Yuka alternative
A Yuka alternative that reads the fine print
Luminelle scores cosmetics by what the regulator's entry says for that kind of product, publishes every point of the method, and keeps your skin, cycle and meals in one timeline so patterns surface over weeks.
Out now on iPhone and Android. Free to download, free to scan.
Sources: EU CosIng · Regulation 1223/2009 · ECHA · California AB 2762/2771/496 · Prop 65 · SCCS opinions · EPA PFAS list
What Luminelle actually is
Four scans, one timeline
Every product, meal and selfie carries your cycle phase. Patterns surface over weeks.
Product scan
Score every label
Barcode or a photo of the ingredient list. Every product is scored against EU CosIng, California AB 2762/2771/496, Prop 65 and ECHA, and every flag links to the regulator entry behind it.
Meal scan
Calories and macros
Plate photo or barcode. Luminelle names the dish, estimates calories and macros, and adds them to your daily intake. Meals are not scored against ingredient lists.
Cycle tracking
Phase noted on every scan
Log your period; Luminelle estimates your phase and next period from the dates you give it. Every scan and selfie carries the phase you were in, so patterns can surface over weeks.
AI skin observations
A daily selfie, week over week
Up to five plain-language observations per selfie across forehead, under-eye, nose, cheeks and jaw, saved next to your products, meals and cycle. Observed without judgement.
Not a diagnostic, not a diet app, not a brand attack.
Why people look
What Luminelle does differently
The most common criticism of ingredient scanners is that they score presence. If an ingredient appears on any list, the product loses points, whether the entry is a ban or a limit on how much may be used. Luminelle was built to answer that criticism.
A ban and a limit are not the same thing. A banned ingredient is a finding whatever the dose. An ingredient permitted up to a limit is scrutiny, because the label cannot show the level used. An ingredient whose limit the label proves through ingredient order is not scored at all. Every point value is at /methodology, with a worked example.
Every flag links to its source. Tap a flagged ingredient to see the EU Annex entry, the California bill, the Prop 65 listing or the ECHA assessment behind it, and the reason it does or does not count toward the score.
Scans talk to each other. Products, meals, cycle phase and skin selfies live in one timeline. With Pro, the Patterns view looks for links across them over weeks.
Life stage is applied to every scan. Set pregnancy or breastfeeding and every product is checked against an avoid-list for that stage.
In detail
What Luminelle does, in detail
Daily skin selfie. A selfie returns up to five plain-language observations across forehead, under-eye, nose, cheeks and jaw, saved next to that day's products, meals and cycle phase. Observations of what changes week over week, not medical advice.
Cycle phase on every scan. Log your period and Luminelle estimates the phase you are in and when the next one is due. Every product, meal and selfie carries the phase.
Meals. A plate photo or food barcode gives you the dish, calories and macros, added to your daily intake. Luminelle does not score food.
Shelf tools. Search by name, compare two products head to head, see cleaner alternatives of the same type screened against your avoid-list, and run Shelf Check across everything you own.
Who it's for
Who Luminelle is, and isn't, for
Switch to Luminelle if…
- You want a score that treats a concentration limit differently from a ban
- You want to read the exact regulator entry behind a flag
- You want products, meals, cycle and skin observations connected
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding and want an avoid-list applied to every scan
- You want a method with every point published
Stay with Yuka if…
- You want the largest possible product catalogue, especially outside the EU and US
- You want a food score, not just calories and macros
- You want the app in a language other than English
- You don't want a skin selfie or cycle layer
Luminelle is the smaller catalogue with the more careful score, and your scans, selfies and cycle in one place.
How to switch
Getting started with Luminelle
There is nothing to migrate. No history moves between the two apps.
- Download Luminelle and create a free account.
- Scan a few products you use. Barcode scans are unlimited on the free tier.
- Tap a flagged ingredient and read the regulator entry and the reason it does or does not count.
- Set your profile: skin type, sensitivities, and pregnancy or breastfeeding if that applies. These are applied to every scan.
- Take a selfie. Repeat tomorrow.
- Keep Yuka if you like it. The two do not conflict.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Does Luminelle scan food like Yuka?
- Partly. A plate photo or food barcode gives you the dish, calories and macros, added to your daily intake. Luminelle does not score food or flag additives, which Yuka does.
- Is Luminelle free?
- Barcode scans are free and unlimited, with an account. Photo-based scans are limited to five a day on the free tier. Luminelle Pro removes that limit and adds Patterns, Shelf Check and Ask Luminelle.
- How does Luminelle's scoring work?
- Every flagged ingredient is classified by what the regulator's entry says for this kind of product: a ban is a finding, a concentration limit is scrutiny, and a limit the label proves through ingredient order is not scored. Each ingredient counts once, at its most severe class. The full method, with every point value, is public.
- What does Luminelle add beyond scanning?
- A daily skin selfie with up to five plain-language observations, a cycle phase noted on every scan and selfie, pregnancy and breastfeeding avoid-lists applied to every product, and a Patterns view that looks for links across products, meals, cycle and skin over weeks.
- I'm pregnant. How does Luminelle handle that?
- Set your life stage to pregnancy or breastfeeding and every product you scan is checked against an avoid-list for that stage. The score itself is not changed; the avoided ingredients are called out on the product.
One scan tells you what's in it. A month tells you what it does.
Free to start. Products, meals, cycle, skin selfie, with every flag linked to a regulator entry.
Out now on iPhone and Android.