During a recent visit to Sephora, I overheard two teens discussing whether to buy facial moisturizer. Ultimately, they decided to drop it after reading about one of the cream’s ingredients on Yuka’s app. These ingredient apps (like Yuka, Think Dirty, and EWG’s Healthy Living) allow users to scan beauty products and processed foods to learn more about their ingredients in real time. I’ve seen reviewers on Amazon say they returned skin and hair care products after scanning them with Yuka and receiving low scores. They don’t even try the product first. While we can’t speak to the accuracy (or lack thereof) of these apps when it comes to food ingredients, we do know that beauty experts aren’t all that keen on their use in our world. Here’s why:
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How do these material apps work?
Apps like Yuka, Think Dirty, OnSkin, and EWG’s Healthy Living allow users to scan barcodes on beauty and personal care products (like shampoo) to see the ingredient breakdown and their potential health threats. You can check. Yuka is currently the #1 app in the App Store’s Health & Fitness category. It scores products, with 100 points being the highest, and lists whether each ingredient in the product is dangerous, moderate risk, low risk, or risky. According to Yuka, “cosmetic analysis methods are based on the analysis of all the ingredients of the product. Each ingredient is assigned a risk level according to the latest scientific data.” will automatically be given a score below 25.
What do cosmetic chemists think about ingredient evaluation apps?
“Unfortunately, I don’t think apps like this will help you find better or safer skin care products,” says cosmetic chemist Victoria Hu. “The main problem with these platforms is that they use very loose correlation data to demonize perfectly safe ingredients that make serious and inflammatory claims, such as endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. I find that these apps are essentially creating unnecessary fear of what’s in your beauty products, and let’s be honest, we as formulators are also worried about these kinds of red flags if they really are. If so, you don’t want to deal with these ingredients.”
Eva Perkins, who is also a cosmetic chemist, said she has strong feelings about ingredient apps and is not positive about them. “On the surface, the perception is that such apps provide a level of ‘transparency’ and therefore set standards for ingredient safety. They cite scientific literature and We do that by creating a committee and sharing resources for consumers to dig deeper. However, each platform does not have a basic understanding of safety ratings and relevance. It has proven to me that conclusions that are supported by applicable literature are rare.”
“There’s so much noise in the world, and sadly so much fear,” Fu says. “While we have negative opinions about these apps, we empathize with beauty consumers who feel the need to look to these platforms for guidance. You just want to choose the right products for your skin. If you find yourself going down this rabbit hole and feeling very anxious about the safety of your products, take a step back from your phone. We’re hearing from chemists that many of these ingredients that are coming out don’t actually have substantial data to be considered “unsafe.” When scrolling through social media, remember to be wary of people who make highly inflammatory and outrageous claims. ”
The biggest problem with these apps
Rating system is flawed
“A particular problem is that the rating system is very flawed,” Hu says. “Some products can receive terrible scores on these platforms because they use proven gold-standard active ingredients like retinol. The terrible scores on these apps can cause skincare users to It kind of saddens me to think that we’re missing out on the amazing benefits of retinol in preventing wrinkles and pigmentation.” Perkins agreed, adding, “Evaluating individual ingredients and evaluating the product as a whole across all platforms.” “It’s not consistent and it’s causing confusion,” he added. Even the same product may be ranked differently depending on the app.
The app doesn’t take nuance into account
“Toxicity is route and dose dependent and cannot be generalized,” Perkins explains. “If you take caffeine as an example, if you take 400 milligrams orally, that is, if you drink a few cups of coffee, you’ll be pretty irritable. But even if you apply 400 milligrams topically as a cream, it’ll make your heart skip a beat.” Plus, anything can harm you in the right amount, even water. In my opinion, these apps don’t take this nuance into account. How can you determine that an ingredient is unsafe if you don’t know the concentration of each ingredient in the formulation? You can’t. How is it directly related? Very often it is not.”
Cosmetic chemist Krupa Kestlein appreciates how these apps make ingredient information more accessible, but as a product formulator, she sees problems with the system. “These apps often oversimplify complex ingredients and formulas,” she says. “Evaluations can be misleading because they do not always take into account circumstances such as ingredient concentrations, formulation synergies, and the role of preservatives and other necessary compounds. can lead to unwarranted fears about certain ingredients that are safe and effective at appropriate levels.”
Where to look for ingredient information instead
Perkins says INCIDecoder is a smart choice if you want to know the functionality of the ingredients in the products you use. “They also have an opinion on the safety of the ingredients. However, we find that their main focus is not on the safety of the ingredients, but on education about the function of the ingredients.” Fu agrees. She added that she and fellow cosmetic chemist and co-founder Gloria Lu feel that INCIDecoder is “a better, more objective alternative.” It’s also a great tool for screening products for ingredients to which your skin is sensitive. ”
For those looking for more information about ingredient safety, Perkins also recommends checking out the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR). “This is an independent, non-profit scientific organization that evaluates and reviews the safety of cosmetic ingredients,” she explains. “However, their findings are not all that easy to read. Their reviews can exceed hundreds of pages.”
Ultimately, Koestline said, transparency in formulation is key. “While these apps can be a starting point, they are no substitute for consulting a qualified professional or understanding the science behind the ingredients. Apps are only one piece of the puzzle. True product safety and effectiveness lies in the details of the formulation, the quality of the ingredients, and the testing that reputable brands invest in.
