The App That Helps Me Spot Harmful Ingredients in My Beauty Products

I used to buy whatever makeup or lotion looked cute, smelled amazing, or had pretty packaging. I figured if it was sitting on a shelf in a big-name store, it had to be safe… right?

Wrong.

How It Started

A few months ago, I stumbled across a TikTok where someone was scanning their beauty products and calling out harmful ingredients. I was intrigued (and honestly a little freaked out). They mentioned a few different apps that could scan barcodes and give you a breakdown of what’s inside—and one of them was the EWG Healthy Living App.

I’d heard of the Environmental Working Group before, but didn’t realize they had an app. It’s basically a giant database that ranks products and ingredients on a scale from 1 to 10 based on health concerns like cancer risk, allergies, and hormone disruption. Lower scores are better, and if something scores high… that’s your cue to run.

So I downloaded the app and started scanning everything in my bathroom.

What I Found Was... Alarming

My "sensitive skin" body lotion? Rated a 7. My favorite concealer? Full of questionable preservatives. Even the shampoo I thought was “clean” got flagged for ingredients linked to hormone disruption.

It was a huge wake-up call.

What I liked about the EWG app was how detailed and easy to understand it was. It not only told me what was wrong with an ingredient, but why it was flagged. That gave me way more confidence when it came to finding alternatives.

What I Switched To

I didn’t go full clean beauty overnight. I started slowly:

• Swapped my aluminum-based deodorant for one with a 1-rating on EWG

• Found a body lotion with fewer than five ingredients—all rated low-hazard

• Switched to a tinted moisturizer from a brand that’s actually EWG Verified

There are other apps out there too—Yuka and Think Dirty are great—but the EWG Healthy Living App is the one I trust most when I want to dig into the details.

What I’ve Learned

1. Greenwashing is everywhere. “Clean” and “natural” mean nothing without transparency. Apps like EWG show what’s really going on.

2. Not everything needs to be swapped at once. I’m still using up a few old products while gradually replacing them.

3. Knowledge is power. The more you understand about ingredients, the less you fall for marketing hype.

Why This Matters

We put these products on our skin every day. And while one lotion or mascara won’t hurt you, the cumulative exposure over time matters. Using an app like EWG has helped me feel more informed—and in control.

If you’re curious, start scanning. You might be surprised by what you learn… and you’ll definitely feel better once you start making the switch.

I’ve linked all my current clean beauty go-to’s on my Amazon Storefront so you can browse the exact swaps I made. I only recommend products I’ve actually tried and love.