Luxury perfumes may involve child labor, BBC reveals

A BBC investigation has found that children are involved in picking jasmine flowers used by suppliers to two major beauty companies, Lancôme and Aerin Beauty. The jasmine, a key ingredient in luxury perfumes, is sourced from Egypt, which produces about half of the world's supply. Despite claims of zero tolerance on child labor by luxury perfume brands, the companies involved, including L'Oréal (owner of Lancôme) and Estée Lauder (owner of Aerin Beauty), have responded by contacting their suppliers.

UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, has expressed concern over the lack of transparency and commitment to combating child labor within the industry. The investigation highlighted flaws in the auditing systems used to monitor supply chains. Industry insiders suggest that budget constraints imposed by companies that own multiple luxury brands result in low pay, exacerbating the issue.