Yuka Enables Healthier Living Worldwide with Smart Data Capture

Yuka is a Paris, France-based business dedicated to keeping consumers informed about the food they eat and cosmetics they use. In 2017, Yuka launched a free mobile app that enables consumers to scan product barcodes using Scandit Smart Data Capture and obtain instant evaluations of the nutritional value of food products. Due to user demand, in 2018 it enabled the app to scan cosmetic products (such as soap and shampoo) to obtain information about the ingredients’ healthiness.

The Yuka app reached 100,000 users in six months (only in France and on iOS) growing to 7 million downloads in 2018. Fast forward to 2024, Yuka now proudly serves over 55 million users globally in 5 different languages in 12 different countries after expanding across Europe, but also into Australia, Canada and the United States.

Yuka’s rapid growth has been a sign of the times: people have been paying closer attention to the products they are consuming. This partly stems from eroded consumer trust in food and cosmetics manufacturers: when Yuka was launched, for instance, France was reeling from major food scandals; likewise, the beauty industry seems to be plagued by scandal after scandal. “Sixty percent of food products in the market are bad for your health,” said Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka. Additionally, social media has boosted education about health risks associated with certain ingredients, sparking a shift towards a better lifestyle. The rise of influencing and de-influencing has only augmented the trend.

Yet it’s still incredibly difficult to keep track of harmful products, sift through opposing subjective customer reviews, and decode complicated product labels. Chapon notes:

Food and cosmetic labels are very complicated to decipher: there’s a huge amount of information, hard-to-interpret nutritional facts, and the ingredient lists are full of complex words.

Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka

That’s where scanning comes in.

Powered by Scandit, the Yuka app offers the perfect tool for objective (and actionable) product insights by empowering anyone to effortlessly access expert product information and, ultimately, healthy living.

Challenge

When Yuka set out to build its mobile app, it was clear the camera-based scanning engine had to meet several non-negotiables — after all, the ability to scan in-app underpinned Yuka’s entire value proposition.

Designing a solution to appeal to the average shopper meant scanning had to be fast, accurate, extremely intuitive, and work on a myriad of consumer devices so that it’s accessible to as many people as possible. From an operational perspective, high-performing barcode scanning capabilities were imperative to identify products on the spot and match them to database information. It also had to work:

• On tiny barcodes (often found on grocery and cosmetic products)
• On damaged barcodes (e.g., frozen products)
• In low-light or glare conditions (typical inside stores, fridges, etc.)
• At angles or from a distance

Poor scanning would result in users quickly growing frustrated by hard-to-scan barcodes, slow processing, and product mismatches. App adoption and recurring usage were at stake.

Yuka first tested Apple’s native iOS scanning, Google’s Firebase native Android scanning, and an open-source option. However, none were up to Yuka’s standards.

“The iOS and open-source solutions didn’t work that well, especially in difficult and low lighting or with damaged codes,” said François Martin, CTO and co-founder of Yuka. “The Google Firebase solution did not scan quickly and the orientation of the smart device had a negative effect on scanning.”

Following this process, Yuka decided to integrate the Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK into its app.

Solution

The Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK was the perfect choice for Yuka’s developers thanks to its unmatched speed, superior accuracy, adaptability to difficult conditions, user-friendliness, and compatibility with over 20,000 models of smart devices, ticking all of Yuka’s boxes.

In addition to Scandit’s superior performance, Yuka found integrating smart data capture into its app to be an easy and straightforward process: “The Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK integration has been pretty easy,” said Martin. “It was easy to implement and fast to develop. The stability and scalability have been a big help. We didn’t have any problems.”

Scandit enabled shoppers to easily scan product barcodes using their smartphone’s camera, after which the Yuka app showcases the product’s overall score out of 100 and a color-coded verdict: “Bad” (Red; 0-24), “Poor” (Orange, 25-49), “Good” (Light Green, 50-74) or “Excellent” (Dark Green, 75-100). Users can then access a detailed product sheet to understand the score: for food, that includes nutritional and chemical evaluations of ingredients; for cosmetics, that means a risk analysis of the ingredients’ potential effects on health or the environment; all criteria are backed by scientific sources.

If a product is determined to be unhealthy, the app will independently recommend similar alternative items that have a better score.

Additionally, if the item does not match one of the 3 million food products and 2 million cosmetic products currently existing in Yuka’s database, the user can add the information themselves. Brands can submit product information too. Regardless of the source, this information then passes numerous automated reliability checks, as well as a manual check if needed, and is ultimately included in the respective database. 1200 new products are added to Yuka’s library daily.

Throughout the entire product lookup process, scanning is effortless: “Customers’ first experience on the app is scanning the product and seeing if it is good or bad. They are amazed at the speed of the scan and the phone’s performance. It’s part of the ‘wow effect’. The product’s barcode image might be blurry, but it will still scan well,” commented Martin.

Expansion of digital services

The enterprise has continued to expand its digital services to better serve users in cool and innovative ways, like highlighting Top Scanned products. Additionally, to spur business growth, the food & cosmetic scanner has introduced premium features such as:

• A search engine allowing product lookup without any barcode scanning
• An offline mode that allows scanning without an internet connection
• Product alerts for dietary preferences and intolerances the likes of gluten, lactose, or compatibility with a vegetarian or vegan diet

Results

Since its inception, Yuka has simplified the food and cosmetics shopping process for millions of people globally, reshaping consumer behavior and leading to healthier lifestyles. The app’s own studies show that, since they’ve started using Yuka, 92% of users have been buying fewer ultra-processed foods and 88% feel they are in better health.

Scandit proudly supports this shift to healthier lifestyles through its Smart Data Capture technology, which has allowed the Yuka app not only to function smoothly from a technological perspective but also to scale operations at an astonishing rate without fear of disruption. In 2023 alone, Yuka recorded 1.2 billion product scans (42 scans per second) worldwide and it’s set to keep growing amidst increasing popularity.

And that’s not all. As a result of its rapid growth and influence, Yuka is positively affecting how food and cosmetics manufacturers create their products. For instance, French supermarket chain Intermarché committed to redesigning the recipes for 900 products to get rid of 142 additives. Organic brand Bjorg has reduced sugars and blacklisted additives. Likewise, cosmetics company Caudalie aims to have all its products achieve green ratings in the app.

“Companies will speak with us about what they can do to improve existing products and before they launch new products,” explained Martin. “The grade on the Yuka app is an important factor in consumer purchasing decisions. We have played a crucial part in the industry’s efforts to reduce salt, sugar, and additives in food products. We’re part of the bigger picture.”

Overall, it’s no wonder the Yuka app has such incredible user ratings (App Store: 4.8 from 50,000 reviews; Google Play: 4.7 from 125,000 reviews) – its ease of use, coupled with the information it provides, makes it a one-of-a-kind resource. Recently, Yuka also became a Certified B-Corp, cementing its status as a true force for good — and Scandit is proud to play a part in its far-reaching positive impact.

“For more than seven years, Scandit has been a key partner in bringing our vision to life, helping us grow Yuka and expand our user base across the globe and into new continents. Its Smart Data Capture capabilities remain unparalleled, meeting all our needs and most importantly all our users’ needs, and we’re looking forward to collaborating further to continue to enable healthier choices for consumers,” declares Chapon.