One story from a Refinery 29 video is particularly heartbreaking: two sisters were working in the tunnel of a mine when the earth caved in on them. They’ve seen their friends and family members lose their lives. They live with that fear every time they enter the tunnels. They risk cuts, broken bones, and if debris falls or the tunnel caves in, they can die. The smallest children are sent into dark, narrow shafts up to 300 meters deep to mine the mica that adults can’t reach. The miners, many of them children, labor all day in the dangerous mines, and sift through their findings in the scorching sun. In India alone, over 22,000 children work as mica laborers – some as young as 5 years old. Mining in poverty-stricken areas of Madagascar make up another huge part of the pie – an area known for the use of child labor. And at least 25% of it comes from illegal, unethical mining operations in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Rajasthan in India. The mica mining industry is huge – this one group of minerals amounts to about a half billion dollars in trade every year. We cannot make a change, nor make an informed, aligned decision unless we open our eyes to the whole truth. Thankfully this issue has been exposed and brought into the light for government, industry, brands, and consumers to see. The corrupt, cruel reality of illegal mica mining is no secret. On ingredient labels, look for: Mica, C1 77019, Potassium Aluminum Silicate, Glimmer, Kaliglimmer, or Muskovit. Products ranging from eyeshadow and blush to toothpaste and conditioner use mica’s natural sparkle. Basically, if a product shimmers, shines, or gives ‘a glow’, it probably has mica in it.
Mica is found in most beauty and personal care products. The cosmetics industry is the 4 th largest buyer of mica, after electronics, painting, and construction.
37 different varieties of mica are found and mined all over the world, with the majority coming from illegal mines in India and Madagascar. ‘Mica’ refers to a group of minerals used to give sparkle to consumer products. What mica is + how it's used in cosmetics.Change can only begin when these issues are brought out of the darkness. We get asked about mica a lot and we're so thankful that brands, consumers, and the industry are starting to ask these questions.
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