Think Dirty – Shop Clean Reviews

by M0rrgan1313

until it put half of its features behind a PAYWALL. I used to love ThinkDirty and I used it a lot, never went to the beauty counter without out. Until they ruined it. I understand apps have to make money and nothing in life is free. However. It went from, a easy to use app with lots of good information and some of the more advanced features needing a subscription…to locking up all the item ingredients and even my profile behind a PAYWALL. After I had been a registered user for YEARS. Not cool guys, not cool. I can’t continue to bother with ThinkDirty since it is now useless unless you pay for an annual subscription. The developers could have done something else for basic users like advertising to keep their profit margins but no, they chose instead to change an app that was free with some extra paid features to, a yearly subscription app thatis essentially unusable without a subscription. I will not be recommending ThinkDirty to anyone in the future because everyone always has more yearly app subscriptions than we should have anyway and you can find similar apps online for free.

by Pearsandclementines

I got ThinkDirty for the purposes of learning more about the products I apply every day and potentially turning over my makeup bag to include less harmful products. Immediately after downloading I started searching products in my makeup bag to learn more about the ingredients. There was no data on my bronzer, foundation or primer by Fenty Beauty, my Too Faced lip gloss, my mascara, or Glossier brow gel. Admittedly, I don’t race to get the newest release of lip kits or products but I also know that I’m not working with out-of-date or obscure makeup. I’m surprised that there would be no information on my products from the three major brands I listed above. I did get prompted to upload info and submit my products to ThinkDirty ’s database but I could not get a clear picture of my product even after 5 retakes. I don’t have this issue when using my iPhone camera normally so I can only assume it was an issue of ThinkDirty .
I don’t want to completely disregard what ThinkDirty has to offer. The ability to look further into a certain ingredient with one click and get and overview of health effects and usage with a list of sources is so convenient and the concept I came for. I’m just disappointed that for have an average makeup bag with products from big names that I couldn’t find what I was looking for. For now I’ll just do my own research via Google.

by Gabsteryyy15

A friend referred ThinkDirty to me as an expecting mother. I got ThinkDirty and started scanning and was appalled at what ThinkDirty thought was dangerous. I did my research on some ingredients, carcinogens, health problems and whatnot. ThinkDirty is very biased towards organic product. If it’s not organic, they will label is 8-10 and call it very dangerous. One of my products is labeled a Group 2B by the national Cancer society- there is a possibility of it having harmful effects towards humans but the studies were inconclusive since it was tested on animals and not humans. But ThinkDirty said it was a 9- very dangerous. It’s good to know what is in your products, but ThinkDirty doesn’t tell you how much exposure to a product you’d have to endure before seeing effects of the bad ingredients. For example, *possible* carcinogens are found in Johnson and Johnson baby body soap. But to see effects of those possible carcinogens, a baby would have to be exposed to thousands and thousands of gallons. And even then, it is only a slight possibility (less than .0001%) that the child would get cancer. The information ThinkDirty provides is misleading and it’s in favor of organic products. I think ThinkDirty producers get paid to rate those products as “heathy products.”

by Sarah E Johnson

Like a lot of negative reviews on here, take the information with a grain of salt. The idea for ThinkDirty is VERY interesting, but it’s been executed poorly.
- not all of the ingredients they deem “bad” on some products are accurate. I’ve noticed on a few skin care products I use have been labeled as containing fragrance. The ingredient list on the bottle says otherwise and is staunchly fragrance free on the bottle.
- secondly, I think methylparabens shouldn’t be labeled as a “dirty” ingredient. This is controversial and is used in a lot of formulas to keep the product stable. There are also other ingredients several other people have pointed out as safe but are labeled dirty in ThinkDirty.
- they 100% sell your information to other companies to make a buck. This is the biggest no-no to me that made me delete ThinkDirty . An app that truly wants to help people wouldn’t be using a platform to do this. I understand they need to make money somehow, but this isn’t the way. By rating products ThinkDirty is paid to rate as “safe” (i.e Native) and selling information to other platforms that you viewed this product, you ruin your credibility.

