SonyaWe’re being more educated about the importance of switching over our beauty products to be more “green”. There are more and more products accessible and of course, we’re thrilled to discovered them! But how do you know what’s worth spending your money on? And then there’s the possibility of “green washing”. We know it can be pretty confusing but how do you know if you’re being snowed? Is Gwyneth endorsed products as good as she claims? Well, there’s an app to help us navigate the greens and it’s called Think Dirty.
I was introduced to this app at a recent Mindful Beauty pop-up event that featured many Canadian green beauty lines. The FREE app (available on iOS and GooglePlay) has been an eye opener for me. I’ve basically been running around my house scanning every bar code that I’ve thought to be green and it’s helped me clarify and now I’m obsessed. I’ve also had several OMG! and WTF?! moments.
And other products, “phew!” They rated great! 
The methodology behind this app is to help consumers identify the potential risks associated with personal care products they use everyday. Unlike other ingredient databases, they focus exclusively on the chemical content of the products in question.
What is greenwashing? Reading through the Think Dirty App, it’s described as “the widely used practice where environmental or social responsibility of a product’s manufacturer is factored into the assessment allowing a product to receive an artificially low toxicity rating.” (Holy smokes! I didn’t know that did you??????) BUT this app is more concerned about the possible impact of a given product on an individual’s health.
Okay, SO HOW IT WORKS:
The app allows you to quickly scan the bar code on any “green” beauty product. There are over 3.8K brands and over 840,000 products already listed within the app. It quickly finds the product you’ve scanned and offers an easy to understand rating and breakdown of ingredients.
The “Dirty Meter” rating let’s you know how “dirty” the product really is. Not only that, the rating gives you the levels of Carcinogenicity, Developmental & Reproductive Toxicity, and Allergies and Immunotoxicities. It also breakdown the ingredients that are listed on the product’s label as well as what that ingredient actually does to your skin. It’s quite thorough.
The Dirty Rating ranges from Neutral (0 to 2), Half-n’-half (3 to 6) and Dirty (7 to 10). I was really, REALLY surprised that a few of the products I have on my beauty drawer at home hit a rating of 9 –and I thought it was actually better than that!
If the product isn’t in their data bank, it will ask if you would like to add the basic information by adding in the name, brand, and images of the packaging and ingredients list. They will list it once they’ve have all the necessary information to provide a “Dirty Rating”.
There are categories in which you can store your personal beauty and skincare lists of what you’ve scanned if you like. I found this handy so the next time I head out to the store, I can quickly remember what I really liked at home, or not.
Some products also received ratings from official Certifiers. It was interesting to see the #fulldisclosure certifiers not included on all the product ingredient lists! What that means? Well, as it sounds. Sneaky and now I’m a bit suspicious now if the list isn’t transparent to the consumer!
The app is also handy while you’re in the store to quickly scan the bar code and determine if something is green enough for you to purchase.
The app also helps keep you organize and gives you a “bathroom score” so you can manage better moving forward.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW:
Of course, I understand that the app needs to monetize itself somehow. So, obviously you can shop directly on the app. You have the opportunity to research and purchase better beauty products right in the app. No obligations but it’s worth taking a look. The app is great to suggest products compared to the products you’ve scanned as well. Want to have a better deodorant or self tanner? There are options!
Give the App a try and let me know if you are as surprised at the findings!