How can we help?
Answers to the questions people ask most. If yours isn't here, write to info@get-checkly.com.
Scanning
What can Checkly scan?
Makeup, skincare, hair and body products. Scan the barcode, or read the ingredient list on the pack, or pick a photo or screenshot of one.
Checkly scores cosmetics only. A barcode that turns out to be food, pet food or a household product is identified and shown, and not scored.
The barcode isn't found. What now?
Many makeup products aren't in any open database yet. When the barcode draws a blank, Checkly shows “Not in the database yet” with three choices: Read the ingredients, which switches the camera to the ingredient list; Search by name; or Try again.
For context: on 28 September 2026 Open Beauty Facts held about 75,500 products, about 20,400 of them with an ingredient list, but only 539 makeup products with ingredients. That's why reading the list is a first-class feature in Checkly, not a fallback.
How do I read an ingredient list with the camera?
In the scanner, switch from Barcode to Ingredients and hold the list inside the reading frame. Ingredient Spotlight highlights the ingredients you asked Checkly to watch for, live. Take the shot, check the reading, then tap Looks right or Retake.
Good light helps, and so does turning the product until the list faces you as flat as possible: curved packs are harder to read. Checkly tells you how many ingredients it recognised, and gives no score if it could read too little.
Can I check a product from a screenshot?
Yes. Tap From a photo in the scanner and pick a photo or screenshot of the ingredient list, such as a shop's product page. You get the same highlighted reading and score. The image is read on your phone and is never uploaded.
Why does Checkly need the camera?
To read barcodes and ingredient lists. Every frame is processed on your phone by Apple's Vision framework, with no network. A still taken of an ingredient list is held in memory while it is read and then discarded; it is never saved or uploaded.
Which iPhones does Checkly work on?
Any iPhone with iOS 17 or later.
Results
How is the score worked out?
A product starts at 100. Its ingredient list is read against twenty groups, and each group that turns up costs points, weighted by the evidence behind it and by where it sits in the list, because position stands in for amount. Groups you asked to avoid count harder and hold the product to Mediocre at best.
The bands are Excellent (75–100), Good (50–74), Mediocre (25–49) and Poor (0–24). The same product and the same answers always give the same score, and no AI writes a verdict. The full method is in the app under Profile › How Checkly scores, and in short on our home page.
Why is a score read from the pack capped at 74?
An ingredient the camera failed to read is one Checkly failed to count, so the top band is out of reach from a photograph. The result is marked “Read from the label” and lists every word it recognised, so you can spot a miss.
What does “partial data” mean?
Some ingredients on the record aren't in the ingredient taxonomy, or part of the record is missing. The score still stands, but read it as a guide. It is the common case for European products. A product with no ingredient list at all is shown without a score: Checkly says there isn't enough to judge rather than implying an all-clear.
How do I change what Checkly flags?
Open Profile › What you avoid. All twenty groups are there, grouped by the evidence behind them, each with a line on why it is on the list. Profile › Your skin changes the suggestions only; it never changes a score on its own.
Can Checkly tell me whether a product is vegan or cruelty-free?
Checkly reads the claims a pack makes, such as vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free and organic, against the ingredient list and reports what the data says next to them. It cannot know whether a brand tests on animals; it reports the pack's own claim and what the ingredient list says, nothing more.
A product shows the wrong information. What should I do?
Product data comes from Open Beauty Facts, a community-edited database, and packaging changes faster than any database. Always read the pack. If something is missing or wrong, you can correct it at world.openbeautyfacts.org, which improves it for everyone. You're also welcome to tell us at info@get-checkly.com, with the barcode number.
Is Checkly medical advice?
No. Checkly is an information tool. It does not diagnose, treat, monitor or prevent any condition, and it is not a medical device. Talk to a doctor, pharmacist or registered dietitian about allergies, intolerances, medication and any change to your diet or skincare. Product data comes from community-edited databases and can be incomplete or out of date — always read the packaging.
Shelf and compare
How does the shelf know when something expires?
Tap Add to shelf on a result and enter the date you opened the product. Checkly counts down its period after opening, the open-jar symbol on the pack, using the period from the pack or, where the database has none, a typical period for that kind of product. You can change the opened date at any time from the item on your shelf.
The countdown is a convenience: the symbol on your pack, the product's condition and your own judgement come first.
How do I turn expiry reminders on or off?
Each shelf item has its own reminder switch, and Profile › Reminders turns them all on or off. A reminder arrives a week before a product reaches its period after opening, and again on the day. Reminders are local notifications scheduled on your phone; Checkly asks for permission the first time one is needed. You can also turn notifications off in the iPhone's Settings.
How do I compare two products?
Tap Compare on a result, or select two products on your shelf. You get an ingredient match: how alike the two ingredient lists are, weighted by position, what they share, what differs and what each contains from your avoid list. It compares formulas and says nothing about shade, finish or wear.
Subscription
What's free, and what needs a subscription?
The introduction and the worked examples are free, so you can see a real result before paying. Scanning, search, results, the shelf and history need an active Checkly Premium subscription, monthly or annual.
How does the free trial work?
Both plans start with a 3-day free trial for customers who haven't used it before. If you don't cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the subscription starts and renews automatically at the price shown on the paywall. Every price is shown in your own currency before you confirm.
How do I cancel?
On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose Checkly and tap Cancel Subscription. In the app, Profile › Manage subscription takes you to the same place. Cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period to stop the next renewal; you keep access until that period ends. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
How do I restore my subscription on a new iPhone?
Sign in with the same Apple ID you subscribed with, open Checkly and tap Profile › Restore purchases. The paywall has a Restore button too.
Can I get a refund?
Subscriptions are sold and billed by Apple, so refunds are Apple's to give. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.
I have an offer code. Where do I enter it?
In the app, open Profile › Redeem a code.
Your data
Do I need an account?
No. Checkly has no account and no login, and never asks for your name, email address or date of birth.
What leaves my phone?
Only the barcode number, sent to Open Beauty Facts to look the product up; any text you type into search; and your App Store purchase, which Apple handles. Your answers, scan history and shelf stay on the phone. Checkly has no analytics, no advertising and no tracking. The details are in the privacy policy.
How do I delete my data?
Open Profile › Your data. Delete scan history removes every scan from the phone, Clear your shelf removes every product and its reminders, and Reset Checkly clears your answers, your history, your shelf and the cached product data. Deleting the app removes everything too. Because none of it is on a server, there is nothing for us to delete on our side.
Still need help?
Write to info@get-checkly.com. If it's about a product, include the barcode number or a screenshot of the result, and your iPhone model and iOS version if something isn't working.