March 12, 2021

The ugly truth behind Mica.

"Somewhere in Jharkhand and Bihar, children are being laboured so that we can shine from that highlighter"

Makeup - an accessory we love with all our dear heart! It makes us feel confident, it makes us feel beautiful, it makes us feel so many things! Oh, and, how much we love experimenting with it, trying out new looks, trying out old looks from the 90s and everything in between. From following trends to making trends, one thing is for sure, our makeup is oh-so-dear to us. Who doesn't want to fit in the trends, right? Getting that perfect winged liner, trying out those spidey-mascaras, can't forget the bushy eyebrows and so much more. We do what trends!

Oh, wait, did we forget about the Euphoria makeup trend? That's been hitting the charts! And, also all of our hearts! That shine, that glow, that pop, that look! We'd kill for it. I'm sure you must have tried to master the look at least once. Highlighters all the way to highlight all of your stunning features! We all hopped on the bandwagon and created our own euphoria aesthetic. Of course, the highlight of this whole look were the highlighters, highlighters and,not to forget, the highlighters. We love those so much. I mean, how can we not when the game is shine and shine is the game.

Your cheekbones get the perfect look, even James Charles would look twice! Right? But, do you know where the highlighters you love so much come from? What goes in them? What gets you that shine that blinds people in a distance? There's a high chance you're putting the ingredient "Mica'' on your face. Now what's Mica? And, what's the deal about it? For the starters, it's a hazardous ingredient that gets you the shimmer on your skin. Hazardous, why? You're about to find out.

But, before that, ask yourself, are trends to be followed blindly?

Source : www.pinterest.com

THE UGLY TRUTH BEHIND MICA.

What is Mica?

Mica, is basically a mineral mined from a rock. It's known for its shiny appearance, which is exactly the reason why it is used in abundant amounts in your cosmetics. Not only highlighters, it is also used in BB creams, foundations, eyeshadows, blush and even toothpastes to get that shiny texture.

Well, we count the good things as well, so it's completely sustainable, unlike plastics, which we absolutely don't stand for, just by the way. But, sustainability is not the matter of issue here.

Source : www.GreenBiz.com

Okay, but what is the problem?

The problem is, Mica's supply chain largely depends on child labour. Yes, child labor. This is a well known fact, yet, the demand for this ingredient remains on-top. The reason being, there trends and our blind eye to the truth of makeup. Still love that glow, huh?

In fact, most of Mica mines are located in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. Yes, India! If the mine collapses while the children are inside it, serious harms can be caused to the children. It could leave them injured, paralysed or, even dead. The hands of the children are found to be scarred by the sharp rocks. Most of these children are aged between 9-11. That young, that innocent and that laboured.

Source : www.firstpost.com

Fact check!

#1 60% of the mica used in cosmetics comes from India.

#2 Roughly, 70% of the Mica that is processed from India comes from illegal mines, which the government is completely unaware of.

#3 There are children who are as young as 5 years, working in these Mica mines.

#4 Breathing Mica, which the children would tend to do, being surrounded by mounts of Mica, causes infections, diseases, and permanent damage to the lungs.

#5 The cosmetic industry is the 4th largest buyer of Mica.

#6 In India, over 22,000 children work as Mica labourers.

#7 Children of the age of 5-11 work in these Mica mines and help in transporting them to nearby villages.

#8 1/20 deaths occur every month in Indian mines.

#9 The Mica shafts are up to 300m deep.

Source : www.refinery.com

How do you know if the Mica in your products is synthetic or safe?

Natural Mica will be listed as - Mica, C 177091 or Potassium Aluminum Silicate. Synthetic mica will be listed as either ‘Synthetic Mica’ or ‘Synthetic Fluorphlogopite’.

Surma Kumari

Surma Kumari, an 11 year old child, working in a Mica mine, when the mine started to crumble, they decided to run for their lives, she got stuck under a rock and a mountain of mica powder fell on her sister. She was later found dead. While, Surma is still suffering with two broken feet, a damaged spine and a fractured leg. We repeat, she was 11.

Source : www.refinery.com

Boss Lady × Mica.

Boss Lady Cosmetics only uses ethically sourced Mica. Not one bit is from the illegal labour mines. We have a zero-tolerance policy with child labour and only work with ethical vendors. We care about you. We care about Surma Kumari and all those thousand children involved in Mica Mining.