Paraben-free product checker

'Paraben-free' isn't automatically the safer choice

When parabens fell out of favour, some products switched to preservatives that turned out to be more sensitising (like methylisothiazolinone). Parabens are actually among the better-studied preservatives, and the EU response was to cap concentrations, not ban the whole family. Clarra's job isn't to cheerlead 'paraben-free' — it's to show you which paraben is present, what its source says, and let you weigh it against the alternative.

Why Clarra

• Identifies the specific paraben, not just 'contains parabens'.
• Sourced context from EU CosIng and EU SCCS.
• Explains why shorter-chain parabens are lower concern.
• Notes that 'paraben-free' can mean a different preservative system.
• Hazard kept separate from risk.

How Clarra reads a product

• Search a product by name, or scan its ingredient label — no live 'point at anything' barcode magic promised.
• Clarra parses the INCI ingredient list into plain English.
• Flagged ingredients get their sourced regulatory context; benign ones are marked as generally well tolerated.
• You see the three pillars at a glance and decide for yourself — informational only, not medical or safety advice.

We cite, we don't accuse

Every flag in Clarra points to a named source — the EU Cosmetic Ingredient database, IARC, California Proposition 65, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, or ECHA. We describe an ingredient as 'flagged by' or 'restricted in the EU', never as 'toxic' or 'dangerous', and we never tell you a product causes harm. Sourced context lets you make your own call with the actual facts in front of you.

Open sources, no black box

Clarra doesn't embed any proprietary rating database or invent its own secret score. It draws on open, public regulatory sources and cites them, and uses Open Beauty Facts product data under the ODbL with attribution. If you want to check where a flag comes from, the source is right there — transparency is part of the point.

What Clarra reads on every product

• Ingredient flags — how named regulators (EU CosIng, IARC, Prop 65, CIR, ECHA) classify or restrict what's inside, with hazard kept separate from risk.
• Cruelty-free status — shown with positive framing: what a brand states or is certified for, never an accusation.
• Vegan status — flagging animal-derived ingredients like carmine, beeswax and lanolin, and honest about ambiguous-source ones.