Behind the Scenes of CosmEthics

Remember I told you that I will be digging deeper into CosmEthics App? Well, I did. I actually contacted the company and had the pleasure of visiting them at their office in Helsinki. Having worked in a startup myself I really enjoy the cosy and friendly atmosphere that it comes with. I had the opportunity to chat with a few people and I am bringing your way some interesting insight into the app and its development. 

The first thing I was curious to discover was what is happening at their end once I attach the pictures for analysis and press the send button. They get a tremendous amount of new products sent to them daily. Hence the time it takes for a product to be added to their database depends on the amount of products they have waiting in a pipeline. They keep track of the time it takes to analyse the product and are aiming to improve it constantly. The actual process consists of three steps: typing the ingredients, verifying the ingredients and checking for toxicity by the in-house bio-scientitsts and referencing scientific research. I really appreciate that they have an actual science team working with them. It is comprised of people from various backgrounds such as chemistry, biochemistry and toxicology. This gives at least reasonable credibility to the validity of their information.

What is also interesting is how they compile their default lists. I asked about the Vegan one in particular. They have put it together based on the concerns vegans usually have and also feedback they received from people who are vegan. I think it is fantastic that they listen to people and want to continuously meet their needs better. A good example of this gesture was also when I mentioned having an atopic eczema. They immediately suggested that I talk with their scientists and see if they can make a corresponding list. Despite their main market currently being Europe they are planning on expanding. You can already get the app in several languages: Finnish, Chinese, Portuguese and French. 

Overall I think this app has a lot of potential. It is not only important for educating people but also increasing visibility for niche brands that have good quality products and ethics, but not necessarily millions to allocate for marketing. It can become a viral hit like Uber (biggest taxi company in the world that doesn't  own a single taxi but provides a platform) bringing a positive impact on how people consume and discover products.

This app is definitely worth checking out if you still haven't. With our society becoming more conscious of what it consumes in terms of food and cosmetics, I believe this app responds to this newfound awareness. 

If you've tried this app I would love to hear your thoughts! What are the things you enjoyed and what could be developed better?

Cheers,
Muffy

Disclaimer : I was not sponsored by ComsEthics to write this post, I wrote it out of my own interest.