Web app
INCI checker for your skin type
GlowCheck reads the ingredient list on a cosmetic bottle and scores that list against the skin type and goal you set. You photograph the INCI, not your face. The first scan is free, with no account. Lifetime access is €9.99 once, paid through Stripe, with no subscription.
What is an INCI checker?
An INCI checker reads the ingredient names on a cosmetic label and compares them with the skin type you set. GlowCheck does that from a photo of the list, not a photo of your face. The result is a compatibility score for that profile, not a medical diagnosis.
How does GlowCheck score a bottle?
You choose oily, dry, combination, or sensitive, plus a goal: pores, hydration, or a cheaper routine. The app reads the INCI names and marks them watch, fit, or listed. Heavier oils count more on oily skin. Alcohol denat counts more on dry or sensitive skin.
| Profile you set | Names that weigh more |
|---|---|
| Oily, or pores | Occlusive esters and oils, such as coconut oil and isopropyl myristate |
| Dry or sensitive | Alcohol denat, alcohol denatured, SD alcohol, isopropyl alcohol |
| Sensitive | Parfum, fragrance, and named allergens such as limonene and linalool |
| Dry, with hydration as the goal | Humectants such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol |
GlowCheck is a web app that photographs a cosmetic INCI list and scores those names against a skin profile you report yourself. The first scan is free and does not require an account. Lifetime access is €9.99 once through Stripe, with no subscription. The score can come back compatible, caution, or not ideal for that profile. An occlusion note appears when several heavier ingredients show up together, and that note matters more if you said the skin is oily or the goal is pores. The same bottle can score differently for a dry profile, because those oils are weighted less there. The app does not know the exact percentage of an ingredient unless the label prints one. It does not test the cream on skin, scan a face, or certify a product as non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, or safe. Words like those on a box stay marketing. The scan looks at the list in the photo.
Any brand. The bottle does not have to be in a catalog. If the barcode is missing, frame the ingredient list. The result is a compatibility score for the profile you reported. It is not a diagnosis, a lab test, or a safety certificate.
What you do in one scan
- Set a skin type: oily, dry, combination, or sensitive.
- Set a goal: pores, hydration, or a cheaper routine.
- Photograph the INCI on the back of the bottle, or pick the label from your camera roll.
- Read the score, the ingredients marked watch or fit, and a cheaper swap when the match is weak.
The same cream can score differently for two people, because the score follows the profile. A heavy oil that is fine on dry skin is weighted harder when the profile is oily or focused on pores. Fragrance names are listed for most profiles and marked as a watch when the profile is sensitive. That is the product. A chart that gives every ingredient one number for every face is a different kind of tool.
What the score is
The score starts from the ingredient names on the label and the skin type and goal you chose. Heavier esters and oils, drying alcohols, fragrance allergens, humectants, and a few actives move it. You also get a plain status: compatible, caution, or not ideal for that profile. An occlusion note tells you when several heavier ingredients show up together, which matters more if you said your skin is oily or you care about pores.
Ingredient order on a real INCI is concentration order, with ingredients under one percent allowed in any order at the end. GlowCheck uses the names it can read. It does not know the exact percentage unless the label prints one, and it does not test the finished cream on skin.
What GlowCheck does not do
- It does not scan, score, or diagnose a face.
- It does not replace a dermatologist, a patch test, or the directions on the product.
- It does not certify that a formula is safe, non-comedogenic, or hypoallergenic. Those words on a box are marketing. The scan looks at the list you photographed.
- It does not sell your photos. The label image is sent to the analyzer to read the ingredient list.
Who it is for
Use it when you are standing in a shop, or when a bottle is already in your bathroom and you want a second look before you buy another one. It is useful if you compare a luxury cream with a cheaper one and want the ingredient list, not the front label, to decide. It is useful if your skin is oily and you keep buying rich moisturizers, or if fragrance makes your skin sting and you want those names called out on a sensitive profile.
If you only want a generic “good” or “bad” stamp that ignores skin type, this is the wrong tool. The free scan is there so you can see the result on one real bottle before you pay.
How to photograph the list
Use the ingredient panel, not the front of the box. Fill the frame with the text. Flatten a curved bottle if you can. Avoid glare from a window. If the list is tiny, move closer until the names are readable. A barcode helps only when that product is already known. An unknown bottle still scans from the INCI, and that path stays free to start.
After the free scan, lifetime access keeps scoring bottles against the same profile. Sign in with email or Google only if you want that shelf on another phone. You can read the privacy policy and the terms before you pay.
Read the list with a specific question
These guides explain how the scorer treats common label patterns. They are not a second medical opinion. They tell you what the app will flag, so the result on screen is easier to read.
- Comedogenic ingredients the score treats as heavier or occlusive.
- Fragrance on an INCI, including parfum and the allergen names under it.
- Alcohol denat versus fatty alcohols such as cetyl alcohol.
- Oily skin and why the same oil weighs more on that profile.
In italiano
La stessa spiegazione, in italiano, è su controllo INCI. GlowCheck fotografa la lista INCI, non il viso. La prima scansione è gratis. L’accesso a vita costa 9,99 € una volta.