EP95. All that glitters in cosmetics isn't gold

If there's one thing the beauty industry is renowned for, it's shiny object syndrome. Always wanting the latest, fanciest, most exotic ingredients and formulations. This is a half a trillion dollar industry that is inherently unsustainable in the way it encourages us to consume steadily more and constantly change ourselves in the pursuit of the unrealistic and unattainable beauty ideals that they have set for us. But in the words of Shakespeare, all that glitters is not gold. And that's exactly what I want to share with you this week. Hence my reference to glittery, shiny things. Because I want you to join me as I delve into the challenging world of mica, a group of minerals found in your makeup. Now, makeup formulation is the topic of the day here at Formula Botanica, as at the time of recording we're on the verge of releasing our first ever lessons on making natural lipsticks with plant pigments in our exclusive continuing professional development membership site, the Lab at Formula Botanica. During our extensive R D, which has literally lasted years, we've worked very hard to create makeup with plant pigments, which has been extremely challenging and which is of course why most beauty brands use micas and mined pigments instead. Mica is mined all over the world and is known for its challenges with child labour and communities in extreme poverty, which is why I want to unpick this complex topic on the podcast today, together with the Responsible Mica Initiative. So settle in, grab yourself a cup of tea, keeping in mind that your kettle probably also contains mica, and join me for my latest podcast episode. Welcome to Green Beauty Conversations, the podcast that challenges you to think about how you buy, use, make and sell your natural beauty formulations. We tackle topics that will make you think and encourage debate about green beauty with your friends, followers or customers. I'm your host, Lorraine Dallnayer. I'm a chartered environmentalist, biologist and the CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. We have thousands and thousands of students in over 175 countries around the world who study with us to become organic beauty formulators and entrepreneurs. Visit our website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. So in today's episode I am joined by Olivier Dubourdieu, Project Manager at the Responsible Mica Initiative, a non profit organization based in Paris. The work with many of the world's largest cosmetics brands to create a coalition with the goal of achieving a fair, responsible and sustainable mica supply chain that is free of child labor and provides responsible working conditions Olivier has been at the Responsible mica initiative since 2019 and has a wealth of knowledge to share with you today in this latest podcast interview. Hi, Olivier. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing?

Good. Very good. Good morning, Lauren. Very nice to be you today.

Yes, it is fantastic to have you here with me and I'm really looking forward to this conversation. So I want to start off by talking, first of all about what mica is and how it's used in cosmetics. So could you take us back to basics and explain to us what is mica?

Sure. It's a family of minerals, basically, a family of 37 minerals, to be precise. And within this family of 37 minerals, you've got two or three which are used in a huge number of applications. And basically, it's used for two reasons. First, it's shiny. It's a very shiny mineral. And second, it resists to high temperatures and it's very inert chemically and physically. So basically, for the second reason, you are going to use it for insulation purposes, like in your toaster, in your hair dryer, in batteries of electrical vehicles, while in electronics components as well. And for the first reason, because it's shiny, you're going to use it as a basis for pigments, and especially in cosmetics, for pearlescent pigments, you've got pearlescent pigments that contain from 50% to 99% of mica. So basically, everything that is shiny in the cosmetic world contains mica. If you are looking at the back of your product in the ingredient list, you'll find mica in your eyeliner, eyeshadow. Yeah. Whatever cosmetic product you're buying.

Wow. And so when we look at our cosmetic ingredients list, what should we be looking for in order to see that mica is in there?

Very simple. Mica. Usually it's just like that. M I C A. And that's it.

So the one thing that blew my mind when we first talked was obviously the fact that mica is in my toaster and in my hair dryer and in my car. And I think a lot of our listeners may not appreciate that as well. So it obviously is used all over the world in lots of different industries. Let's talk a little bit about where it's mined, because that's obviously where we're going with this conversation as well. So where is mica mined?

Around the world, Pretty much everywhere as well. I would say that the first and most important market and production country is India, which is producing a bit more than 100,000 tons, 130,000 tons per year. And in India you've got four states. Well, India is a federal country, as everybody knows, but you've got four states that are producing mica. And among them you've got Jacon and Bihar, which are the two states we are involved in, and the Responsible Mica Initiative. Why? Because in these two states, mica is mined by artisanal miners in small scale mining. And I can detail you afterwards what it is, but basically in India, in Jharkhand and Bihar, and then you've got mines in Madagascar as well, artisanal mines. You've got mines in Zimbabwe, in South Africa, in Europe, in the US In Brazil, in China, in Southeast Asia. So you've got mica mines everywhere. I would say that one of the major countries is India. Madagascar is definitely rising in the global market. So yeah, two important countries.

