“Mica?”Here!
Appears in 2 scanned products.
In personal care
A naturally occurring mineral that forms in thin, shiny sheets, ground into fine powder for cosmetic use. It is often coated with other pigments to create shimmer effects.
Why it’s used
It gives cosmetics and soaps a pearlescent or shimmering finish and is used purely for visual effect.
What the evidence says
Mica itself carries no credible safety concern at cosmetic use levels. Ongoing scrutiny in the industry has focused less on mica's chemistry and more on labor conditions in some mining regions, which is a supply-chain and ethics issue rather than a matter of ingredient safety on skin.
Context
Used in both rinse-off and leave-on products purely for color and shimmer; concentration has no meaningful safety implication either way.
Rumors
The mica used in cosmetics is mined by children working in unregulated mines.
Present — thinly documentedsourcing and supply-chain evidence
Studied in: children in artisanal/small-scale scrap-mica mining communities in Jharkhand and Bihar, India.
What was measured is not yet noted.
- Study on Child Labor in the Scrap Mica Supply Chain in India (Regulatory) · Government-funded · No conflicts declared
- Addressing Child Labour in mica mining: India and Madagascar (NGO or audit) · Foundation-funded · No conflicts declared
- Blood Mica: Key findings of investigation into child deaths in India’s illegal mica mines (Journalism) · Foundation-funded
- Responsible Mica Initiative Annual Report 2019 (Company) · Industry-funded · Authors declare a conflict of interest
Who’s saying this
- Ethical Consumer — an advocacy group: campaigns to make businesses more sustainable through consumer pressure
How we know who this is
- “Ethical Consumer provides the tools and resources you need to make these choices simple, informed and effective.” (their page)
- “Ethical Consumer's primary goal is making global businesses more sustainable through consumer pressure.” (their page)