If you’re into natural skincare, you’ve probably heard of — or are already using — the Yuka app. And maybe you’ve noticed it can feel a bit overwhelming, flagging certain ingredients and sending alerts that don’t always tell the full story. So what’s the issue with the Yuka app?
Before we dig into that, let’s take a step back. In any industry — accounting, HR, or procurement — there are established standards. These standards exist so that companies, professionals, and freelancers follow best practices rather than improvising, giving us products and services we can trust.
The same principle applies to clean beauty.
The Standards Behind Clean Beauty
“Clean beauty” may not have one clear definition — much like the word “natural.” But independent organizations such as COSMOS, Cosmebio, and the Soil Association, which certify products as natural or organic, have created rigorous standards that help define what’s good (and not so good) for your skin.
These standards do two key things:
- They define which ingredients are allowed, using scientific research and a precautionary approach that bans anything potentially toxic.
- They guide brands in formulating products that are safe, sustainable, and consistent across the industry.
For consumers, these certifications are a trustworthy reference point. Seeing logos like COSMOS, Soil Association, or Cosmebio on skincare packaging means the product has passed strict criteria for safety, transparency, and environmental responsibility.
In other words, these standards take the guesswork out of clean beauty — for both the brands making the products and the people buying them.
When Yuka App Isn’t Enough
Yuka is a popular app with good intentions: it helps customers make informed choices by referencing official regulatory bodies like the EU Consumer Safety Committee or the European Chemicals Agency, which define what ingredients are legally allowed and in what concentrations. This is especially helpful if you’re scanning a product from a country that doesn’t follow EU regulations.
However, EU legal compliance doesn’t always equal clean beauty. Regulations are often slow and conservative, taking years to ban certain harmful ingredients. That’s why conventional brands can still use things like mineral oils, silicones, and chemical UV filters — and Yuka doesn’t necessarily flag them.
Instead, Yuka tends to focus on skin irritants and allergens, which is helpful on one hand because many skin-irritating ingredients like SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) or phenoxyethanol (a preservative) are prohibited in natural skincare. On the other hand, Yuka often gives low scores to ingredients like essential oils, which can be allergens for some people but are perfectly safe (and beneficial) for most.
So while Yuka is useful for people with allergies, it doesn’t always help consumers who want to avoid potentially harmful or non-clean ingredients.
A Better Alternative: INCI Beauty App
If your priority is truly clean, certified skincare, the INCI Beauty app is a better tool. It uses the COSMOS framework, aligning its ratings with independent natural and organic certifications — not just what’s legally allowed.
That means you can trust the products you choose meet the highest standards for safety, sustainability, and transparency.
Can You Skip these Apps all together?
Apps are helpful, but you don’t always need them. A simple way to shop with confidence is to look for trusted certifications directly on the packaging, such as:
- COSMOS — certified organic and natural cosmetics
- Soil Association — UK organic standard
- Cosmebio — French natural and organic certification
- NaTrue — international natural and organic standard
- Demeter — biodynamic ingredients for skincare
- ECOCERT — widely recognized European certification
- BDIH — one of Germany’s most established standards for natural cosmetics
These certifications act as a shortcut for trust, helping you identify genuinely clean products without relying solely on apps.
Conclusion
Navigating clean beauty can feel complicated, but independent standards exist to guide both brands and consumers. Apps like Yuka can be helpful, but they don’t always flag ingredients that clean beauty certifications prohibit.
Fortunately, many brands are certified by COSMOS, Cosmebio, Soil Association, or BDIH, ensuring that the products you choose are truly safe, sustainable, and clean.