Luminelle vs INCI Beauty
Luminelle vs INCI Beauty: which is right for you?
INCI Beauty is a French cosmetics analyser with a score out of 20 and a large community catalogue. Luminelle scores by what the regulator's entry says for that kind of product, in English, with a daily skin selfie, your cycle phase and patterns over time.
Out now on iPhone and Android. Free to download, free to scan.
TL;DR
The 3-sentence version
INCI Beauty is a French app and website for cosmetics only. It scores products out of 20, scans ingredient lists from a photo, and has a large catalogue built with its community.
Luminelle scores each product by reading the regulator entries for its ingredients as they apply to that kind of product, publishes every point of the method, and keeps a daily skin selfie, your cycle phase and your meals in one timeline. English only.
The choice: INCI Beauty if you want French, a web version, or the bigger catalogue. Luminelle if you want a score that separates bans from limits, a method you can audit, and your skin, cycle and meals in one place.
Before the comparison
What Luminelle actually is
Every scan and selfie carries your cycle phase, so what you use, what you eat and how your skin looks can be read together.
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.
At a glance
Side-by-side
| Luminelle | INCI Beauty | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2026 | 2017 (France) |
| Focus | Cosmetics, meals, cycle, skin selfie | Cosmetics |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Android, web |
| Language | English | French first, other languages available |
| Scans a barcode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scans an ingredient list from a photo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Product catalogue | Growing, EU and US focus | Large, community-contributed |
| Score | 0-100 | Out of 20 |
| How the score is built | Each flag read for the product type; bans, limits and not-scored tiers | Per-ingredient ratings combined per product |
| Concentration limits vs bans | Scored differently | Rated per ingredient |
| Uses ingredient order as evidence | ✓ (the 1% line) | Position considered |
| Method published with point values | ✓ | Method described |
| California AB 2762/2771/496 and Prop 65 in score | ✓ | - |
| Daily skin selfie observations | ✓ | - |
| Cycle phase noted on scans | ✓ | - |
| Patterns across products, meals, cycle and skin | ✓ (Pro) | - |
| Pregnancy and breastfeeding avoid-lists | ✓ | - |
| Community grading | None | ✓ |
| Free tier | ✓ (barcode scans unlimited) | ✓ |
| Paid tier | Luminelle Pro | INCI Beauty Premium |
What Luminelle does
Five things Luminelle does
Reads the regulator entry, not just the list. 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.
Covers the EU and California. EU CosIng and Regulation 1223/2009, ECHA's endocrine disruptor assessments, California AB 2762, AB 2771 and AB 496, and Prop 65 are in the score. Every flag links to the entry behind it.
Keeps community out of the score. People can submit missing products, which are reviewed before they appear. Nobody grades ingredients; only the regulator entries do.
Observes your skin daily. A selfie returns up to five plain-language observations, saved next to that day's products, meals and cycle phase. Observations, not medical advice.
Notes your cycle phase on every scan. Log your period and Luminelle estimates the phase you are in. With Pro, the Patterns view checks whether what you scan, eat and log lines up with how your skin looks across your cycle.
Who each is for
Match the tool to your habit
Luminelle is a strong fit 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
INCI Beauty is probably the better fit if…
- You want the app in French
- You want a web version
- You want the larger catalogue, especially for French and European brands
- You don't want a skin selfie or cycle layer
Both can coexist. INCI Beauty is the bigger encyclopedia; Luminelle is the careful score with your cycle and skin beside it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- How does Luminelle differ from INCI Beauty?
- INCI Beauty is a French cosmetics analyser: a score out of 20 per product, a large community-contributed catalogue, a web version, and ingredient-list photo scanning. Luminelle is English-only, scores by what the regulator entry says for the product type, publishes every point of the method, and adds a daily skin selfie, cycle phase, meals and patterns over time.
- How does Luminelle's cosmetic score work?
- Every flagged ingredient is classified as a finding, scrutiny, or listed-but-not-scored by what the regulator's entry says for this kind of product. A ban is a finding whatever the dose; a concentration limit is scrutiny; a limit the label proves through ingredient order is not scored. Each ingredient counts once, at its most severe class. The full method is public.
- Is Luminelle available in French?
- No. Luminelle is English-only. Other languages are on the roadmap but not scheduled.
- Which regulations does Luminelle cover?
- EU CosIng and Regulation 1223/2009 Annexes II to VI, the ECHA endocrine disruptor assessments, California AB 2762, AB 2771 and AB 496, and Prop 65 are in the score. SCCS opinions, ECHA hazard classifications and the EPA PFAS list are shown but not scored.
- Does Luminelle scan food?
- A plate photo or food barcode gives you the dish, calories and macros, added to your daily intake. Luminelle does not score food.
- Does Luminelle have a web version?
- No scanner on the web. Products people have scanned have public web pages, but scanning is in the iOS and Android app.
- Is Luminelle free?
- Barcode scans are free and unlimited, with an account. Photo-based scans, including a photo of an ingredient list, are limited to five a day on the free tier. Luminelle Pro removes that limit and adds Patterns, Shelf Check and Ask Luminelle.
- Does Luminelle mix community ratings into the score?
- No. The score is built only from regulator entries. People can submit missing products, which are reviewed before they appear, but nobody grades ingredients.
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.