by Mscookie0

I like that you can search for a product by name, but I wish there was a way to sort products by quality and price (which I noticed the website doesn’t include and is an important aspect for most, how much is this 1 rated shampoo vs the 3 rated shampoo? - for those unfamiliar a lower rating means a better product) I’ve also noticed a lot of comments on the really low rated products were quite negative or indicated they would not purchase more and you’d have to scroll to find some positive reviews, but ThinkDirty still shows that product with an 80% would use again with 4+ stars?? When most the upfront comments are negative? I’m not sure about the reviews section of ThinkDirty. I definitely will be using ThinkDirty to further look into potential products, but it’s not as useful with finding new ones as I hoped it would be.

......after perusing ThinkDirty for another 30 min or so and cross checking it with “the best 10 hair care products for dry hair” so far were 6/6 being listed as 8 ratings aka very dirty. Now I expected some of the big name brands to not be the best for you, but literally all of them are listed as very dirty because they have a fragrance in them? I get that fragrance is a chemical but if all the other ingredients are green and they have one thing that’s an 8 I don’t think giving it an 8 rating is fair....

by MMBrady_Theo

I downloaded ThinkDirty several years ago. I went on a scanning frenzy. It was both alarming & terrifying to read all the suspect ingredients that were in items I had assumed were for the most part safe, particularly skin care. One expects chemicals in cleaning products, but not your lotion or toothpaste or even laundry detergent. It also made me think about where all these chemicals end up, that is in our water supply & soil, basically they are assimilated into our environment one way or another. That is the real benefit of ThinkDirty, it makes you stop & think. I have found that some of the rating is misleading & not fully accurate like they are trying to scare people. I do not like the persistent level that they push products on users. It seems to have increased significantly since I first downloaded ThinkDirty . Also I had a ton of products scanned & submitted that were not in the system & they are all gone now. That is extremely frustrating to me. It takes time to input products. I check back occasionally to see if they have been rated & to find that they are all just gone was pretty crappy.

by Candycrrushqueen9362589492

I really do like ThinkDirty, it’s a simple way to look at the ingredients and quick. What I don’t like is that if you have a bottle of shampoo with all 0-3 rating ingredients and one single ingredient is bad (8) that shouldn’t make the overall rating an 8. If the last ingredient (since this is the least amount) in the bottle is that bad rating then it should be weighted so that the overall rating isn’t just ruined because of an ingredient that’s barely in the product. There should be a better system here. Maybe even just a mean of all the numbers to have the rating. I don’t like the way ThinkDirty does it at all. I’m not gonna be worried about 1 ingredient especially if it’s last in the list. Other than this I like how every ingredient is given a different number and color, it makes it easy to check out what’s in my product instead of trying to remember every bad ingredient in the store while reading the bottle. Finding the product is a little crazy if it’s not a popular one, and sometimes it’s not even on ThinkDirty .

by Ayeshah H

Honestly, I don’t know what to think about ThinkDirty or how many stars to give.. it’s great has a lot to say about the products…..BUT about 90 % of the products that I currently use ThinkDirty doesn’t even have in its database. For an app that says it has about 4K products in its database, why can it not find the products I use? They are all commonly used brands like dove/ doves mens, clean and clear, Olay, pond’s, Vaseline, etc out the products I only got rating for secret deodorant, summer’s eve, gold bond, listerine and Carmex. If these common brands aren’t in their database then what products are? Not to mention the products are rated rather oddly.. many factors are considered they say but I’ve noticed that many are based on one problem, such as fragrance.. I get that many fragrances may also have chemicals for stabilizing the products and can have many aerosols but fragrant products should not be rated an eight or 9 based on that alone unless they specifically state which fragrance or fragrances are the cause and why.

