Luminelle vs Yuka
Luminelle vs Yuka: which is right for you?
Both apps scan food and cosmetics. Yuka scores a cosmetic by its riskiest ingredient. Luminelle scores by what the regulator's entry says for that kind of product, then adds 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
Yuka is a French scanner launched in 2017 that rates food and cosmetics on a 0-100 scale in four bands, is independent and ad-free, and has one of the largest product catalogues of any scanner.
Luminelle is a newer, smaller app that scores cosmetics by reading each regulator entry for the product type, publishes every point of the method, and keeps a daily skin selfie, your cycle phase and your meals in one timeline so patterns can surface over weeks.
The choice: Yuka if you want the biggest catalogue and a food score. Luminelle if you want a score that distinguishes a ban from a concentration limit, a method you can audit, and your skin, cycle and products connected.
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 | Yuka | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2026 | 2017 |
| Scans cosmetics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scans food | Calories and macros, no score | Scored 0-100 |
| Product catalogue | Growing, EU and US focus | Very large, many countries |
| Cosmetic score | 0-100 | 0-100, four bands |
| How the cosmetic score is built | Each flag read for the product type; bans, limits and not-scored tiers | Set by the riskiest ingredient |
| Concentration limits vs bans | Scored differently | Not distinguished |
| Uses ingredient order as evidence | ✓ (the 1% line) | - |
| Method published with point values | ✓ | Method published; risk levels per ingredient |
| Sources shown per ingredient | Link to the regulator entry | Sources cited in-app |
| Daily skin selfie observations | ✓ | - |
| Cycle phase noted on scans | ✓ | - |
| Patterns across products, meals, cycle and skin | ✓ (Pro) | - |
| Pregnancy and breastfeeding avoid-lists | ✓ | - |
| Cleaner alternatives after a scan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages | English | Many |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Free tier | ✓ (barcode scans unlimited) | ✓ |
| Paid tier | Luminelle Pro | Yuka 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, with a worked example.
Links every flag 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.
Observes your skin daily. 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, not medical advice.
Notes your cycle phase on every scan. Log your period and Luminelle estimates the phase you are in. Every product, meal and selfie carries it.
Looks for patterns over weeks. With Pro, the Patterns view checks whether what you scan, eat and log lines up with how your skin looks across your cycle. Correlation, not causation.
Who each is for
Match the tool to your habit
Luminelle is best for…
- You want a score that treats a concentration limit differently from a ban
- You want to read the exact regulator entry behind a flag, and why it counts
- You want your products, meals, cycle and skin in one timeline
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding and want an avoid-list applied to every scan
- You want a method with every point published
Yuka is probably the better fit 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
Both apps can live on the same phone. Luminelle is the smaller catalogue with the more careful score, and your scans, selfies and cycle in one place.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What does Luminelle do that Yuka does not?
- A daily skin selfie with up to five plain-language observations, a cycle phase noted on every scan and selfie, a Patterns view that looks for links between products, meals, cycle and skin over weeks, and a score that reads each regulator entry for the product type instead of the ingredient alone.
- What does Yuka do that Luminelle does not?
- Yuka has a far larger product catalogue, many languages, and a food score. Luminelle estimates calories and macros for meals but does not score food against ingredient lists.
- How does Luminelle's scoring differ from Yuka's?
- Yuka's cosmetics score is set by the riskiest ingredient in the product. Luminelle classifies every flagged ingredient as a finding, scrutiny, or listed-but-not-scored, based on what the regulator's entry actually says for that kind of product, and uses the label's ingredient order to prove when a capped ingredient is within its limit. The full method, with every point value and a worked example, is public.
- Does Luminelle scan food?
- Yes. A plate photo or a food barcode gives you the dish, calories and macros, added to your daily intake. It does not produce a food score or flag additives.
- Is Luminelle free?
- Barcode scans are free and unlimited, with an account. Photo-based scans (a plate, a food label, 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.
- Can I use Luminelle alongside Yuka?
- Yes. Nothing about the two apps conflicts, and many people will keep both.
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.