A BBC investigation has uncovered evidence that children as young as five are picking jasmine used by suppliers to luxury perfume brands Lancôme and Aerin Beauty. The jasmine, a key ingredient in perfumes such as Lancôme Idôle L'Intense and Aerin Beauty's Ikat Jasmine, is sourced from Egypt, which produces about half the world's supply.
Industry insiders told the BBC that the handful of companies owning many luxury brands are squeezing budgets, resulting in low pay for pickers. Egyptian jasmine pickers say this forces them to involve their children. Heba, a picker in Gharbia, wakes her family at 03:00 to pick flowers. On the night filmed, she and her four children, aged 5 to 15, earned about US$1.50 (£1.18) after costs.
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, said he was disturbed by the evidence, which includes undercover filming. 'On paper, they are promising so many good things... but looking at this footage, they are not actually doing things that they promised to do,' he said.
Both L'Oréal, owner of Lancôme, and Estée Lauder, owner of Aerin Beauty, said they have zero tolerance for child labour and are committed to respecting human rights. However, the BBC found that auditing systems used to check supply chains are deeply flawed.
The jasmine is processed by factories such as A Fakhry and Co, Hashem Brothers, and Machalico, which export oil to fragrance houses like Givaudan. Independent perfumer Christophe Laudamiel said the perfume companies, known as 'the masters', set tight budgets that drive down prices paid to pickers.