by A/Bird

ThinkDirty is useful to find naturally driven products as opposed to a more chemical based product available in many stores. The only issue is, ThinkDirty will rate a product low, then in a larger size or a different scent it is rated high. For example I was looking for a cleaner, truly greener laundry detergent, it included “all” brand, “free and clear”. The list rated it at a 3, when I scroll down, a bigger size of the exact same product, same ingredient, is rated an 8?! I think ThinkDirty needs better regulation of products for higher integrity to all who use. This will ensure the products are up to date. I also learned a big name household company bought out ThinkDirty , and now many of their products are listed lower, when it had a high rating before. Definitely look more into the products you wish to try. However ThinkDirty is great for a quick comparison when you are choosing a better, honest, and of course natural selection for your family 😊

by Agilbster

Love ThinkDirty, it really has brought me so much awareness to all the chemicals & horrible ingredients in all my products! I used to think if i need to see the ingredients, just check the back, but companies can be so shady & misleading, making you think their products are all natural, eco-friendly, organic, etc. & then you scan the barcode & the product is an 8-10! I’ve been in the process of transitioning all my products over to healthier/eco-friendly products with the help of ThinkDirty, but it can be very challenging because many of the healthier products either are so expensive or don’t work so needless to say i have been through many product fails & lots of money, but still trying! My only 2 constructive criticisms & the reason why i only gave 4 stars is because sooo many products that I scan aren’t in the system, which I understand because there are so many products out there. I also really wish there was a way to sort/filter the products by cost or an average cost (because i realize different retailers sell for different prices). It would save so much time trying to search for healthier options to potentially buy. Overall Love!

by Kkosano

ThinkDirty allows you to check what chemicals are in your products and determines wether or not they are harmful. I didn’t realize how “dirty” (products that contain harmful chemicals that can be possible carcinogens) the items I owned were until I checked ThinkDirty. It’s a great tool to use to be more conscious about what products to buy. You can search specific products using keywords or brand names to check their “dirty” score. While there are a variety of products, not everything is in the system. You can upload product information if it is missing which will be reviewed and later added to the system. I knocked one star down because ThinkDirty seems a little difficult to navigate, especially when looking for a specific product. Sometimes typing keywords is not enough to locate the item which can be a little frustrating. Depending on the product, there can multiple submissions with different scores that could be confusing. Other than that this is a great tool to have; I use it for all my products and am working towards cleaner products. I would definitely recommend ThinkDirty for the conscious shopper.

by Qdbass

They don’t just slap a grade on said item, they clarify the entire ingredient list. They give grades to both the product itself as well as each ingredient within the product. The best grade a product can have is a “0”, meaning it has extremely low risk ingredients- if any (I believe it is considered in the “green category” with a grade between 0-3; “yellow category” is 4-7; and “red category” is graded 8+).
When you click on an item, it shows the list of ingredients, sorted by most toxic to least. You can click on any one of them to see the nitty gritty details, including scientific name (or other names it may be disguised as), usage and health impacts.
There are other perks that are probably to be expected, like saving products to your “bathroom shelf” list or “dirty products” (I have yet to use all of those features yet).
These guys have all my support but I deducted one star for difficulty finding many items I’ve tried searching for, as in they are not yet in their database. I wish there was a way to suggest products or brands for them to add, otherwise a really great app for cleaner living :)

by KKP95

This is an excellent tool if you’re just starting out down the clean ingredients path. However to get the most out of ThinkDirty, you need to actually read and learn. For example, most agencies agree that talc is fine in pressed cosmetics, but talc, no matter what form, automatically gets an 8 (ie. bad) rating. Therefore, you need to read and decide for yourself if you feel comfortable using that product or not. That’s why I call ThinkDirty as a “tool.” One definite area for improvement is the products included. I wish there was a little less pushing of clean, indie brands and more assessment of the bad brands. I can find clean brands myself, but I need to know which to steer clear of. Entries on cosmetics are extremely limited even though it’s a booming market. It would also be nice if there was a way to view items by brand so that you could look at a company’s entire product line since the keyword search can be a bit off. Overall, I will continue to use ThinkDirty but I look forward to future improvements!

by Nikkietheestie

I love being able to look up products’ “dirtiness” so that I can stock my shelves with those that will be the best in terms of ingredients’ safety.

I really appreciate the added articles that back up the claims to where the ingredients are on the scale. As a licensed esthetician I love knowing the why and how of things.