So we've set the scene now. We now know that mica is used in a lot of our consumer products and that it is mined literally all over the world, pretty much. So let's talk about where you work and what you do. What is the Responsible Mica initiative and why was it set up for that?

I think a bit of history needs to be done to just explain to you why the Responsible Mica Initiative has been created in the first place. Mica is mined in India and in Bihar and Jharkhand. And up to 1980, mica mining in Bihar and Jharkhand was legal, formalized. You had like industrial mines mining mica and exporting mica all over the world. And in 1980, India passed a law, the federal law, which is the Forest Conservation act, and as its name spells it, it's made to just conserve forest and protect forest areas. And this act forbids any production of any raw material from forest areas. And it happens that in Bihar and Jharkhand, in these two states, all mica deposits are located in forest areas or most of the deposits are located there. So from a day to another, it became illegal to go and produce mica from these forest areas. And so the formal mines, industrial mines, were little by little replaced by artisanal miners. People like you and me going in their background looking for mica and producing, collecting mica and then exporting it abroad. And so the industry, and of course, well with it and with this artisanal mining, since these population are really vulnerable, living in remote areas, you had like issues of working conditions, issues of child labor because of that. The industry became aware of this issue during the 1990s, end of the 1990s, and in 2000 they tried first to solve the issue on their own and individually to solve the issue in their supply chain. But they quickly realized that was almost impossible to solve what is a systemic issue just by addressing its own and only its own supply chain. So they decided to join forces and to create this collective ngo, which is the Responsible MICA initiative, to create this collective force to address together child labor issues and unacceptable working conditions issues. So they created that in 2017 and there were 20 at the time. And now we are almost 80 members and growing, hopefully. And the idea is really to address, eradicate child labor in mica supply chains and to establish a fair, sustainable and responsible mica supply chain all over the world now.

And it's fantastic that this has obviously been set up and that you are growing so incredibly. Well, it shows what a big issue it is. And just for context, is artisanal mining the main type of mining that produces mica around the world?

Good question. It depends on the country, I guess. But if you are looking at global scale, and since India is representing 25% of global production, and within India, artisanal and small scale mining is representing a very significant share of micro production. In India, like something around 90, 80, 90%, you can say that at least in India, 25, 20, 25% of global production is coming from ASM. So artisanal scale mining in Madagascar, same. It's almost only artisan and small scale mining and it's 60,000 tonnes per year. So it represents a fair share of the global production. In Brazil it's ASM as well. In Zimbabwe and in South Africa it's artisanal small scale mining as well. In Nigeria it's asm. Well, in the us, industrial mining. In France you've got some mica which is produced as well in industrial mines, obviously. But yeah, a fair share of global production is coming from ASM all over the world.

Okay, so the Responsible Mica initiative was obviously set up to deal predominantly with these artisanal mines. And obviously the child labor that is an issue around that. Could you talk a little bit around about that topic and explain to us why child labor is such an issue with these mines?

First of all, the people who are collecting mica and mining mica are heavily depending on mica collection for their livelihood. As I said, these people are really living in remote areas. They are often forgotten by local government. They are coming from vulnerable communities. Because of that, they often lack of revenue for their family. And since they are missing part of the revenue that helps them eat in the evening as simple as that they need a supplementary revenue to just be up to their expectation in terms of livelihood. And so that's the reason why you've got child labor. It's just to add on. They are counting on their children to collect mica alongside them and to supplement and to add on the household revenue. And that's why you end up with child labor. So at least in asm, in mica artisanal scale mining in India. So you really have this poverty situation that we try and we try to address and. Yeah, through community empowerment program. But I'm sure we can talk about that later.

Absolutely. So obviously child labor is a huge issue with mica mining. Poverty, extreme poverty seems to be an issue from what you're saying as well. So we understand. Are there any other sustainability or environmental or health issues around the mining of mica?

Working conditions in mica mining is tricky as well. Mica, when it's grounded and put in really fine powder, it can harm your lungs and you can have respiratory problems. So that's something we observe in mica mines and mica processing units as well. And then of course you've got posture problems. People who are sitting on the ground and not having the right tools, the right production means to collect mica as well as to process mica. So yeah, we are working on that too. But you've got plenty of issues around mica mining. And when it comes to environment, I would say that mica mining remains part of the mining industry and of course it harms the direct environment. But while it is shown that if you are formalizing artisanal scale mining, if you are really working hand in hand with the communities towards a better management of the people and the environment, you end up with artisan and small scale mining that had the mines that have almost no impact on environment. So that's something which is manageable, which gives hope for the future.

