Discovering CosmEthics

Don't get me wrong, I did not just make a massive typo in the title, I purposefully meant to say CosmEthics. I was introduced to CosmEthics by a friend, while I was vividly and passionately describing my recent initiative to start a beauty blog. She told me to check out CosmEthics, a new startup from Finland that has created an App to help consumers be more aware of the ingredients in the products they buy and eventually put on their bodies. 

CosmEthics App

Today I would like to focus on my experience with the app, things that I liked, why I think it is worth checking out and some things that I wish to see in the future. I assure you this wouldn't be the last time you hear about this new find of mine, as I am planning to dig deeper! CosmEthics is an App for your phone. It is free to download and currently available in Europe for iOS and Android platforms. You can learn more about various features and how to get started here. I got mine a few weeks ago to make sure I had the time to play with it before I give you my two cents. First and foremost it is an app that, in my opinion, has the potential to disrupt the consumer goods industry. When I used it for the first time, the thought crossed my mind as to why the heck I haven't thought about this! Here you need to remember that I am suffering with an atopic eczema, and I need to be very careful with what I put on my body and what ingredients to avoid. Therefore, this app was pretty much a Godsend! So how does is it work and can an average non-techy person use it? Yes, these guys ensured that a Joe Average can use this application without trouble. If you ask me, it is pretty straightforward and you can easily tailor it to your own needs. Let me give you an example. We already established that I have an atopic eczema. Hence, I need to be on a look out for chemical sensitisers and fragrances. To do this I need to understand what products contain these ingredients. That is where the app gets handy. I can select ingredients from a readymade list they have compiled based on the most common concerns, or create my own Alert List. In their readymade lists they've already taken chemical sensitisers and fragrance allergens into consideration. But if you just want to dodge certain chemicals you can make a more specific list containing only methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone. Once you have done that, you can start searching for products in their database. Those that have a green approval mark next to them are winners while those that have a personal alert mark next to them have failed to meet your requirements. The app also suggests a better alternative for the product that contains unwanted ingredients.

Your Profile in CosmEthics App

Your Alerts Including Default Lists and Own Lists 

Product with a Personal Alert

Personal Alert Indicates the Unwanted Ingredient

Another way that I have been utilising this app is by scanning the products I already have at home and seeing what ingredients they contain. You can scan any product that has a barcode. To do this you just press a scan button and it actives the camera on your phone that acts as a barcode reader. Ingenious, right! Since it is a new app and still growing they naturally don't have all the products in their database. Therefore, once you have scanned the product it gives you a description of that product in case it's in their database. If not, you can send two pictures of the product to CosmEthics and they will do an analysis of ingredients for you and add it to their database. That is pretty much how they expand the selection. 

 When the Product Is not in the Database

Taking Two Pictures and Sending Them for Analysis

Obviously these are just two ways of using this app. It has way more features that you can test out and possibilities to learn in more detail about certain ingredients. It all depends on your needs and how much you already know about the topic. Things that I would like to see in the future would be, for example, a cruelty free list, an eczema list, or even a possibility to educate myself on the product's manufacturing- and expiration date. Truth be told, very often when you buy a product, especially on sale, you don't know how long it's been on the shelf!

To wrap up, I would say if you have allergies, sensitivity, ethical concerns or simply want to be more aware of various ingredients, do yourself a favour and get this app, it does not cost anything!

Let me know if you have tried this app or would you be interested in giving it a go!

Cheers,
Muffy