Luminelle vs Yuka
Luminelle vs Yuka: which is right for you?
Both apps scan products and meals. Luminelle is a lab notebook - products, meals, cycle phase, and daily skin selfies, with regulator citations behind every flag.
Public launch Q2 2026. We'll email once - when we ship.
TL;DR
The 3-sentence version
Yuka is a France-founded universal scanner covering food and cosmetics on a 0–100 scale, launched in 2017.
Luminelle scans products and meals too, then adds a daily skin selfie, cycle phase on every scan, and weekly pattern detection. Every flag links to a primary regulator entry - Annex II, AB bill, SCCS opinion, Prop 65.
The choice: if you want a connected loop between products, meals, cycle, and skin - with the regulator citation behind every rating - Luminelle is built for that.
Before the comparison
What Luminelle actually is
Luminelle is a journal - a lab notebook underneath your scans, tagged with your cycle phase, paired with a daily skin selfie.
Product scan
Score every label
Barcode or ingredient list. Every product scored against EU CosIng, California AB 2762/2771/496, Prop 65, and ECHA - with the regulator citation behind every flag.
Meal scan
Calories and EDC-flagged additives
Plate photo or barcode. Calories, macros, and EDC-classified food additives scored against the same regulatory lists. Adds to your daily intake automatically.
AI skin observations
A daily selfie, week over week
Five plain-language observations per scan - pores, tone, the tired softness under your eyes. Saved next to your products, meals, and cycle. Observed without judgement.
Cycle tracking
Phase tagged on every scan
Log your period; Luminelle figures out the phase. Every product and meal you scan carries the phase you were in. Patterns surface over time. No forecasts.
The user observes patterns. Luminelle keeps the lab notebook. Not a diagnostic, not a diet app, not a brand attack.
At a glance
Side-by-side
| Luminelle | Yuka | |
|---|---|---|
| Scans cosmetics | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scans food (calories + macros) | ✓ | ✓ |
| EDC-flagged food additives | ✓ | - |
| Daily skin selfie observation | ✓ | - |
| Cycle phase on every scan | ✓ | - |
| Weekly pattern detection | ✓ | - |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Android |
| Score scale | 0–100 | 0–100 |
| Scoring model | Maximum-severity | - |
| Cosmetic-specific weighting (industrial flags zeroed) | ✓ | - |
| Direct regulator citations per flag | ✓ | - |
| EU CosIng / Annex II / SCCS | ✓ | Partial |
| California AB 2762/2771/496 | ✓ | - |
| Prop 65 (cosmetic context) | ✓ | - |
| EPA CompTox PFAS Master List | ✓ | - |
| Languages | EN | - |
| Free tier | ✓ | ✓ |
What Luminelle does
Five things Luminelle does
Methodology you can audit. Maximum-severity scoring weighted by cosmetic relevance - an EU Annex II ban weighs 2.5×, industrial REACH/CLP flags that don't apply to skin contact weigh zero. The worst flag determines the score, not the sum, so there are fewer false alarms from duplicate-list flags. Full weights at /methodology.
Source transparency on every flag. Every flag links directly to the regulator entry - tap “EU Annex II - entry 1,234” to see the row in CosIng, or “SCCS opinion 1614” to read the PDF. Citation depth determines whether a rating is independently verifiable.
Daily skin observation. Take a selfie. Luminelle's vision model writes five plain-language observations per scan, saved next to today's products, meals, and cycle phase. Observations are a journal of what changes week over week - not medical advice. A product score is abstract; a weekly observation tells you about your skin in the real world.
Cycle phase on every scan. Log your period; Luminelle tags follicular, ovulatory, luteal, or menstrual phase on every product and meal you scan. No forecasts - the phase is just there next to every scan. The SCCS evaluates ingredients differently for pregnant women and adolescents, so biological context shifts which flags matter.
Pattern detection across weeks. Every scan and selfie carries cycle phase and date. Patterns surface across weeks - which ingredients recur, whether luteal-phase skin observations differ from follicular. A score is a snapshot. A pattern is evidence.
Who Luminelle is for
Match the tool to your habit
Luminelle is best for…
- You want products, meals, cycle, and skin observations connected - not in four different apps
- You want to verify scores against the regulator's exact words
- You live in the EU, UK, or US - your local rules are the most aggressive
- You're pregnant, trying to conceive, or buying products for children
- You want a methodology you can audit, with every weight published
- You track your cycle and want it in the same place as your scans
Luminelle may not be right for you if…
- Your primary need is the largest possible scanner product database
- You don't track your cycle and aren't interested in a skin selfie loop
- You want in-app product recommendations after each scan
- You're outside the EU/US where Luminelle's regulatory focus matters less
- You prefer a scoring model that flags ingredients more conservatively
Many users will benefit from having more than one scanner installed - Luminelle for the connected loop and regulator citations, alongside whatever else you already use.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What does Luminelle do?
- Luminelle uses regulator-cited scoring, cycle integration, a daily skin selfie observed by a vision model, and weekly pattern detection.
- How does Luminelle's scoring work?
- Luminelle uses maximum-severity scoring - if multiple lists flag an ingredient, Luminelle scores the worst one, not the sum. Luminelle also zero-weights industrial REACH/CLP flags that don't apply to skin contact.
- Does Luminelle scan food?
- Yes. Luminelle scans plates and barcodes for calories and macros, and flags EDC-classified food additives against the same regulatory pipeline it uses for cosmetics.
- What does Luminelle add beyond cosmetic scanning?
- Three things. (1) Daily skin selfie observed by a vision model - five plain-language observations per scan, saved next to your products, meals, and cycle. (2) Cycle phase tagged on every product and meal scan, with weekly patterns surfacing over time. (3) Regulator citations behind every flag - every Annex II row, AB bill section, SCCS opinion, Prop 65 listing - viewable in one tap.
- Can I use Luminelle alongside other scanner apps?
- Yes. Many users will install more than one. The apps don't conflict.
- Is Luminelle free?
- Yes. All scans are free. Luminelle+ adds personalized scoring, scan history, and re-flag alerts.
A scanner is a snapshot. Luminelle is the notebook.
Free at launch. Products, meals, cycle, skin selfie - every scan saved, every flag linked to a regulator.
Public launch Q2 2026.