Yuka (Food) vs ClearaScan: A Single Score vs Your Own List

For food, Yuka gives one score for everyone; ClearaScan checks against your own avoidance list. A fair, UK-focused look at how the score-based and personal-list approaches differ, and who each suits.

The core difference

On food specifically, Yuka and ClearaScan take opposite approaches. Yuka scans a barcode and returns a single score out of 100, based on its own view of nutrition and additives, and it shows the same verdict to everyone. ClearaScan does not score anything; it checks a product against the specific ingredients you have chosen to avoid. Score-based versus personal-list is the whole distinction. Both are useful, and for sensitive or allergy-prone eaters the right choice comes down to whether you want a general nutritional read or a check against your own triggers.

How each one works

Yuka is enormously popular and works from its own criteria. For food it weighs up nutritional quality and additives, returns one traffic-light-style number, and gently steers you towards better-rated products over time. The appeal is speed: one glance tells you how a product rates. ClearaScan works from your personal list instead of a universal rulebook. You add the ingredients you react to once, then scan any product, food, medication or cosmetic, and it flags only yours, doing the matching for you. It is currently in early access. The core difference is a general score versus your own guard list.

A fair point-by-point comparison

Coverage. Yuka has a vast, mature database spanning food and cosmetics, so a random product is very likely to be recognised. ClearaScan is cross-category, covering food, medication and cosmetics, but as an early-access product its database is still growing.

How each judges a product. Yuka applies its own nutrition-and-additives criteria to produce one score. ClearaScan makes no general judgement; it only checks against your list. If you find Yuka’s criteria too broad, or disagree with how it weighs additives, a personal list sidesteps that entirely.

Personalisation. This is the crux. A Yuka score is the same for everyone, so it cannot know your triggers. A good score is no comfort if the product still contains yours, and a poor score may penalise things that are fine for you. ClearaScan starts from your triggers, so it answers “is this right for me?” rather than “is this generally good?”.

Cosmetic versus food. Both span more than food, which is a genuine strength on each side: Yuka covers cosmetics too, and ClearaScan checks food, medicines and skincare against one list. If your triggers cross categories, both are better than a food-only tool.

Cost. Yuka has a free version and a paid tier; ClearaScan is in early access. Terms change, so check the current position in each app.

Where each falls short. Yuka’s single score cannot reflect your personal triggers, which is its main limit for sensitive skin, and its criteria will not suit everyone. ClearaScan depends on you building an accurate list, and a missed trigger or an unfamiliar alias can slip through, so a newer tool with less coverage asks a little more care of you.

Who each one suits

Yuka suits someone who wants a fast, general nutritional read across their shopping and likes being nudged towards better-rated products. It is excellent for that broad “is this generally well-rated?” question. ClearaScan suits someone who already knows their triggers and wants them caught quickly, in the aisle, and whose triggers may reach into medicines and cosmetics as well as food. It also adds a Reaction Journal to tie flares to products, a shared Care Circle so family or carers can scan for you, and a Trusted Products list for items you have cleared.

An honest recommendation

Use Yuka for a fast general score across your shopping, and ClearaScan when what matters is whether a product contains the specific things you react to. The honest trade-offs are clear on both sides. Yuka needs no setup and has a huge database, but its one-size score cannot know your triggers. ClearaScan is tailored to you and spans food, medicines and skincare, but you have to build the list yourself and it is still in early access with less coverage. For many people with sensitive skin, both have a place: the score for browsing, the personal list for safety. If you are not yet sure what sets off a reaction, neither app replaces advice from a GP or dietitian. (Disclosure: our editor co-founded ClearaScan, and we are not paid to mention the others.)

Written and reviewed by the Sensitive Skin Lab editorial team.