though palm-derived ingredients are still checked.
What is the Responsible Mica Initiative?
A group of cosmetics, paint, car and electronics companies that buy mica from India and Madagascar. Members report their mica purchases, fund programmes in mining villages and have mica processors audited.
Most mines still aren't traced and children still work in them, so membership counts as working towards the mica check on Labour Lens, not passing it. More about the initiative
How is beauty graded on Labour Lens?
Beauty and personal care products are graded on the factories that make them, like any product. On top of that, a brand that uses natural mica needs it to be synthetic, or traced to mines that are checked independently, to be Good. Palm ingredients, and carnauba wax, jasmine and vanilla, need to be traced or certified.
Responsible Mica Initiative membership counts as working towards the mica check, so On Track at best. Untraced natural mica means Lacks transparency.
Sources
- Child labor in India's scrap mica supply chain (opens in a new tab) US Department of Labor, 2024
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (opens in a new tab) US Department of Labor, 2024
- The Brazilian farm workers exploited to harvest an everyday ingredient (opens in a new tab) RNZ (BBC), 2024
- Progress achieved, more needed to end child labour in Sabah's oil palm plantations (opens in a new tab) International Labour Organization, 2025
- Luxury perfume supply chains linked to child labour in Egypt (opens in a new tab) Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024
- CBP modifies finding on Sime Darby Plantation Berhad in Malaysia (opens in a new tab) US Customs and Border Protection, 2023
- Make-up shopping guide (opens in a new tab) Ethical Consumer, 2026
Figures are as each source published them. The grades and brand counts are Labour Lens's own, from the brands we've researched.
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