Exposing questionable products with the CodeCheck app

The Microplastics in cosmetics is not yet known to everyone. However, many cosmetic products such as toothpaste, shower gel and lipstick contain micro- and nanoplastics. They are used to improve shelf life, provide consistency or form a film. As we cannot perceive the danger directly, we rub the creams with our hands. Microplastics in the face or even get the microparticles in their mouths through toothpaste and lipstick. Showering with shower gel containing plastic automatically ensures that the microplastics end up in the sewage system. However, the microparticles cannot be retained in the sewage treatment plants. The result? Microplastics also end up in rivers and therefore in the oceans every day as a result of our personal hygiene habits.

In today's article, I would like to introduce you to some alternatives to plastic-heavy products and show you how you can easily recognize cosmetics with microplastics and liquid plastics.

What are the benefits of the CodeCheck app?

The app makes it easier for you to check the quality of ingredients in consumer goods over a long period of time. With the Codecheck app, consumers can use the barcode on the back of an item to check within seconds whether it is healthy and socially and environmentally friendly. This makes the purchase decision easier and means that we as buyers are not left in the dark for long. Because too many products today contain microplastics, Palm oil or sugar additives and many other unhealthy or environmentally harmful additives. I personally think that CodeCheck can put companies under massive pressure with this app. Because the more people use this app, the more likely it is that responsible entrepreneurs will be pressured to manufacture their products more conscientiously. We consumers have it in our own hands and can make a big difference!

Interview with Franziska Grammes from CodeCheck

As promised, here is my interview with Franziska Grammes from CodeCheck. A great team, with environmentally conscious employees, in my opinion! And now have fun with the interview:

Why was CodeCheck created?

Similar to you, our founder Roman Bleichenbacher also got the idea for CodeCheck during a vacation: When he was traveling in Cuba in 1998 and, unfamiliar with the local offerings, bought a completely inedible mango, he asked himself for the first time what criteria we actually use to make our purchasing decisions. Back in Switzerland, he begins to build a database in which consumers can compile information about products themselves. This includes not only the origin of the product, but also the label, the price and the exact ingredients. All this information is stored and summarized via the barcode number. The idea is that once enough information has been gathered, people can make truly empowered decisions. Decisions that are not only good for their health, but also for the planet.

What are the major dangers lurking in consumer products. When is a product optimal and what aspects do you use to determine this?

An optimal product is neither harmful to health nor to the environment. However, it is impossible to make absolute statements here, because what is potentially "harmful" and what is not is sometimes very different from one individual to another or cannot really be determined at the present time. For example, one person may be allergic to certain fragrances, but another may not. Another wants to avoid palm oil from conventional cultivation, but makes exceptions for products with certified palm oil. Someone else wants to avoid microplastics, but another does not. Therefore, with the CodeCheck app, one can individually set on which factors the focus should be placed. CodeCheck itself is not an evaluating authority that makes statements. We just provide people with the appropriate information in a matter of seconds. For this purpose, we work with Greenpeace, WWF or BUND, among others. However, the decision is ultimately made by the user himself.

What are CodeCheck's goals for the next few years? What is being worked on?

After CodeCheck has only been available throughout the German-speaking world, it is now to be made accessible to an international audience. The next big step is therefore the launch in the USA this fall. We are also working on a "carbon footprint function" that will make it possible to identify which products are CO2-intensive and which are not.

Why should the consumer use CodeCheck?

CodeCheck should be used by anyone who wants to know more about the products they use every day.

What is the easiest way for consumers to use CodeCheck?

It really is child's play. Simply download the free app for iOS or Android, pick up a (packaged) food or cosmetic product, and scan the barcode. Within seconds, you can find out whether there's palm oil in your pizza or microplastics in your shower gel - and much more. In total, we rate more than 6,000 different ingredients. For foods, we also display a nutritional traffic light.

What does CodeCheck want future consumption to look like?

People are becoming increasingly concerned with the products they consume. Through their purchasing decisions, they send very clear signals to manufacturers, who must respond. Therefore, it will become much more transparent in the future where products come from, under what conditions they were produced and what exactly they contain. (see also Zero Waste Lifestyle)

Thank you very much for the pleasant interview!

Get the CodeCheck app here

You can download CodeCheck's app for avoiding ingredients in consumer products that are harmful to health or the environment from either the Google Playstore (Android smartphones) or Apple's AppStore (iOS smartphones).

You can download the CodeCheck app here in the AppStore
Click here to download directly from the Google PlayStore

Download and installation are self-explanatory, as with all other apps.

Optimal use of the CodeCheck app when shopping

I have honestly rarely used an app that is so easy to use. Above all, within a few seconds you already have the result you want. No long waiting time and the result is clearly displayed on the cell phone. It's that simple:

1. Switch on the app and scan the barcode of the item
2. The evaluation circle shows you the assessment of the product in different colors: Red = Very alarming, because carcinogenic, environmentally harmful, etc.; Green = Harmless ingredients.

That's it. However, the app is basically a large product database where you can also search for individual brands or manufacturers without scanning the barcode. For each item, you get a lot of special information. If an item is very questionable, the app even recommends a suitable alternative product based on the data you searched for.

The CodeCheck app makes the world a little better

I am glad that Roman Bleichenbacher was traveling in Cuba and thus got the impetus to develop the app. Because the CodeCheck app makes the plastic free lifestyle and environmentally friendly everyday life in general like no other app. Easy to use and effective in solving problems. The CodeCheck app shows you immediately whether an item is healthy, socially and environmentally friendly. This changes consumption in the long term, forcing companies to adapt their products accordingly due to the change in demand.

With this in mind, stay clean,

PS.: You are welcome to read the article Microplastics in cosmetics if you are not yet 100% convinced of the necessity of this app. 🙂