What exactly is in food and cosmetics is usually tiny on the packaging. In addition, the ingredients are often hidden behind cryptic names. Fortunately, there are apps that recognize ingredients and present them clearly. You can quickly find out whether there is microplastic or palm oil in the shower gel or whether a bread contains gluten. You will get to know a selection of such apps in this article.
With contact to the manufacturer: ToxFox
The Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) has its own free app: ToxFox . This enables you to find out about harmful substances in cosmetics and other products. Such substances can, for example, be hormonally active parabens or plasticizers, which impair fertility or can cause cancer. If you scan the barcode of a product with the app, you will get information about the ingredients. The app warns its users about (potentially) harmful substances. ToxFox is financed by donations, which is why you will be asked to donate in the app from time to time.
A special function of ToxFox is that you can contact the manufacturers directly via the app. You can complain about unwanted ingredients or ask whether a product contains harmful substances. Manufacturers are legally obliged to respond to such inquiries from consumers within 45 days. This information then lands directly in the app, so that all users are informed and the database is constantly growing. So that the BUND can send your inquiries to the manufacturer and his answer to you, you must enter your name and an email address in the app. The data is stored locally on your device and temporarily by the BUND.
You can address complaints or inquiries to manufacturers directly in the BUND ToxFox app. Extensive information: CodeCheck
With the CodeCheck app you can find extensive information about products. It doesn't matter whether it's cosmetics, food or baby toys: you scan the barcode with the app and receive information about it. Of course, the CodeCheck database does not contain every imaginable product and not all information is available for every product, but the hit rate is quite high.
The app shows you the product name, price, photo and the ingredients. Their rating is color-coded: red stands for very questionable, orange for questionable, light green for slightly questionable and dark green for harmless. You can see the proportions of the substances in the product thanks to a colored cake graphic. For food there is also a traffic light with sugar, salt and fat. If you tap on one of the substances, you will also see its function and problem, as well as the sources of information that CodeCheck also discloses on a website . However, more precise information on the respective study and its publication date are missing..
The blue circle with a magnifying glass and barcode takes you to the product scan. For many products you get further information, for example similar products as alternatives. You can also search for specific products and filter them - for example, whether they are vegan, contain lactose or contain microplastics. In addition to user comments on products, you can also read advice articles on trends, sustainable nutrition or myths about cosmetic products. There has been a new function since the end of 2020: The climate score shows the CO2 footprint of selected products.
If you register with CodeCheck, you can personalize the app: In the settings you can then save, for example, that you are vegan, avoid microplastics or are allergic to gluten. This makes it easy to find products that suit your needs. CodeCheck is basically free, but contains a lot of advertising. Anyone who currently subscribes to the premium version of the app for around € 15 a year will no longer receive advertising and can also use other functions such as the offline scan.
With CodeCheck you can also search for products in different categories using the symbol above. Check the seal: NABU seal check
The Naturschutzbund Deutschland eV (NABU) also has its own app. With the free NABU seal check you can find out about seals on products. Consumers should use these symbols to recognize whether a product is, for example, fairly traded, vegan or organically produced. In order to get a seal, manufacturers have to meet certain requirements - some manufacturers come up with their own seals that look great but have no meaning.
To get information about a seal, simply take a photo of it with the app. The seal is then assessed using a traffic light system. In addition to the photo analysis, you can also browse the app's database or use filters to search for a seal to obtain more information..
With the NABU seal check, you can find out about a wide variety of product seals. For healthy children: shop poison-free
The non-governmental organization Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF) is an international network of women's, health and environmental organizations. WECF runs the nest building project with the aim of promoting the health of children. The free poison- free shopping app was also created as part of the project . This enables you to find out whether cosmetics, cleaning products, baby care products, textiles or other products contain harmful substances or toxic additives. Such pollutants or additives can be pesticides, surfactants, epoxy resin, lead or dyes.
Note: Unfortunately, the app only worked to a limited extent in our test, as an invalid SSL certificate was recognized. We were able to find out about pollutants and labels in the app, but not about individual products.
You can find out about ingredients and find out whether they are harmful in the Shop Poison Free app. Versatile scanner: barcoo
With the free app barcoo you can not only scan barcodes, but also QR codes and EAN (European Article Number). In the case of food, for example, you get information on nutrients, customer ratings or information on the sustainability of products. If you have activated GPS, barcoo will even show you where the product in question can be found at the cheapest price in your area. Alternatively, you can specify any location and select favorite stores to get local deals.
With the barcoo app you can not only scan products, but also receive local offers.