The LabelPeek editorial desk
Ingredient research
LabelPeek publishes the ingredient reference behind the LabelPeek app. Every list used by a checker on this site is printed in full on the same page as the checker, with a version date, so any result can be verified by eye rather than taken on trust.
We do not diagnose, treat or rate individual branded products. Where a claim is regulatory — a ban, a labelling requirement, a permitted limit — the page names the document it comes from so you can read it yourself.
Pages by The LabelPeek editorial desk
How to use an app to scan food ingredients, and when it fails
An app to scan food ingredients reads either a barcode or the printed list, and the two fail in opposite ways. Yuka, Fig and LabelPeek compared.
Best skincare ingredient app: 6 checkers compared
Six skincare ingredient apps compared: Yuka, Think Dirty, EWG Skin Deep, INCIDecoder, SkinSort and LabelPeek, on what each reads, returns, costs and suits.
EWG Skin Deep alternatives: five ways to read a cosmetic label
EWG Skin Deep is a database you search at a desk. Compare it with Think Dirty, INCIDecoder, SkinSort and LabelPeek on input, output and reference size.
Food additive scanner app: four tools and the E number gap
Yuka, Open Food Facts, Bobby Approved and LabelPeek compared on the additive names each one matches, why Red 40 is E129 abroad, and when a scan fails.
INCIDecoder alternatives: reference, database or list screening
INCIDecoder explains one ingredient at a time. How SkinSort, SkinCarisma, EWG Skin Deep and LabelPeek differ on screening a whole list, and where each stops.
Open Food Facts alternatives for shoppers and for data users
Open Food Facts alternatives split in two — apps for shoppers, data for developers. What Yuka, Fig, Bobby Approved and LabelPeek replace, and what nothing does.
Seed oil scanner app: four tools and the names they match
Yuka, Bobby Approved, Open Food Facts and LabelPeek compared for finding canola, soybean and corn oil on a US label, plus the 35 spellings that match.
Think Dirty alternatives: five ways to read a cosmetic label
Think Dirty rates cosmetics 0–10 from a barcode. Compare it with Yuka, EWG Skin Deep, INCIDecoder and LabelPeek on input, output, reference data and cost.
Yuka vs Fig app: a general score against a dietary filter
Yuka scores a product against a general health model; Fig checks it against dietary restrictions you declare. Eight axes compared, and who each one fits.
Yuka vs Open Food Facts: private score vs open database
Yuka keeps a private score; Open Food Facts publishes its whole database under ODbL 1.0. How the two differ on coverage, freshness and fixing a bad record.
Best food scanner apps: five compared on what they read
Yuka, Open Food Facts, Bobby Approved, Fig and LabelPeek compared on the database each one reads, the scoring rule behind it, cost model and who it suits.
Best app to check ingredients: food and cosmetics
Five ingredient checkers compared for food and cosmetics: Yuka, Think Dirty, INCIDecoder, EWG and LabelPeek, plus what each database can and cannot read.
Bobby Approved app alternatives (the FlavCity one, not Bobby)
Bobby Approved is the FlavCity grocery scanner, not the subscription app. Compare it with Yuka, Open Food Facts and LabelPeek on standard, output and cost.
Is Red 40 bad for you? What the rules actually say
Red 40 is Allura Red AC, or E129. What the FDA listing, the EU labelling statement and California's 2027 school ban actually say, and how to read a label.
Is titanium dioxide bad for you? Two regulators, two answers
Titanium dioxide was removed from the EU permitted list by Regulation (EU) 2022/63 and is still permitted in the US at up to 1% by weight of the food.
How we rate food additives: the rules and the sources
The rules behind the LabelPeek additive list, what a marker of industrial processing does and does not claim, and the documents every regulatory fact came from.
Ultra-processed food checker
Paste a packaged food ingredient list and see which entries are markers of industrial processing, which are ordinary food, and which could not be read.
Comedogenic rating scale: where the 0-5 numbers come from
The comedogenic rating scale is a 0-5 score from a rabbit-ear assay. Where the numbers came from, why concentration moves them, and who certifies the lists.
Fungal acne safe checker (Malassezia triggers)
Paste a skincare ingredient list and see which entries match the Malassezia rule this page publishes in full, which do not, and which cannot be read.
Is alcohol denat bad for skin? What the evidence says
Alcohol denat is denatured ethanol, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula, and where evidence stops.
Is coconut oil comedogenic? Rated 4 on published lists
Coconut oil is rated 4 of 5 on the pore-clogging list published here, reaches labels under two different spellings, and is flagged by the Malassezia rule too.
Is dimethicone comedogenic? What the lists actually say
Dimethicone is a silicone polymer, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula, and what is unknown.
Is isopropyl myristate comedogenic? Rated 5 on published lists
Isopropyl myristate is rated 5 of 5 on the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What the number records, what it does in a formula, where it turns up.
Is phenoxyethanol safe? What the label and the rules say
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula and which document caps it.
Is shea butter comedogenic? Rated 0, and still flagged
Shea butter is rated 0 on the published comedogenic list this site uses, and the same butter is flagged by the Malassezia rule. Why both results hold.
Pore-clogging ingredients checker
Paste a skincare ingredient list and see which entries appear on the published pore-clogging list, which do not, and which could not be read at all.
Yuka alternatives: what four label scanners actually check
Why shoppers look for a Yuka alternative, and how Open Food Facts, Bobby Approved and LabelPeek differ on scanning, scoring and the data they publish.
Yuka vs Bobby Approved — score vs curated verdict
Yuka scores food with an algorithm; Bobby Approved gives a curated human verdict. How the two methods differ, what each hides, and which fits you.