Absolutely, yes. Well, let's talk a bit about the Responsible Mica initiative then. What kind of projects are you implementing and are they mainly focused on eradicating the use of child labor or are you looking at the wider picture?

We try to look at a wider picture, yeah. It's really the idea and that's our overarching goal. It's to create and to establish fair, responsible and sustainable mica supply chains. And these three objectives are quite important for us. Fair because we want to better. Well, to end up with a better distribution of the added value along the supply chain and sustainable. We want these solutions to sustain over time. And of course you've got as well the environment aspect of it and other sustainability and the responsibility. It's because we are at the Responsible Maker initiative. We are convinced that solving the issue of child labor and unacceptable working conditions is a matter of shared responsibility among all stakeholders in the making supply chain. That's why we have as members companies which are well, brands, huge brands, cosmetic brands, automotive brands, plastic industry as well as small local businesses in India. And we are making them talk together as well as government, as well as NGOs etc. And that's why you've got the responsible micro supply chain in our overarching goal. And then to come back to the programs, child labor and working conditions, these are really tricky issues and quite difficult to address and to solve. You need to really address all the root causes that end up with child labor. And that's why we have this three pillar approach. the Responsible Mica Initiative. We are focusing first on working conditions as such in mica mines and in mica processing units. The second pillar aims to empower communities who are depending on mica collection for their livelihood. And then the third pillar is to work hand in hand with the government in the establishment of a clear and unfair legal framework. So we are working on these three pillars and we think that not working on one of them is missing something. And so that's why we are trying to target all these.

And it sounds like you're doing fantastic work. Now obviously you've been. The Responsible MIC initiative has been going for, I think it's five years now. So what impact have you had since the initiative was set up?

If you are looking at the three pillars, in the first pillar we developed to address what working conditions in mica mines and in mica processing unit, we developed a standard, a responsible workplace standard that is now being implemented in mica processing unit in Jharkon we developed a set of tools and we have a team on the ground as well to accompany the mica processing units in implementing the standards. So in raising the working, in improving the working conditions there we have a set of tools with, with self assessments, procedures, guidance and really to be here and to bring this handholding support to the mica processing units. And that's something we see on the ground that these processing units are improving their working conditions. And then when you go to the community empowerment programs, we already implemented them in 80 villages. Now we are implementing them in 18 new villages. And in that we are targeting of coastal labor directly. But we are working on livelihood, on access to education, on access to livelihood means additional Livelihood means to Social Security services, etc. And then when coming to the third pillar and the legal framework one, here we are working hand in hand with the local government in Jharkhand in establishing this fair legal framework. We are in close relationship with them to design these frameworks that could help the people to better benefit from their activity of mica. Correction.

Okay, well, wow. I mean, it's obviously, you obviously have an awful lot of work that you've already done and an awful lot of work ahead of you as well. But it's fantastic to hear about all the projects that you're implementing in order to push forward the initiative. Now, I know a lot of people will be listening and they might want to take a broad brush approach and think, oh, I had no idea that mica was such an issue. I had no idea it was in my car and my toaster and almost all of my makeup. I'm going to boycott it. A lot of people will probably have that as their initial thought. Is boycotting mica the answer? Or should we maybe even be using synthetic alternatives to mica?

Very good question, and I would say the most natural one when it comes to becoming aware of issues related to micro supply chains. It's one of the most frequent question we have and our answer is that boycott is absolutely not the solution. Why? For a very simple reason. It's because if you are boycotting mica, you are taking from these communities who are depending on mica collection for their livelihood and you are taking from them their first source of revenue and often only source of revenue. So what we are, well, what we are advising is to remain and to stay in India, to stay in Madagascar, to continue to source mica from there, but to participate, to improve the situation. It comes. Well, I would say it's true by cutting or it's true as well for going to an alternative source like synthetic mica. And then on a more global point of view, you can say that when you are switching from a mineral to another, for example, from natural mica to synthetic, or from natural mica to another mineral that has the same qualities as mica, you have to look at the broader impact of this new mineral that you are going to use on the environment. Look at its carbon footprint, look at its impact on environment on people. And if you are looking in details to this new impact, they may be not so good compared to the ones they have. Well, the ones you can have by continuing sourcing mica from India.

Absolutely. And I think that's a really important point for everyone to Take away from this podcast as well. You can't just boycott something and then not have an impact in turn as well. And I see this conversation happen a lot in the beauty industry. There's a lot of polarization about naturals versus synthetics, but people's livelihoods depend on Mica. I mean, we've just heard how, you know, there are thousands of minds all around the world and whole communities depend on this. So boycotting obviously isn't the answer, but what else could consumers do? Is there anything that we as beauty shoppers need to know about Mica in cosmetics and is there anything that we should do with regards to mica?

