Where the data comes from.
Sivona’s scoring engine is built on established cosmetic chemistry, regulatory science, and peer-reviewed dermatology. No proprietary black boxes. Here’s what we draw from.
2.4 million ingredients. Cross-referenced.
We don’t maintain a single proprietary database. We aggregate from multiple established sources and cross-reference them against each other so no single dataset’s blind spots become ours.
PubMed & MEDLINE
Peer-reviewed clinical studies on ingredient safety, efficacy, and dermatological outcomes. The primary evidence base for active ingredient claims.
EU SCCS Reports
The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety publishes detailed opinions on cosmetic ingredient safety, concentration limits, and restrictions.
FDA & Cosmetic Regulators
Concentration limits, banned substance lists, and sunscreen monograph data from the FDA and international cosmetic regulators.
INCI Standard
The International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. We parse every label using INCI conventions, then translate to common names in 12 languages.
Open Beauty Facts
An open-source, community-maintained database of cosmetic product ingredient lists. Used for barcode scan lookups, supplemented by our own OCR pipeline.
Dermatology Journals
Published research from the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, British Journal of Dermatology, and Contact Dermatitis, among others.
From label to verdict.
Every scan follows the same five-step pipeline. The entire process takes under two seconds.
Capture
You point your camera at a product label or barcode. For images, we extract the full INCI list using vision AI. For barcodes, we look up the product in Open Beauty Facts.
Parse & translate
Every INCI name is parsed, separated, and translated to its common name. “Butyrospermum Parkii Butter” becomes “Shea Butter.” Original order preserved — position matters for concentration.
Ingredient evaluation
Each ingredient is classified (good, okay, warning, flagged) based on its safety profile, comedogenicity, regulatory status, and relevance to your skin.
Signal scoring
The formula is evaluated across nine signals — from comedogenicity to fragrance load to evidence quality — and weighted into a single Health Score. Flags relevant to your profile, like sensitivities, are called out separately.
Verdict & explanation
The score arrives with a plain-English verdict and explanations: what’s good, what’s flagged, and why. Every ingredient gets a status. No vague labels.
What we look for.
The scoring engine evaluates each ingredient against known research. Here are the key categories we track.
Proven actives
Retinoids, niacinamide, vitamin C (ascorbic acid, MAP, SAP), AHAs, BHAs, PHAs, peptides, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, azelaic acid, arbutin, kojic acid, tranexamic acid, and bakuchiol.
Known sensitizers
Fragrance/parfum, essential oils, SLS/SLES, high-concentration acids, menthol, camphor, witch hazel, alcohol denat., and formaldehyde releasers.
Comedogenic ingredients
12 known comedogens scored on a 0–5 scale: coconut oil, cocoa butter, isopropyl myristate, wheat germ oil, lanolin, and others. Weighted by INCI position.
Barrier-supporting ingredients
Ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids, phytosphingosine, niacinamide, panthenol, and centella/madecassoside. We track multi-layer moisture architecture.
Pregnancy contraindications
Retinoids, high-dose salicylic acid (>2% BHA), hydroquinone, certain chemical sunscreens, formaldehyde, and phthalates. Flagged when pregnancy is in your profile.
Regulatory red flags
Ingredients banned or restricted by EU or FDA regulations, concentrations exceeding established safety limits, and substances under active regulatory review.
What we can’t do.
We take transparency seriously. That includes being honest about our limits.
Not a dermatologist
Sivona is a research tool, not a medical device. Our scores don’t replace professional dermatological advice. If you have a skin condition, see a doctor.
Database coverage
Our barcode database covers approximately 92% of products in major markets. For the other 8%, we rely on OCR from the label photo.
Concentration limits
Brands rarely disclose exact concentrations. We infer relative amounts from INCI position (listed in descending order) and known typical ranges.