These days, many of us want to know more about what’s in the products we use - whether it’s the food in our kitchens, the gadgets in our homes, or the cosmetics and toiletries we apply to our skin. We’re asking more questions about ingredients, safety, and sustainability, and expecting clear, trustworthy answers from the brands we choose.
To meet this demand, various apps and scoring systems have emerged, promising to reveal what’s inside our products. Many of these focus on cosmetics and personal care items, but how can you be sure the information they provide is reliable? Here’s what matters when it comes to understanding cosmetic ingredients.
Cosmetic products must be safe by law
All cosmetics and personal care products sold in the UK must be safe. This isn’t optional. It’s a legal requirement under the UK Cosmetics Regulation (UKCR), which has governed product safety for over 40 years.
Every ingredient used in cosmetics is subject to rigorous safety checks. Independent scientific experts regularly review ingredients, and if there’s any doubt about their safety, they are banned. The UKCR contains strict lists of substances that are either prohibited or tightly controlled, which means any cosmetic products legally sold in the UK are safe.
Explore more about cosmetic safety regulations.
Why do some Apps flag “Harmful” ingredients?
Despite these strict safety requirements, some apps claim to flag ‘harmful’ ingredients in cosmetics. The problem? They often ignore how ingredients are actually used and the level of exposure. These apps tend to focus only on theoretical ‘hazard’ information - the effects of chemicals at extreme doses or when ingested - rather than the real-world safety of using these ingredients in properly formulated products.
To put it simply, how we are exposed to substances matters. Oxygen keeps us alive, but breathing pure oxygen at high concentrations can be dangerous. Vitamin A is essential for our health, but taken in excessive amounts, it can be harmful. Similarly, cosmetic ingredients that are entirely safe in the small amounts used in products could cause problems if consumed or applied in huge, unrealistic quantities. Cosmetics are designed for use on the skin or hair, with the skin acting as a highly effective barrier. Even so, these factors are considered in every product's safety assessment - something many apps overlook, leading to misleading or alarming claims.
How do these Apps decide what is “Safe”?
Many of these apps use flawed logic, rating ingredients as more dangerous simply because they’re highly regulated. In reality, regulation means those ingredients have been thoroughly evaluated by authorities to ensure they can be used safely. Some apps also fail to clearly explain how their ratings are calculated, leaving users with an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate picture.
Thanks to robust UK regulations, you can be confident that all legally sold cosmetic products and ingredients are safe.
COSMILE Europe – Trusted ingredient information
The COSMILE Europe app from Cosmetics Europe, the European personal care association provides access to reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on cosmetic ingredients in a transparent and accessible way, giving us confidence in the essential products we use every day.
This information is also available on the COSMILE Europe database. The COSMILE Europe app and database provide reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on almost 30,000 ingredients, helping us understand why certain ingredients are used in our cosmetic products, which properties they have and much more. The app version is also free and it is available in many languages.
The COSMILE Europe database is built using verified sources, including:
- The European Commission’s official CosIng database
- Peer-reviewed scientific literature
- Scientific Opinions from European and national independent scientific bodies
- Technical documentation from cosmetic ingredient manufacturers
- Allergy information from the Network of Departments of Dermatology (IVDK)
- Product information provided by cosmetics companies
- Thanks to its scanning feature which allows the user to scan an ingredients list on a product, there is improved accessibility to information, for instance when the packaging is small or the surrounding light is not optimal for reading
- The app offers the ability to track and therefore avoid ingredients if you have an allergy
Through the COSMILE Europe website and app, you can search for ingredient information by scanning a product label or entering an ingredient manually. If you have an allergy, the app also helps you identify these ingredients quickly and easily in cosmetic products. Available in 13 languages, COSMILE Europe offers accessible, unbiased information to empower consumers with facts, not fear.
A note for UK consumers
While COSMILE Europe provides regulatory information based on EU law, the app is also available in markets outside the EU, including the UK. Users should be aware that some ingredient regulations may differ. Each ingredient entry clearly states: “Regulating cosmetics - Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.”