I would say that consumers have a responsibility in raising their voice when they are buying products and try to get informed on the product they are buying. It's true for cosmetics, but I would say it's true for all the products that we are buying in everyday life. From your toaster to your car passing by your lipstick, the objective here is for a consumer is to if she or he wants to raise his voice or her voice, just raise her voice against the brand and ask the brand, what are you doing to improve the situation regarding mica collection and mica mining which is contained in your product. So I would say raise your voice and be bold and ask the brands that you are users, from which you are users, what are you doing to improve the situation? Get informed on the Internet, on their website, they are usually publishing some contents on it as well on their actions on the ground and then look at the initiatives they are part of because some of them are action oriented like the Responsible Maker initiative. We are on the ground and the idea is really to have an impact, a true impact on the ground and look at other initiatives and choose your brands like that. What are you doing to improve the situation and is it, you know, do I agree with the way you are addressing the issue? You know, does it correspond to my view of the impact and to my view of addressing the impact?

I like that everyone should challenge brands on their sustainability choices anyway. So I think this fits absolutely perfect also with all of our previous episodes here on the podcast too. So to finish off, I mean the Responsible Mica initiative, you have some pretty big cosmetic industry names as partners. You can just go to the website, you see all sorts of big name players there. So how do you work with them? And as a result, is the cosmetics industry changing how it uses mica?

One of the strengths of the initiative is that the initiative itself, it's a small team, we are only four People and growing as well, but only four people. The work is done by our members. It's how we are positioning ourselves. It's really as action oriented, coalition for action. That's how we are naming ourselves. But the idea behind that is to say, okay, all our members are, when they join, committing to act towards change. And so cosmetic brands which are part of the initiative are active in the everyday life of the initiative. We have action groups where we are discussing key topics and we are building all these tools I was referring to all these community empowerment programs have been built by the members at first. So they are really active in the everyday life of the initiative. And so we are working like that on all the topics with them. They are of course paying a membership fee which is put in a common bucket and used for all the actions of the initiative. And that definitely is an effort from them. They are dedicating time to the initiative through people, through experts, legal experts, purchasing experts, et cetera. They are involved in the everyday life of the initiative. While it's a good way of making people involved, you know, and brands involved, entities involved in improving the situation.

So we have a lot of small brands listening to this podcast as well. So if any small indie makeup brands are listening who use mica, can they join the initiative as well?

Everybody can join if you are committing and if you are truly willing to be active in improving the situation for MICA supply chain in India or in Madagascar, other countries, maybe in the future. But yeah, yeah, everybody can join. We have. Everything is explained on our website, but of course you can contact me or contact our contact email address to get more information. Then when you are a small brand, of course, when you are a huge brand, while you have more resources to dedicate to an initiative like the Responsible Maker Initiative, when we are a small brand, first asking yourself the question of what am I going to do to improve the situation in the micro supply chain. It's a huge first step and then deciding to join, why it's a huge second step as well. But you may well choose acting otherwise. Like for example, only source mica or pigments from brands or pigment manufacturers that are my members, for example. And yeah, there are plenty ways of acting if you are not huge brand, international brand as well.

Excellent. Thank you for explaining that. And I'm sure that you might get quite a few contacts from this podcast as well. So if people want to find out more about the Responsible Mica initiative, where.

Can they find you on our website. So responsiblemakerinitiative.com you'll see you've got a contact form, don't hesitate to use it and to get in contact with me. We are on LinkedIn as well, so don't hesitate to jump in as well to connect there and it will give you as well the opportunity of getting in touch with the initiative.

Thank you so much Olivier. It was really interesting talking to you today and thank you for coming on the podcast.

Thanks Lorraine, and thanks a lot for the invite and for the opportunity to present the initiative.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and I hope it's made you look at your makeup formulations and kettles, toasters and hair dryers in a completely different way. I certainly know it made me rethink the way I look at shiny objects all around my house. I'd love to hear what you think about the whole Mica discussion. Please do come and leave us a comment on our social channels as both the Formula Botanica team and I love hearing from you and make sure you take part in the sustainable beauty polls and chats I run over on my Instagram channel. Lorraine Dalmeier, thank you for joining Olivier and I for this latest episode of Green Beauty Conversations. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please do leave us a five star review so that other people can enjoy these conversations too. Make sure you subscribe to our podcast on itunes or Spotify or whatever your favorite podcast app is and stay tuned for the next episode. Follow Formula Botanica Formula Botanica on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn. Visit our website at formulabotanica.com and sign up for our free online formulation course today. Sam.