A BBC Eye investigation has revealed that children as young as five are involved in picking ingredients for perfumes used by top brands. Specifically, jasmine flowers picked by these young workers end up in products supplied to prominent companies like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder.
Children working in the jasmine fields often labor through the night and earn as little as $1 a day. Despite the low wages paid to these workers, perfumes containing Egyptian jasmine, which constitutes about half of the world's supply, can retail for as much as $300.
The report attributes these labor issues to inadequate due diligence practices and the pricing pressure exerted by leading companies.
The investigation, conducted during the summer of 2023, documented the lives of families in Egypt who harvest jasmine for local factories. These factories process the jasmine into oil, which is then supplied to major fragrance houses such as Givaudan and Firmenich. These fragrance houses create scents for global beauty giants, including L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. Notably, jasmine from Egypt is used in L’Oréal-owned Lancôme’s Idôle Intense and Estée Lauder-owned Aerin Beauty’s Ikat Jasmine and Limone di Sicilia.
In response to the findings, L’Oréal and Givaudan have stated their commitment to respecting human rights. Estée Lauder mentioned that it has reached out to its suppliers to investigate the allegations. Firmenich responded by indicating that it has changed its suppliers in Egypt following the revelations.
You can watch the report at the BBC iPlayer
Children working in the jasmine fields often labor through the night and earn as little as $1 a day. Despite the low wages paid to these workers, perfumes containing Egyptian jasmine, which constitutes about half of the world's supply, can retail for as much as $300.
The report attributes these labor issues to inadequate due diligence practices and the pricing pressure exerted by leading companies.
The investigation, conducted during the summer of 2023, documented the lives of families in Egypt who harvest jasmine for local factories. These factories process the jasmine into oil, which is then supplied to major fragrance houses such as Givaudan and Firmenich. These fragrance houses create scents for global beauty giants, including L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. Notably, jasmine from Egypt is used in L’Oréal-owned Lancôme’s Idôle Intense and Estée Lauder-owned Aerin Beauty’s Ikat Jasmine and Limone di Sicilia.
In response to the findings, L’Oréal and Givaudan have stated their commitment to respecting human rights. Estée Lauder mentioned that it has reached out to its suppliers to investigate the allegations. Firmenich responded by indicating that it has changed its suppliers in Egypt following the revelations.
You can watch the report at the BBC iPlayer