Bare Escentuals; Bare Facts?

(Originally written 01/09/12)
When I look around my room and think about slavery being a large part of the products I currently love and cherish, I want to weep. My mind races to thoughts of who might have made my favorite pair of jeans. Where do I even begin? The other week, I started furiously looking at labels, typing in company names, and reading codes of ethical responsibility...or a lack thereof. I did this for hours on end as more and more questions came to mind. (I'll share about a lot of companies I have researched as I get a chance.) However, for now, one thought shook me the most - It occurred to me as I was searching clothing companies, food providers, electronic manufacturers...

What about all my bathroom products?...BEAUTY products...
Things I use almost every single day to make myself superficially, supposedly more 'beautiful'. I realized I have no clue where or how any of the makeup I have purchased is produced, and this is what I found:

The beauty world is ugly.

Almost all makeup contains a shimmer or sparkle that comes from a major ingredient, Mica, which has historically been known for being mined in places like India by slaves, children,... I would love to write more on just this issue but you can read a short article here if you would like. Looking at the makeup I usually use, it all has minuscule sparkles and Mica as the first or second ingredient.
Bare Escentuals, (the makers of all things Bare Minerals) is not so 'bare' in their fact-sharing. When reading through the website and details of the company, Bare Escentuals had ONE sentence about labor standards: "Please be assured that Bare Escentuals does not do business with any domestic or foreign companies that use Child Labor." That's great! But really? That's it?? That sentence is not much of a guarantee for anything. What about the equally concerning issues of fair wages, fair trade, or working conditions? Furthermore, it was frustrating to read other parts of BE's website.

Love. Understanding. Community. That’s what Bare Escentuals represents. It’s a trusted source. It’s the belief that products can actually be good, makeup can be fun, business can be personal and companies can behave more like communities. It’s an optimistic outlook shared by women everywhere who believe that while makeup can’t change the world, it can change people. And people who are inspired can make all the difference...It becomes less about makeup and more about what really matters.

Is it?? I don't get it. Reading this statement really puzzled me because if the company is 'all about' those things, then why is there nothing about where their products/ingredients come from?

Also, Bare Escentuals' major advertising campaign is "Be a Force for Beauty". It says, "Pretty is not enough...pretty can turn heads. But beauty? Beauty can change the whole world." I thought, YES! I want to be a force for beauty! But if Bare Escentuals is not guaranteeing that their product is not made at the expense of other people's livelihood...

WHERE'S THE BEAUTY IN THAT??