The 5 best beauty apps for choosing cosmetics

More and more people are seeking to understand the composition of their beauty products. Thanks to mobile applications, it's now possible to decipher the ingredients of your favorite skincare products in just a few clicks. These tools reveal what's behind the labels on your cosmetics. But how exactly do these applications work? And can we really rely on their reliability? Discover an overview of the five best beauty apps available free of charge.

How does the BEAUTY DECODED rating system work?

On first use, a questionnaire determines the user's skin type and sensitivity, and identifies specific problems such as imperfections, wrinkles, spots or redness.

Analysis of product characteristics

BeautyDecoded assigns specific ratings to each product according to its composition.

One product but several notes! Each cosmetic receives a separate evaluation depending on your skin type because each skin type requires different cosmetics.

For dry skin: occlusive ingredients are needed to compensate for the lack of sebum and repair the skin barrier
For oily skin: light formulations are needed to avoid overloading the skin with sebum.
For sensitive skin: assessment based on the presence of potentially irritating ingredients.
For each specific problem (imperfections, wrinkles, etc.): presence of active ingredients targeting these problems.

Reliable results

Beautydecoded's artificial intelligence deciphers the true potential of each product according to your skin type!

It determines whether a product is to be avoided, poorly compatible, correct, well adapted or very well adapted, taking into account the characteristics of each product and the user's data. This process has benefited from the expertise of one of the founders, a medical doctor and plastic surgeon, as well as feedback from his community on social networks, to refine the algorithm's effectiveness.

Over 15,000 ingredients were analyzed for their various properties (humectants, emollients, preservatives, etc.). A three years of research has enabled us to build up an exhaustive database in which the weight of each ingredient in the final formulation is taken into account according to its position in the INCI list.

The BeautyDecoded app stands out for its personalized, scientific approach, offering each user advice tailored to their unique skin profile.

How does the YUKA rating system work?

Yuka's assessment is based on the potential or supposed risks of certain ingredients, including endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, allergens, irritants and pollutants. Want to know the best alternative to YUKA ?

In no way does application determine whether a product is good or bad for a particular skin type.
The ingredients are divided into four risk categories, which are visually represented by colored dots in the application:

Risk-free: green sticker
Low risk: yellow sticker
Moderate risk: orange sticker
At risk: red sticker
A product's overall rating depends on the highest level of risk present among its ingredients. For example, the presence of an ingredient considered "at risk" (red dot) results in an overall rating of less than 25 out of 100 for the product. If the riskiest ingredient is classified as "moderate risk" (orange dot), then the product's rating will not exceed 50 out of 100.

How does the INCI BEAUTY rating system work?

INCI Beauty assigns cosmetic products an overall score ranging from 0 to 20, and also displays the INCI list of ingredients. Each component is identified by a floral color code that indicates its level of controversy: green flowers represent the least controversial ingredients, while red indicates a high level of controversy.

In no way does application determine whether a product is good or bad for a particular skin type.
Flower color codes and their meanings :
Green: No risk
Yellow: Low risk
Orange: Moderate risk
Red: Highly controversial or at risk

INCI Beauty uses a computer algorithm to calculate product scores based on these colored categories. Initially, each product starts with the maximum score, but can receive penalties or bonuses according to the following criteria:
No synthetic fragrance: awards a bonus.
Cocktail effect: a penalty is added if more than three ingredients of the same color are present, reflecting a potential cocktail effect.
Number of ingredients: a shorter composition (less than 15 ingredients) receives a slight bonus, while a longer list (more than 50 ingredients) receives a slight penalty.
Concentration of first ingredients: products whose first ingredients are of significant color are subject to malus due to their high concentration.

YUKA vs Incibeauty which is the better app?

Quel Cosmetic, transformed into QuelProduit by UFC-Que Choisir

Do you have questions about the composition of your face cream or shower gel? QuelCosmetic, now called QuelProduit, is here to help. This application analyzes several thousand cosmetic products with the rigor of UFC-Que Choisir. If a product is not listed, all you have to do is send a photo and it will be included in the database. The app is available for download on iOS and Android.
QuelProduit offers a renewed interface that includes a barcode scanner for simplified use. It uses pictograms and a color-coded system ranging from green to red to indicate the potential toxicity risk of products. Assessments are specifically adapted for different groups: adults, children, teenagers, pregnant women and babies.
In no way does application determine whether a product is good or bad for a particular skin type.

Clean Beauty, the educational beauty app

Developed by scientific experts, Clean Beauty is the only mobile application to detect controversial ingredients in cosmetic products in France and Europe. There's no need to scan labels; a simple photo of the INCI list is all you need to obtain information. The app is available free of charge on iOS and Android.
The main advantage of Clean Beauty is its educational approach. It is based on independent international scientific data and also takes into account environmental impacts. Unlike other applications, Clean Beauty focuses solely on identifying ingredients, without judging their beneficial or harmful effects. A detailed glossary helps users to understand the function of each ingredient.
These beauty applications are invaluable everyday tools. They make it easy to decipher the complex INCI lists of your products, encouraging you to choose a healthier, more natural beauty routine.