Yuka is one of the most popular cosmetic and food item scanners, with over 30 million users. Its commercial success has led to the development of other apps like Yuka that also scan product barcodes and give feedback instantly. Below are the ten best applications according to Alternative Net: 1. Think Dirty Who are Yuka’s competitors? Think Dirty is just the application if you are searching for an alternate ingredient scanner like Yuka on the app store. Think Dirty is a reputable app trusted around beauty product realms for its simplicity in breaking down ingredient lists. The app earned its name following a case study project by its developer, who wanted to uncover the beauty industry’s dark secrets and find healthier-safer alternative products for consumers. Think Dirty can detect toxic hormone disruptors in product ingredients through natural/organic or generic/synthesised chemicals. Think Dirty is available for download on both Apple and Google Play stores and has a database of more than 1.4 million products and 4,500 brands. 2. Open Food Facts Open Food Facts is a food scanner where you can scan and compare over 1.3 million food products. It has a vast database with product information available at will. Users can also add pictures or missing information about a product in case it is unavailable on the search results. Open Food Facts is a reliable food search app and a food Wikipedia with Nutri-score grades from A to E depending on the nutritional quality of the good. A NOVA chart group ranks products from 1-4, advising which products to avoid due to ultra-processing. Open Food Facts is available on Google and Apple Play stores, and a recent barcode search filter categorises Kosher or Halal goods for consumers. 3. Food Scanner A man is using his phone to scan a bunch of fruits. Photo: @westend61 Source: UGC Food Scanner is a free mobile app like Yuka for household items’ barcode scans. The app is a great grocery scanner that makes product ingredient information more available for users concerned about allergies or chemicals in foodstuffs. Food Scanner is popular among people on a diet plan or those wishing to shed weight in search of better health and healthier lifestyles. Food Scanner has an easy-to-use interface with mindful environmental packaging standards that rate products on their eco-friendliness. In-app features also notify users of gluten-free, Halal or Kosher-free foodstuff, making it inclusive and considerate of its vast user community across all backgrounds. 4. INCI Beauty INCI Beauty is a cosmetic analyser and private barcode scanner entity headquartered in France. The application has gained popularity in regions around Europe and can be translated into five languages. The application runs by scanning product barcodes or searching ingredients and product name labels on its search tab. The app prompts a search result with product composition fully listing ingredients and their health benefits based on an index score of 20. Product classification criteria range from good-green to controversial red colour flower scheme that identifies products as safe or harmful for human use. INCI Beauty is an alternate app like Yuka for Android-supported devices and is available for download on the Google Play Store. 5. EWG’s Healthy Living EWG’s Healthy Living is a barcode-scanning application centred on helping individuals lead healthy lifestyles. The application has a vast database with a catalogue of more than 120,000 listed products. EWG’s Healthy Living is the best food and cosmetic scanner app. Available for Android and iOS devices, EWG’s Healthy Living categories products on a merit of 1-10 score, listing carcinogenic products on a lesser score while ranking safe products with an excellent higher overall score. 6. Clearya Is there an app like Yuka for cleaning products? Yes, Clearya is a great alternate item scanning application that offers users safer swap alternatives that contain less toxic or carcinogenic components in shopping. Users are given definitive product information by searching product types on search bars during shopping. The app alerts users of any harmful toxins in the makeup of beauty product ingredients. The platform is currently available for download on both Android and iOS devices. 7. CosmEthics CosmEthics was developed by Katariina Rantanen to help consumers scan for healthier beauty product options. Available on Android and Google Play Store, the app scans and reads product barcodes when prompted by users to find healthier product alternatives. In this product scanning platform, ingredients within the products are displayed on a product page with badges indicating the level of risk associated with a cosmetic product based on data assessment. A man is scanning a cosmetic product at the pharmacy. Photo: @JackF Source: UGC CosmEthics relies on badges that utilise a colour scheme similar to traffic lights, with green being safe amber-conservative while red signals danger or potential detection of allergens. 8. Skin Bliss Skin Bliss is a popular cosmetics-beauty issue detector app with high approval and trust rating on the Play Store. The application uses an AI interface to run, assess and comprehend issues regarding the human skin and match the appropriate skincare product to the right user. Skin Bliss acts as an on-call doctor or consultant by constantly updating its product database with reviews and positive feedback from previous users with excellent experiences from the recommendations. Skin Bliss is available on Android and Google Play stores and provides accurate match-ups for users after identifying and matching the most suitable cosmetic alternatives. 9. Good Face Good Face is the most sophisticated ingredient analyser app like Yuka for iPhone devices, but it is unavailable for Android users. It has an enriched data pool that accurately lists over 80,000 ingredients graded across 15 safety dimension levels in beauty products. The app utilises an algorithm to create personalised skin care regimens customised to users’ needs and customer preferences to prescribe a safe cosmetic product. Users can easily check for product safety by running them across bar codes that list benefits and alternatives to consider. 10. Detox Me With various beauty products available on the market, jargoning between name labels and ingredient lists can be a handful. The demand for consumers with a niche for scientific data to look up and provide precise cosmetic and foodstuff reports led to the app’s development. Detox Me helps users identify toxic chemicals in their products. It gives users advice on avoiding exposure to harmful carcinogenic products. Backed by a partnership with the Silent Spring Institute, Detox Me runs scientifically backed data to advise consumers on healthier alternatives. Apps like Yuka – Final word Is the Yuka app worth it? Despite its recent downtime issues, Yuka is the go-to application for running cosmetics and foodstuff background checks based on its reputation and popularity. However, thanks to the development of apps like Yuka, changing to a cleaner lifestyle has become easier. Tuko.co.ke shared an article about the 10 best apps like Wonolo that help you get local jobs. Recently, finding work that pays you instantly after completion has been easier than in the past. The Wonolo app allows you to identify local businesses or individuals who will hire you immediately, regardless of your CV. Wonolo and its app alternatives allow you to take jobs that do not conflict with your schedule. BY TUKO NEWS