Called “someProduced”, the new application of the UFC-Que Choisir allows you to scan barcodes, which redirect to a more precise list of components affiliated with products with an impact on our health as well as on the planet. The objective? Prevent consumers of the possible presence of harmful substances in 370,000 cosmetic, household and food products. Several brands containing chemical compounds identified as carcinogens or endocrine disruptors are in the sights of the association. This is particularly the case with coca-cola and orangina sugar sodas, or Wrigley’s Airwaves.
On the cosmetic side, toxic compounds contained in UV filters, which can deteriorate in the environment, have been identified in sunscreens of the Garnier and Suns of the islands. The frequent presence of mineral oils and synthetic hydrocarbons, which can accumulate in the body and cause inflammation, has also been detected in several brands of red and lip balms (Le Petit Marseillais, Mixa). But that’s not all: very irritating coloring substances such as resorcinol (moreover suspected of being an endocrine disruptor) were detected in hair dyes of the Schwarzkopf brand.
“Press industrialists”
Once the products are scanned, consumers can instantly detect the presence of harmful substances, discover healthier and responsible alternatives, as well as report problematic products to strengthen pressure on industrialists and authorities. But also display the Nutri-Score, knowing that “40% of foods, especially the most calorie, still do not indicate it“, points to the association.
“”Every day, our children, our loved ones and ourselves are exposed to invisible risks. It is not only an informative application, it is a lever for action for consumers who can thus put pressure on industrialists so that they improve the composition of their products. But that cannot clear the public authorities, which must finally take concrete measures to protect our health and our environment“, supports Marie-Amandine Stévenin, president of the UFC-Que Choisir, in a press release.
More and more apps to scan our products
For the past ten years, the creation of tools designed to learn and/or point out the presence of harmful substances in our products has multiplied. This is for example the case of the Scan4chem application, launched in October 2024. Free and associated with a centralized European database developed by the National Institute of the Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS), it not only allows you to find out about the presence of endocrine disruptors, but also to get in touch with the manufacturer or the brand of a product if this information is missing. We also think of Mireille, a French application designed to scrink cosmetic products, created by several French people in 2020. Without forgetting, of course, the famous Yuka application, launched in 2017 by three French to inspect the content of our foodstuffs.