Acid attack survivor is left horrified to learn how 'ethical' candelilla wax is sourced for the beauty industry by Mexican workers on minumum wage who handle sulphuric acid with no safety equipment

• BBC Three documentary Beauty Laid Bare uncovers secrets of beauty industry
• Sees acid attack victim Resham Khan, from Manchester, travel to farm in Mexico
• Farm produces candelilla wax, seen as vegan and ethical alternative to beeswax
• Is horrified to witness workers dealing with sulphuric acid with zero protection

An acid attack survivor is left horrified after visiting a farm in Mexico which produces an 'ethical' beauty product ingredient where workers handle dangerous chemicals without any protection. 

Resham Khan, from Manchester, suffered devastating face and neck injuries after she and her cousin Jameel Muhktar were doused with corrosive liquid on her 21st birthday in June 2017 in Beckton, east London. 

Speaking on new BBC Three documentary Beauty Laid Bare, she revealed make-up is now her 'life-line' and she wears it like a 'protective shield'.

For the programme, she and three other twenty-somethings with different attitudes towards cosmetics spend two weeks in America investigating the secrets of the multi-billion dollar beauty industry.

Resham wears a lot of make-up to cover scarring and discolouration on her skin following the random attack.

'After being burnt I felt like a lot of my appearance was taken away from me, but with the use of make-up I was able to bring that back and become me again,' she explains.

'The way I used make-up changed quite significantly. I went from following trends, whereas now it's about how can I make myself look as normal and natural as possible.'

Ethically conscious consumer Resham partners up with Casey, from Cheltenham, who is on the show because he believes there's a lack of male representation in the beauty sector.

In the second episode, the pair travel to rural Mexico to investigate how candelilla wax is produced. 

The plant-based ingredient, used in many cosmetics including lip balm, is often marketed as a vegan and ethical alternative to beeswax.

But their visit to a farm raises alarming concerns about the supply chain and exploitation issues in the beauty industry. 

The wax is derived from the leaves of the small candelilla shrub, native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Resham and Casey are shocked to hear the farmers who cut down the plant - an arduous and time-consuming task - are paid just $15 for producing three bunches of crop.

They're then appalled to see the minimum wage workers producing the wax by handling sulphuric acid with no safety equipment, in a dirty, uncontrolled environment. 

They speak to farmer Victor, who explains how they collect water from a pump which is heated to boiling point in a pot with the candelilla.

'All of this, somehow, will make a product for our face or body, yet there's dogs, there's dust, there's soil, nothing got washed, no hands were cleaned, no protective material, nothing whatsoever,' Resham observes.

What beauty products contain candelilla wax?

Candelilla wax is a hard, light-yellow wax that can be easily shattered due to its brittleness.  

it has traditionally been used for products such as inks, paints, crayons, polishing waxes, candles and varnishes, as well as pharmaceuticals, chewing gum and sweets.

It is also added to face, hand and foot creams, lotion bars, depilatory waxes (to remove body hair), soaps, ointments, lip products, stick foundations and some mascaras. 

'We've not even finished the process yet and I wouldn't put that on my face.'

The next stop involves adding sulphuric acid - brought to the farmers by the companies who purchase the end product - to prevent the wax and water from forming an emulsion, which Victor concedes is 'very dangerous'. 

Resham and Casey watch in horror as Victor pours the acid, scooped from a larger vat into an old fizzy drink bottle, over the concoction with no safety goggles, overalls or acid-proof gloves.

Visibly horrified, Resham says: 'I know just how dangerous this chemical can be.

'That's sulphuric acid in a Coke bottle. The safety here is non-existent. I feel as though they're providing these chemicals, but they're not providing any safety measures or equipment whatsoever. It's just irresponsible and really cruel.

'I don't feel comfortable having beauty companies or the beauty industry thriving off billions of pounds of profit when they're exploiting people like this.'

To watch the process whereby the wax is skimmed off to purify it and remove the acid, Resham and Casey are ordered to wear protective masks and clothing, despite being several metres away from where it's taking place.

'I feel a bit of a fraud, they're right up there dealing with the acid and they've got no protection whatsoever,' Casey says. 

'I actually can't believe that you get an acid out of a tub with a Coke bottle and that kid is just right next to it.

'Can you hear the noise? And he's got no gloves, no nothing. That is absolutely crazy it's splashing everywhere. How they don't get seriously hurt I don't know.'

Journalist Hector Lopez, who joined the pair for the visit, said it takes 15 to 20 years for damage to your health to show from this sort of work. 

'It's a very slow process that damages your lungs,' he explains.

Resham observed the irony of the fact she uses products containing candelilla work, derived from sulphuric acid, to cover burns on her face directly caused by the toxic substance.

'I think that's really ironic, in a very sick and twisted way,' she said. 

Victor claims the company who provides them with the sulphuric acid have visited twice in 30 years to inspect the process, but has not provided them with anything to protect them.

He admitted he does worry for his own safety and recalls how he's witnessed people sustain injuries.

'When you put the candelilla there your foot can slip inside and it gets burnt. It's dangerous, you have to be very careful,' he says.

Resham concludes: 'Mexico has shown me that the beauty industry works insanely hard in sugar-coating everything that they do.'

Beauty Laid Bare will be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer from 6am on February 2.