Do you want to know the ingredients and the quality of the everyday products you buy? Specialized mobile applications help you choose the best food and cosmetic products.
Applications for deciphering food or cosmetic labels are the new everyday essentials. They make it possible to answer many consumer questions: are commonly purchased food products harmful to health? What are the ingredients to avoid in hygiene and make-up items? Are there better alternatives and if so which ones? Thanks to a simple barcode scanning system, it is possible to have this information instantly on the shelves. A roundup of the best-designed and most useful apps.
Yuka: a clear interface and personalized recommendations
Created in 2017, Yuka app has become in just a few months the reference for information on the composition and impact on health of food products. It can be used quite simply while shopping: all you have to do is scan the barcode of an item with the application. Yuka then gives a result using a color code from green to red and details the qualities and defects of the product: additives, salt, sugar, calories, fats, proteins, organic label, etc. If an item is considered “bad”, Yuka offers alternatives that are better rated and easily found on the shelf.
Namely: it has also been integrating cosmetics since 2018.
Kwalito: to manage intolerances and diets
Beyond the assessment of the composition of foodstuffs, the added value of Kwalito is to give indications based on food preferences or health status. Pregnant women, gluten intolerant people or even people who follow a vegetarian diet can quickly find out if a product is suitable for them or not. To use Kwalito, you must first inform your constraints or preferences. The application then works like Yuka with a barcode scanning principle.
Namely: Kwalito also offers a professional solution for brands and distributors.
Open Food Fact: Nutri-score display
Open Food Fact (OFF for friends) is not just an application. It is originally a citizen project, created by consumers for consumers, open to any volunteer who wishes to participate, and this internationally. OFF is available on web and mobile (iOS, Android and even Windows Phone) and also offers to scan products to find out their composition. With a novelty since December 2018: the signing of a partnership with Santé Publique France to display the Nutri-score of foods, including those that are not indicated on the packaging.
Namely: the Open Food Fact database also feeds similar applications like Yuka. It does not require the creation of an account, but its interface is less modern than on other media.
QuelCosmetic: lQueChoisir application for cosmetic products
Launched in March 2018 by UFC-QueChoisir with an initial database of 5,000 cosmetic products, QuelCosmetic app was able to gather more than 120,000 references in a few months thanks to user contributions. By scanning a hygiene product, it is possible to know its level of risk (4 in total, from none to significant risk) according to several categories (toddlers, pregnant women, children and adolescents, adults). The application also offers a search function to access an article without scanning it, as well as a history of the files consulted.
Good to know: QuelCosmetic focuses in particular on the health impact of cosmetics, but does not rule out offering environmental information in the future.
INCI Beauty: all you need to know on cosmetic ingredients
Very easy to use, INCI Beauty displays the list of cosmetic product ingredients (to be scanned or searched in the database) and offers better quality alternatives if necessary. Its name comes from the INCI list (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) which sets the standard for the display of ingredients on cosmetics, from most to least important. The INCI Beauty application nevertheless remains independent, and also offers detailed information on each ingredient to go further than the simple scientific name.
Good to know: INCI Beauty can be downloaded on iOS and Android mobiles, but also on Windows 10 PCs and tablets for greater accessibility.
