Mica Mining
What is Mica?
Mica is a silicate mineral found in granite, crystals, and other rocks. It is naturally occurring and when found in its natural form, it is a range of earth colors mostly off-white, silver or gold(ish) in color. The composition of Mica allows it to be ground down into a fine powder-like dust, making it versatile and mutable. Mica has many uses including extending and brightening the pigmentation of car paint, thermal insulation in the electrical industry, filler in plastics, rubber and cement, and adding a shimmery effect to cosmetics and beauty products.
Why is Mica Mining bad?
Mica, a shimmering, heat resistant mineral used in everything from car paint to make-up, is in large-part produced by artisanal miners in India and Madagascar, where child labour and unsafe conditions are rife. We find out what can be done to rid the commodity of its unethical origins.
Eight-year-old Frederic works morning or afternoon shifts, depending on his school schedule, sorting mica alongside his elder brother. His hands are marked by traces, wounds and scars caused by the repetitive task of removing the calcite. Thirteen-year-old Felicia, who has never attended school, works Monday to Sunday for a sorting company. The money she earns helps support her mother and eight siblings, but is having a negative impact on her health. These are just two stories of child labour in the illegal mica mining sector of Madagascar detailed by a new report by NGOs Terre des Hommes and SOMO. Researchers from the organisations found that, despite ongoing initiatives, entire families are routinely working in the extraction and processing of the mica, which can be found in hundreds of Western products. Overall, they cautiously estimate that around 22,000 people work in the informal sector in Madagascar, of which at least half are minors.
Mica is the name for a group of different minerals that form in distinct layers. The commodity is particularly coveted for its heat resistant and highly reflective properties and can be found in everything from paints to soil conditioners to make-up and smartphones. The mineral is produced predominately in China, and then India, but the East African island of Madagascar has become a notable source in recent years. The country was the fourth largest mica exporter worldwide in 2015, and since then it has overtaken India as the biggest global exporter of sheet mica, the grade of mica that is used extensively in the electronics and automotive industries. Madagascar has among the highest poverty rates in the world and informal mining of mica has become a life-line for many.
What is Mica in?
Mica is very versatile we use mica in a range of body products including Melt and Pour/Cold-process Soap Making, Bath Bombs, Cosmetics, Makeup, Slime and Body Paint. Our Micas are specially formulated to provide vivid colour pigments without bleeding, so it retains the richness of colour by the amount of mica powder you use. There are a number of cosmetics that use mica including eyeshadows, highlighters, shimmer body oils, nail polish, lipstick, blusher, lip balm and lip gloss.