In a poor north-eastern state in Brazil workers harvest carnauba wax from palm trees to earn a meagre living. As reported by the BBC, big businesses like L’Oreal, who buy the wax once processed, are currently turning a blind eye to the slavery-like conditions of these workers. And despite processing plants having signed an agreement to improve supply chains and end the informality of the carnauba harvesting sector, labor inspectors in Brazil say nothing has changed for workers.

From candy, to pills to cosmetics, slavery is on the list of ingredients

Carnauba wax is a product that has been used for years all over the world to stop candy from melting, make pills easier to swallow and to thicken cosmetics like lipstick and mascara. Raids to rescue people working on carnauba palm, or “tree of thorns”, plantations under conditions considered to be like slave labor have been conducted for over a decade. Gislene Melo dos Santos Stacholski is part of a mobile deployment unit that carries out those raids.

Gislene said:

“Carnauba harvesting is a painful activity because the working conditions under the sun aren’t easy, it’s extremely manual, heavy work, using hand tools.”

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