L’Oréal Addresses Alleged Connections between Perfume Production and Child Labor
L’Oreal has addressed accusations from a documentary claiming that one of its high-end fragrances is connected to the use of child labor.
According to the BBC World Service documentary “Perfume’s Dark Secret”, in the summer of 2023, their investigative team observed young children, ranging from five to fifteen years old, harvesting jasmine flowers in Egypt.
The film depicts the process of young individuals gathering the component during the night and claims that they earned an average of US$1 per day.
According to the laws of Egypt, it is not permitted for minors below the age of 15 to engage in any work activities from 7pm to 7am
According to the BBC, these components were delivered to factories that manufacture fragrances for major international companies such as L’Oreal’s Idole Intense. This is despite the fact that the cosmetics company claims to have strict policies against child labor.
The company L’Oreal has issued a declaration expressing their strong dedication to safeguarding human rights.
The company stated that it anticipates all of its suppliers, including fragrance houses, to conduct themselves in a responsible and ethical manner.
According to the beauty group, they promptly take action whenever they discover any issues within their supply chain. They specialize in creating fragrances for multiple high-end brands.
L’Oreal’s statement states that the company is currently engaged in a practice in Egypt where they obtain a small portion of the jasmine used in their products through indirect means.
In October 2023, we were able to identify potential human rights concerns, such as child labor, through our continuous monitoring process. This was done before the BBC contacted us and after the final harvest.
In line with our obligations towards human rights, we have made the decision to promptly take necessary measures.
Due to these possible concerns that were raised, we have taken proactive measures to address them before the upcoming jasmine harvest in June.
In order to eradicate child labor and safeguard the income of families who rely on jasmine harvesting, we have taken a leading role in forming a coalition with the Egyptian government, Fragrance Houses, and other industry collaborators. Our goal is to drive comprehensive change that benefits local communities.
The Fair Labor Association and the International Labour Organization are at the forefront of this alliance, which is a component of their prominent ‘Harvesting the Future – Jasmine in Egypt’ initiative.
L’Oreal expressed their disappointment with the fact that the BBC did not mention their specific efforts in Egypt, even though they had already begun implementing them prior to being contacted by the BBC.
We have extensively shared this information with them.
What other high-end perfumes were mentioned in the documentary?
According to a recent documentary, Estee Lauder’s subsidiary, Aerin Beauty, is one of the companies involved in the jasmine trade in Egypt. The specific fragrances mentioned were Ikat Jasmine and Limone di Sicilia, which are supplied by Givaudan and DSM-Firmenich.
According to Estee Lauder, it is important to safeguard the rights of every child, as stated to the BBC.
We have reached out to our suppliers to look into this extremely grave issue.
Upon receiving the BBC’s report, Givaudan expressed their concern and described the results as “highly concerning.”
It is our responsibility as a society to keep taking steps towards completely eliminating the threat of child labor.
According to the BBC, Egypt is responsible for approximately 50% of the world’s jasmine production, which is a highly sought-after ingredient in the perfumery industry by major global brands worth billions of dollars.