I also love that if a product is not yet in the system, I can send in info about it for them to review and add later.

A couple suggestions:
- Options for filtering search results (brand, score range, product type, skin type, etc). I would love to be able to go window shopping for certain types of products but the search engine doesn’t seem to always be the best place to start. It seems like when I try searching for something it gives all the 0 scored products at the top. So something like a “popular” filter would show those products (high and low scored) for a good idea of where to start in a search for a go-to product. Maybe also allowing users (or designated ambassadors/moderators) to help in categorizing would be a cool feature.
- More customization options for the lists. Maybe instead of folders, we can add our own hashtags for a more optimized search through our own set-aside products.

That’s all I can think of for now. But dang I already love ThinkDirty (I’ve been wanting something like this since getting my license in 2015!) and am so excited to see what comes next for it. ❤️❤️

by Jmwheeler1109

This is a must have app in my opinion. It’s amazing to be able to go through the store in skin products to see which are the least toxic before purchasing them. Marketing gimmick’s make you think “natural” Products are way safer than they are. Think dirty really shines a light on the truth about what’s in our products. I do however think it needs a little work, which is why it got four stars instead of five. Sometimes it will rate things very low such as a zero or a one because the ingredients are not fully in the system yet. So it looks like it’s made of water and aloe vera… When really there’s 10 ingredients missing. I wish that the product was not listed if the full list of ingredients have not been added to the products profile and been properly evaluated and rated. Despite this fact I still think it’s an insanely useful app and everyone should have it. Just use caution when you are looking at a product to purchase because you need to make sure all the ingredients are listed.

by D. Blevins

I went through my cosmetics and hair products and ended up tossing a large bag full of products that had a bad rating due to the ingredients by checking them out on ThinkDirty. I began to buy items with a 0 or 1 rating for the sake of my skin and hair. By using ThinkDirty to look up a product, I no longer have to research whether or not a product ingredient is good or bad for me which saves me a lot of time.

There was one brand of hair products that I bought including shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, dry conditioner, blowout spray, and shine cream. Eventually, I began losing my hair, lots and lots of hair. I told my hair dresser that I thought I was allergic to that brand. She didn’t think so and sold me more of the same. What a dumby, I actually bought more. When I got ThinkDirty, I looked up that product and found that it was given an 8 rating. I threw it all out. I’m hoping my hair grows back in but to make sure of it, I will look up any shampoo for a 0-1 rating from now on. I am very grateful ThinkDirty exists and for all the people who work hard providing this information.

by Cinnamon Tulane

For as many items as the have in their database I have still found a lot of products that are not included, and some barcodes are to the incorrect item. However considering the service is free, I’ll take it! Recently on the EWG search I couldn’t find products I know are listed because I can find them other ways, using a simple search! My wish list for ThinkDirty would be to be able to search for something like “dish soap” and be able to filter the results by score so that I could easily see all the products with a 0-3 score for example to target my future purchases rather than have to search for the individual products my store carries. Second wish on my list would be to have a separate rating for products that would otherwise be “clean” if it weren’t for “fragrance” being listed as an ingredient. Thanks for this service! ThinkDirty is very user-friendly.

by ZiyjabCon

Think Dirty is my starting point before deciding on any new product, I also cleaned up the products I already had in my cabinets. I love the feature that allows us to submit a product for research if they don’t have it in their already elaborate inventory.

I feel empowered when making decisions on what I will use on my body as it will beAbsorbed by my skin. There were some products that I had already had that affects the liver so I got rid of those and replace them with cleaner products. I mostly purchase products that are rated zero on ThinkDirty , but I will purchase products up to a 3-4 depending on the additional information that they provide when reading why they are rated that way.

