Makeup: What Do They Hide?

Shin Kouda likes buying makeup, especially the ones with a shimmery look on them. She uses
makeup almost every single time, when she’s leaving the house, when she’s meeting someone in her
home, and experimenting with them for new looks.
Shin is an avid makeup fan, as she likes to follow trends. She sees them everywhere, on
Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, TikTok, and other social media platforms.
Shin especially likes the posts with glittery, shimmering makeup. But will she like it if she finds
out what makes makeup shimmer, and where it’s from?
Makeups’ shimmery look comes from a mineral called Mica. It’s a very common mineral used in
everyday life, in electronics, insulation, paint, and even toothpaste.
Most of the world’s Mica comes from India, in which the 2016 Thomson Reuters Foundation’s
investigation found out that children are being used to mine out these minerals, at a deadly cost. A
media website called “Refinery29” visited the mining state of Jharkhand, in which Mica is very
abundant, along with other minerals like coal and copper.
Mica mining in Jharkhand is either controlled by companies that make up the supply chain, or
done illegally for money, for although Jharkhand has these very valuable minerals in abundance, it’s
still one of the states with the highest poverty rate in India. The state suffers from a classic case of
resource curse, where areas suffer despite of their high abundance of resources, thanks to
government corruption and commercial exploitation.
The team, with Lexy Lesback met the children who takes out Mica out from the earth. It’s a
painful sight to see, but it was clear that the kids had no alternative.
“If you didn’t have to mine, what would you be doing today?” Lexy asks to the children. The
children responded in their language, “Hungry.”
The children don’t know where the Mica they mined goes to. It’s being sold by traders to mines
that have legal licenses, and those legal mines export it overseas. These make the traces that children
have been involved in extracting this mineral, vanish. Consumers also don’t know what is behind their
beauty products, as companies tend to have no transparency on their products.
The team also find out that the ministry women and child development is isn’t aware of the
situation. They asked the head of the ministry about the situation and responded with, “As far as this
ministry goes, the ministry of the women and child development, child labor is not exactly a
mandate.”
Under this dire situation, Refinery29 found hope. A movement called “The child friendly village”
is giving parents a source of income so that their children won’t have to work. The Kailash Satyarthi
Children's Foundation is behind this movement, and it’s successful, as more than 3,000 children have
been rescued and enrolled in school.
Shin watched the documentary posted by Refinery29 on Youtube and had a new outlook for
makeups. “I think I’ll be looking for makeups that has no Mica or at least I know that it’s not from
completely illicit mining from now on.” Shin said. “I also will be raising awareness for this situation.”
She added smilingly.