Compare/EWG Skin Deep

Sketchy Labels vs EWG Skin Deep

EWG’s Skin Deep® has rated personal care products since 2004 and is one of the best-known ingredient databases around. It gives each product a 1–10 hazard score alongside a data availability rating. Sketchy Labels reads a photo of any ingredient list and rates each ingredient against EU, Canadian and US rules for that kind of product. Here’s how they compare.

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Side by side

FeatureSketchy LabelsEWG Skin Deep
What it covers
Sketchy LabelsFood, cosmetics, cleaning, pet and home products
EWG Skin DeepSkin Deep: personal care, with 156,477 products from 7,901 brandsEWG’s Healthy Living app adds food and household cleaners: more than 200,000 rated products
How you look a product up
Sketchy LabelsA photo of the ingredient listWorks on any product with a printed list, in a database or not
EWG Skin DeepSearch the Skin Deep website, or barcode-scan or search in the appFor a missing product, you can build your own report on the website
The score
Sketchy Labels0–100, higher is better, each ingredient weighted by its position on the label
EWG Skin DeepHazard score from 1 to 10, where 1 is best, plus a data availability rating. A product’s score isn’t an average of its ingredients; EWG uses a weight-of-evidence approach
What an ingredient is rated on
Sketchy LabelsHow EU, Canadian and US rules treat it for that product type, with the rule cited
EWG Skin DeepKnown and suspected hazards (cancer, reproductive toxicity, allergies, endocrine disruption, use restrictions and more), from nearly 60 toxicity, regulatory and study databases
When data is thin
Sketchy LabelsIngredients we can’t confirm are scored as Fair and marked unverified
EWG Skin DeepA separate data availability rating shows how much published research exists
Certification
Sketchy LabelsNone: we score products, we don’t certify them
EWG Skin DeepEWG VERIFIED® mark (2,529 products): no ingredients from EWG’s “Unacceptable” list, full ingredient disclosure including fragrance, good manufacturing practices
Where you can use it
Sketchy LabelsWeb (no account needed), iPhone and Android
EWG Skin DeepSkin Deep website and the EWG’s Healthy Living app
Languages
Sketchy LabelsEnglish and French
EWG Skin DeepEnglish
Price
Sketchy LabelsFree: 10 scans every 3 minutes on the web, 10 a month in the appPremium $7.99 CAD/month or $49.99 CAD/year (pricing)
EWG Skin DeepWebsite free to browse; app free with in-app purchases
Who runs it
Sketchy LabelsAn independent Canadian company; no brand partnerships, sponsored results or affiliate linksDatabase hosted in Canada (privacy policy)
EWG Skin DeepEnvironmental Working Group, which describes itself as independent and nonprofit and accepts tax-deductible donations

Where EWG Skin Deep is stronger

  • Two decades of work. Skin Deep launched in 2004, and every product added is reviewed by EWG staff for its type, use and target users.
  • The data availability rating. Seeing how much research exists on an ingredient is genuinely useful, and it’s something EWG puts front and centre.
  • EWG VERIFIED®. If you want a shortcut on the shelf, the mark has published criteria: no ingredients on EWG’s “Unacceptable” list, full disclosure (fragrance included) and good manufacturing practices.
  • A wide view of hazards, including ecotoxicity, occupational hazards, contamination concerns and enhanced skin absorption.
  • Browsing without a product in hand: you can search products and ingredients on the website, or browse by category.

Where Sketchy Labels is different

  • It reads the label, not a database entry. New products, store brands and anything Skin Deep doesn’t list still get a score, as long as the ingredient list is printed.
  • Food, cleaning, pet and home products are scored with the same app and the same method as cosmetics.
  • Each rating is tied to published regulation for that product type, and the EU, Canadian and US status are shown side by side, with the rule cited. See the rules compared page.
  • The scale runs the other way: 100 is best. And position on the label matters, so an ingredient at the top counts more than one at the end.
  • English and Canadian French, a web scanner with no account needed, and a database hosted in Canada.

Which should you use?

If you want to research a personal care product before you buy, see how much evidence exists on each ingredient, or shop for EWG VERIFIED® products, Skin Deep’s long-running database is a good place to start.

If you’re standing in the aisle with a product that isn’t listed, want food and cleaning products covered too, or want to know how the EU, Canada and the US each treat an ingredient, Sketchy Labels is built for that.

The two use different scales and different methods, so their numbers won’t line up. Using both gives you a fuller picture.

Frequently asked

Is a 1 in EWG Skin Deep the same as a 100 in Sketchy Labels?

No. The scales run in opposite directions (EWG’s hazard score runs from 1, best, to 10; Sketchy Labels runs from 0 to 100, with 100 best) and they measure different things: EWG scores known and suspected hazards using a weight-of-evidence approach, while Sketchy Labels rates each ingredient against EU, Canadian and US rules for that product type.

What does the EWG VERIFIED® mark mean?

According to EWG, a VERIFIED product contains no ingredients on its “Unacceptable” list, fully discloses its ingredients to EWG (including fragrance ingredients) and is made following good manufacturing practices.

Does EWG Skin Deep consider Canadian rules?

EWG lists “use restrictions” among its ingredient concerns, based on industry guidelines and government requirements or guidance from the US, EU, Japan or Canada. Sketchy Labels rates every ingredient against EU, Canadian and US rules for the product type and shows each region’s status separately.

Are EWG Skin Deep and Sketchy Labels free?

The Skin Deep website is free to browse, and EWG’s Healthy Living app is free with in-app purchases. Sketchy Labels is free to scan with limits; Premium in the app adds household profiles, personal flags and regulatory notes.

Sources

Competitor details come from the pages and store listings below, as they read when we checked them. Prices and features change; check the source for the current version. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through the contact page and we’ll fix it. Contact us

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