It has truly changed my life and my moms who has asthma as with cleaner products it improves your overall quality of life and you are breathing in less toxins.

by Kemyers

I was so unaware of what I was bringing into my home. My cleaning products (all purpose cleaner & dish soaps, laundry soaps, etc.), body products (deodorant, shampoos, conditioners, facials, makeup, etc.) THEY WERE ALL TOXIC- and I had no idea. Some of these chemicals effect human hormones, skin sensitivity, and some chemicals lead to cancer & I didn’t even know they were in my home. I was uneducated which is the exact reason I am writing this review- once you know, you know & I guarantee once you know you will want better for your husband, your kids, yourself, and even the dog. TAKE ACTION! Download ThinkDirty and use it to your best ability ThinkDirty has a ranking scale from 0-10. 0 being the healthiest 10 being the MOST toxic. This is judged based upon the chemicals and products in your cleaners from home cleaners to body products too. All of my home products & body products were sitting at like an 8 or 9- which is really scary-
Now you know, and YOU should download ThinkDirty && change your life.

by Gmv1121

ThinkDirty is beyond amazing. The explanations for every ingredient are so detailed and informative. They have most of the products you are looking for, or might have already. I really enjoy the fact that you can scan a barcode directly from a product or search that product by name. You also have the option to submit a new product if it’s not listed. Every product also comes with a review from other people on ThinkDirty . Every product is rated based on the safety of its ingredients (0 being perfect, and 10 being terrible). Overall one of the best apps I’ve ever downloaded. In order to access some of the features, you do have to pay. But you can use ThinkDirty without paying a dime and enjoy 100% of the basic info that you need to make decisions about your products. Paying extra is just a perk to add a better experience if you’re really into ThinkDirty or clean products in general. 5 stars!

by Chipotlite

I downloaded ThinkDirty a few years ago after reading about it on a favorite bloggers site. She was very impressed. I checked a few things I use and a few things the blogger was throwing out. I have a BS, MS, and doctorate degree in the sciences. My masters is in Environmental Sciences. I have always worked in the biological sciences. I found ThinkDirty information and scoring quite alarmist. Here’s an example. Selsun Blue is listed as toxic. The reason because it has Selenium. Selenium can be toxic. But it is also an essential mineral for animals. So just stating it is toxic is silly. A short exposure to selenium in your shampoo should not be harmful. In fact tinea versicolor a fungal infection of the skin can be treated by applying Selsun Blue to your skin and waiting 20 minutes before showering. So the suggestion that simple use of Selsun Blue as a dandruff shampoo is dangerous because it includes selenium is at least misleading.

I haven’t used ThinkDirty in a few years.

What lead me to comment today is the fact that ThinkDirty has started sending me notices. It is pushing products.

by Nsb4

Loved ThinkDirty at first. It seems they spend more time pushing the products they are sponsored by instead of cleaning up listed products and repairing the glitches. That’s fine if they are reliable products that work. Most seem like they do. I have found many products with conflicting ratings! Also products given a score with no ingredient information. They should not be listed if no reason for the score given. So many products I’ve searched for are not in the list. I submitted popular products many months ago to be reviewed and still are not shown. But I do understand the data base is constantly being updated. The comment review feature is a bust for me now. I am unable to read comments on the products. Not to mention it’s very glitchy and stops working every time I open it!
I gave it 3 stars because ThinkDirty has a great foundation to work with and will be great once these major kinks are worked out.

by KaitKait(:

This is an excellent tool if you’re just starting out down the clean ingredients path. However to get the most out of ThinkDirty, you need to actually read and learn. For example, most agencies agree that talc is fine in pressed cosmetics, but talc, no matter what form, automatically gets an 8 (ie. bad) rating. Therefore, you need to read and decide for yourself if you feel comfortable using that product or not. That’s why I call ThinkDirty as a “tool.” One definite area for improvement is the products included. I wish there was a little less pushing of clean, indie brands and more assessment of the bad brands. I can find clean brands myself, but I need to know which to steer clear of. Entries on cosmetics are extremely limited even though it’s a booming market. It would also be nice if there was a way to view items by brand so that you could look at a company’s entire product line since the keyword search can be a bit off. Overall, I will continue to use ThinkDirty but I look forward to future improvements!

by O2B_Mamade

It is a great starting point for looking for clean products at home. I’ve found some of my products aren’t listed and I like that I can submit them to be added. I do research before trying new safer products as I have been tossing the dirty ones out, but I do want to be sure the new ones work and don’t have hidden dirty ingredients. The two things I would like to see are: 1) links via the company name between items of the same brand so that if I find one item from say “Bright Green,” I can find all other products by the same company. It would give consumers an idea of how good a company is overall. Also, I’d like to be able to sort lists by name or clean number and have the ability to filter the list down. Some of the search results are huge and I’d love to make the searches smaller. Thanks for listening. I’ll keep submitting the items I have here at home. Hope you can keep up with me. :) Ha!

by Toni.2121.

