Yuka App Independent Product Analysis

THE APP THAT DECIPHERS PRODUCT LABELS

Yuka is a mobile app that allows you to scan the barcodes of food and personal care products and instantly see their impact.  The app is free and currently has 10 million users worldwide.

WHAT IS YUKA’S MISSION

Yuka’s goal is to improve consumer health by helping them make sense of product labels.  As a result, consumers are able to make better choices for their health.
Yuka App Excellent Wipes Big Wipes

BIG WIPES ON YUKA APP

Yuka has rated all our Big Wipes cleaning wipes as excellent and we are delighted (but not surprised).  As per usual, this has put us way ahead of our competitors.  Unlike other wipes, our products do NOT contain any of the following harmful chemicals:

  • Parabens
  • BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
  • Methylchoroisothiazolinone
  • Methylisothiazolinone
  • Phenoxyethanol
  • C11-12 Isoparaffin
  • Sodium lauryl sulfate
  • Diazolidinyl urea (formaldehyde releaser preservative)
  • DMDM Hydantoin
  • 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol (Bronopol)
  • Imidazolidinyl urea

Yuka App Bad Wipes

The Big Wipes team takes your skin health very seriously.  We invest in continual advice, review and verification from professional bodies.  This guarantees that our Big Wipes products remain both legal and safe as the regulations evolve.  We insist on the following tests to be undergone on all our wipes:

1) SAFETY ASSESSMENT – COMPLIANCE WITH EU REGULATION (EC) NO 1223/2009 – COSMETIC PRODUCTS

Regulation 1223/2009 replaced the 1976 EU Cosmetics Directive (76/768/EEC) in July 2013.  In short, this regulation protects consumers and makes sure that all cosmetic products on the European market are safe.  It requires that cosmetics cause no damage to human health when applied under normal (or reasonably foreseeable) conditions of use.

2)  DERMATOLOGICAL TESTING

We regularly and rigorously test our products on human volunteers.  Above all, we never test on animals.  Professional dermatologists carry out independent trials on a cross-section of people to monitor the levels of irritation experienced.   All  subjects recorded zero levels of reaction or irritation after 48 hours of a single exposure to our Big Wipes.

Yuka App Poor Wipes

HOW DOES YUKA APP EVALUATE COSMETIC PRODUCTS

Yuka’s scoring system for cosmetics analyses every ingredient that goes into making the product.

Based on the latest scientific research, each ingredient is assigned a risk level according to its potential/adverse health effects: endocrine disruptive, carcinogenic, allergenic or irritant.  The potential risks associated with each ingredient are displayed in the application, as are the relevant scientific sources.

Ingredients are classified into four risk categories:

  • Risk-free (green dot) – a rating of Excellent
  • Low risk (yellow dot) – a rating of Good
  • Moderate risk (orange dot) – a rating of Poor
  • High risk (red dot) – a rating of BAD

The score is based on the level of the highest-risk ingredient present in the product.  If a high-risk ingredient (red) is present in the product, the score will automatically be red (lower than 25/100).  Similarly, if the highest-risk ingredient is a moderate-risk ingredient (orange), the product’s score will be poor (lower than 50/100).

The other ingredients determine precisely which score the product receives within the defined range.

Excellent Big Wipes Retail

100% INDEPENDENT PRODUCT ANALYSIS

The app reviews products and recommends healthier alternatives in an objective way.  This means that no brand or manufacturer can influence them in one way or another.  Furthermore, there is no in-app advertising.

HOW IS THE APPLICATION FINANCED

The Yuka project is financed with two sources of revenue:

  • A paid version of the application.  Users who choose to do so can become members and register for Yuka’s Premium offer.  This provides several additional features, such as a search bar, an offline mode and unlimited product history.  In the near future, the app will also add personalised alerts on allergens and undesirable ingredients.
  • A Nutrition Programme.  Participants can learn the basics of a healthy diet in just 10 weeks.  In addition, participants are able to discover the golden rules of a healthy diet.  The online programme also provides access to recipes and a nutritionist.
Big Wipes rated Excellent

HOW WAS THE DATABASE CREATED

In the beginning, the Yuka project used a database called Open Food Facts.  This was an open, collaborative database that uses the same model as Wikipedia.   In 2018, Yuka created their own database in order to implement advanced systems, which monitor and verify each addition.

Above all, their database grows via:

  • Contributions from users.  Consumers can enter information directly into the application for any products that aren’t recognised by Yuka.
  • Contributions from brands.  Certain brands are willing to provide them with direct access to their product info.  As this information is exactly what is printed on the product labels, there is no conflict of interest.
Big Wipes rated excellent on Yuka

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM

Benoit, one of the co-founders and a father of three, wanted to buy only the best food products for his family.  But he was lost in a dietary jungle trying to decipher every label.  He realised how helpful it would be to have a tool that would automatically analyse each product’s ingredient.

When the time came to name the app, Benoît’s wife provided the inspiration.  She comes from Mexico, from the state of Yucatán.  So Yuka was named in honour of that beautiful region, and a love that has no borders.

LONG AWAITED YUKA APP LAUNCH IN THE UK

Since its introduction in France in 2017, Yuka has enjoyed very strong growth.  As a result of countless requests from Brits, Yuka finally launched in the UK.  Currently, it recognises 70% of the products available in the United Kingdom.  Users have the possibility to add products by uploading product information and pictures of the label.  This allows Yuka to have an even more comprehensive database of UK sold products.

Yuka App Logo

 

YUKA APP GLOBAL ROLL-OUT

More than 10 million people now use the app in France and the UK.  Yuka App is also available in Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Spain.   In addition, the app developers announced that an imminent launch in the USA and Canada is on the cards.