These sites will help you decode the ingredients on your skincare products

Whether it's a drugstore moisturizer or expensive eye cream, the first thing you need to look at for any cosmetic product isn't the claims or product description -- it's the ingredient list.

And understanding the list isn't something that comes naturally to everyone. We all don't have a degree in chemistry, right?

So how can you tell which ingredients are good for you? Well, these sites will help you decode all the marketing lingo and list all the ingredients that are actually inside your beauty products making you a more conscious consumer.

Think Dirty App

Photo by: thinkdirty (IG)

The Think Dirty app helps you to understand how “clean” ingredients really are. Unlike other databases, the app focuses exclusively on the chemical content of the products in question.

All you need to do is scan the barcode and the app will give you easy to understand info on the product -- including its ingredients and if there are cleaner options available.

CosDNA

CosDNA is not the prettiest website but it has a great database of the most popular beauty products. Search for the product you want to buy and it will list down its every ingredient.

It also rates each ingredient for function, UV, acne irritant, and safety. The value is listed from zero to five --the lower the better. And the safety index is listed from one to nine, with the lower number meaning the ingredient is considered to be a low hazard.

Skincarisma

Skincarisma is super easy to use because it not only lists a product's ingredients but also breaks down what they're doing for your skin. Plus, it also tells you if the product contains parabens, alcohol, and sulfate.

Unlike other checkers, the site also has a section where you can copy-paste the ingredients, meaning they don't necessarily need to have the product in their library for you to analyze.

Incidecoder

Like Skincarisma and CosDNA, Incidecoder allows you to check an ingredient if it's best for your skin or not. Unlike the two, you can take a photo of the ingredients if you don't have time to copy-paste anything.

Plus, once it gives you a breakdown of the ingredients, it also lists down any available scientific reference used so you can learn more about the product.

Environmental Working Group

EWG's Skin Deep database contains information and online hazard assessments of over 74,000 products. Scientists working for EWG compare the ingredients on product labels and websites to information in nearly 60 toxicity and regulatory databases.

EWG is also a good tool to find if a company or a brand shared its stance on animal testing.

CodeCheck App

Photo by: codecheck_app (IG)

Another app that uses barcodes to quickly scan and analyze a beauty product is CodeCheck. It provides transparency regarding the ingredients in everyday beauty products and also some food.

Not only does it rate the possible effects on your health, but it also gives information about how a product's ingredients and packaging affect the environment.

Beautypedia

Beautypedia is a website that cuts through the hype of products and offers insights into its ingredients. The results are then compiled to objectively review skincare and makeup formulations.

So which is best?

Each one of these apps and websites is very useful when it comes to checking ingredients.

But take into consideration that for every research paper stating that an ingredient is harmful, there's probably another three stating it's safe.

It's also worth noting that there are only so few “perfect” products out there.

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