ThinkDirty has seriously helped me to start clearing out my crap. I’ve been environmentally cautious for some time as a vegan and always wanted to clear my toxic products but never got around to doing it. This has really kickstarted a new journey and has already introduced me to amazing new, green and no toxic products! I’ve already started with new makeup hauls (via ThinkDirty), skincare (again, products I found on ThinkDirty), and have tossed products out. I love the methodology provided and the information-for a research nerd this is the best. It’s an easy to read app and I enjoy the barcode scan feature. It’s a fun way to ditch the toxins out and find new, exciting products that are aligned with the efforts of other business trying to provide clean, healthy products for all. It’s also a platform to educate you on common ingredients with negative side effects. Love it!

by MonalyssaBrooke

ThinkDirty saved me so many times from buying the wrong toiletry product(s) just because another source told me the ingredients were safe.
My favorite part about ThinkDirty is that not only are the ingredients listed just for you, but they’re sorted by level of toxicity along with examples you need to fully understand the products you put in your body and in your home. You can’t go wrong either, it’s completely free and easy for anyone to use.

I would highly recommend downloading ThinkDirty. Speaking from personal experience, you’d be in utter shock by how many toxins you will discover just by doing a little research. Not just a little makeup, shampoo, lotion, etc. research you will find in every product you own, but it goes even deeper than that.
Let’s just say, I did my research on the FDA’s makeup ingredient laws and I quickly became disgusted and infuriated. Just be careful with who you put your trust in, even ‘Think Dirty’, so it’s always a good idea to triple check your information, especially the ones we’re supposed to blindly trust, apparently...^

I hope this helped :) I know it can be stressful, but once you start learning about your everyday items, the better you’ll be at choosing the right products for you and your loved ones. Good luck!

by Lisa Breyfogle

I love ThinkDirty! I struggle with severe allergies to chemicals, especially the dirty ones that are in cosmetics, lotions, shampoos and etc.
it takes me hours in a store, to find products that I’m not allergic to. I have to vigilantly read every ingredient label for everything.

Where has ThinkDirty been all my life???!!!!
I still have to read ingredient labels in every single product I purchase, even if the product is on my safe list and I’ve used it before. Companies can and do change ingredients all the time, with out informing consumers. I have spent countless hours searching for products on line. It has been such a daunting task. It’s been so difficult to find ‘clean products’ unless you know where to look. Trust me Ive looked everywhere! If you don’t know of a clean company, it’s had been extremely difficult to find them on line no matter what search terms I’ve tried.

ThinkDirty is amazing, I can sort through products quickly, by scanning the barcode. If a product has a rating of more than 3, I don’t even bother reading the label. I move on to the next product.
With ThinkDirty it gives suggestions, and now I know where to look to find safe ingredients!!
Best app ever!! Thank you for making my life easier!!

by Koolieooooooo

This is the only app I ever been willing to actually take the time to review! ThinkDirty has been so extremely helpful. I went fragrance free 7 months ago and I don’t think I would have been able to make the transition without ThinkDirty.

I will say sometimes it slow and has some issues. I do think that it needs some improvements. I also wish I could search the price of products on here because I have to do so much back and forth between ThinkDirty and my computer to see which products are reasonably priced. Also ThinkDirty is missing several products I looked up.

But I love the breakdown of the products and how it helps me finds things that are actually safe to use. I have ThinkDirty front and center on my phone so if I’m ever about to buy something I use it right away! ThinkDirty has been a lifesaver so many time because so many products are greenwashed!