Health Intelligence
What Happens When a Product Isn’t Right for You
Darren Crowder · · 2 min read
Most people have scanned a product, seen a red warning, and been left with no idea what to do next. Should you throw it away? Is it dangerous? Is it only a problem for some people?
Enbodie is designed to answer those questions, not leave you with them.
Not “good” or “bad”
We don’t simply tell you that a product or ingredient is “good” or “bad”.
We explain what we have found, why it may matter, what the evidence says, and why it may matter to you personally.
That last part is the one most tools skip.
Why the same product can be fine for one person and not another
Something that is perfectly suitable for one person may not be right for another. Many things can make a difference:
- Your skin, and any sensitivities or allergies
- Your age, ethnicity and life stage
- Your health profile, and any medications you take
- The other products you use
- Your lifestyle and values
- Your overall exposure
A single rating for everyone can’t reflect any of that. Enbodie builds the assessment around you.
Looking beyond one product
This is one of the most important ideas behind Enbodie.
An ingredient may be within an accepted level in one product. But you might meet the same ingredient in several products you use every day: a cleanser, a moisturiser, a sunscreen, a shampoo.
Looked at one by one, each product may seem fine. Looked at together, the picture can be different.
Enbodie helps you understand that cumulative exposure and wider context, rather than judging every product in isolation.
Not just a warning: your options
A warning with nothing after it isn’t much help.
Where appropriate, Enbodie helps you understand what you could use instead. That means finding alternatives that don’t contain the ingredient of concern, or that may be better suited to your profile, needs and values.
So rather than simply saying, “There’s something in this product you should avoid,” we want to help you understand:
Here’s what we found. Here’s why it matters to you. Here are your options. And here are alternatives that may be better suited to you.
No scare tactics
The goal isn’t to frighten you or tell you to throw products away.
It is to give you enough clear, personalised and evidence-based information to make the choice that feels right for you. Sometimes that will be to keep using a product. Sometimes it will be to switch. Sometimes it will be to talk to a pharmacist, doctor or dermatologist first.
Enbodie doesn’t diagnose medical conditions, and it isn’t a substitute for professional medical advice.
Whichever you choose, what matters is that the choice is an informed one.