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Point your camera at the printed ingredient list. ClearaScan reads what it can see and checks it against the Ingredient Guard for the person you're scanning for.

If it identifies something from their rules, it shows you what it found so you know where to look on the original label. No barcode needed.

Every scan is checked against one person's Ingredient Guard, and you'll see one of three results:

• Clear means ClearaScan read the whole ingredient list and found nothing on that person's current Ingredient Guard.
• Avoid means it found something that matches a rule in their Ingredient Guard. It shows you exactly what was matched so you can check it on the original label.
• Not fully verified means it couldn't read enough of the label to be sure, so it asks you to add another photo.

No. Clear means ClearaScan hasn't found anything on that person's current Ingredient Guard in the ingredient list it read. It is only as complete as the Ingredient Guard.

It does not mean ClearaScan has declared the product safe. Always check the original label before using a product.

It tells you, and it never shows Clear. Poor lighting, tiny print, curved packaging or part of the ingredient list being out of shot can all make a label difficult to read.

You'll see Not fully verified and a prompt to add another photo of the missing part. Tubes, sprays and curved bottles often need two or three photos, and ClearaScan combines them into one check. If it has already spotted something from the Ingredient Guard in the part it could read, it highlights it as a warning, but that is not a result: you still need to add another photo so the whole label can be checked.

If a “may contain” or “traces of” statement mentions something on that person's Ingredient Guard, ClearaScan flags it for you to review. It won't show that product as Clear.

ClearaScan is designed for products with a clearly printed ingredient list, including food, beauty and other packaged products.

How well a label can be read depends on things like lighting, focus, print size, packaging and whether the full ingredient list is visible.

Your Ingredient Guard is simply your list of things you want ClearaScan to look for. It can include allergens, ingredients, alternative names and other terms that matter to you.

Every time you scan, ClearaScan checks the label against the Ingredient Guard for the person you've selected.

Yes. It's yours. Add something, remove something or update it whenever you need to. Your updated rules are then used for future scans.

To check something you already have against your updated Ingredient Guard, simply scan its label again.

About every three months, ClearaScan asks you to check that each person's Ingredient Guard is still right. If a list hasn't been reviewed for about six months, you'll be asked to confirm it before scanning for that person.

You can add ingredients, alternative names and spellings to your Ingredient Guard.

And we'd like to know if something hasn't worked as you expected. You can report it to us in the app through Settings, then Support, so we can investigate.

Yes. Everyone you look after can have their own profile, with their own Ingredient Guard, Scan History, Reaction Journal and other personal information.

Before you scan, choose who the product is for. ClearaScan checks the label against their rules, not everybody's mixed together.

One account. Different people. Different rules.

Yes. That's what Care Circle is for. Share a profile with someone you trust and they can use that person's Ingredient Guard when they're helping to shop or check a product.

They'll need their own ClearaScan account, and sharing doesn't give them permission to change the profile owner's Ingredient Guard.

You invite them by email from the Care Circle screen. You can resend or revoke an invite at any time, and revoking removes their access straight away.

Yes. The Care Circle screen has an Invite history that shows every invite you've sent or resent, and when each one was accepted or revoked, with the email address, the profile and the date and time. Only you can see it, and it's kept for as long as you have your account.

Yes. On the result, or when you open the scan from Scan History, choose Also check for and pick another person. ClearaScan checks the same label against their Ingredient Guard, so you don't need another photo, and the check is saved to their own Scan History.

Because recipes change, a scan over 90 days old can't be reused for someone new. Just scan the label again for a fresh check.

It's somewhere to record what happened after using a product, rather than trying to remember it weeks or months later.

Add the product, what happened and when, and it becomes part of that person's private reaction history. It's a record of your experience, not a diagnosis.

You can log an outcome straight from a scan in Scan History: No Issues, Mild Concern, Moderate Concern or Significant Reaction. Recording the products that went fine is useful too.

Trusted Products lets you remember products you've previously checked, chosen and used. Only a product that came back Clear for a person can be saved to their Trusted Products.

Because formulations can change, a product being in Trusted Products doesn't mean ClearaScan assumes it's still suitable now. ClearaScan reminds you to scan it again rather than relying indefinitely on an old result.

Recipes change, sometimes without the packaging or the barcode changing much, and a scan only shows the label as it was on the day you took it. So ClearaScan keeps an eye on how old your checks are:

• From 60 days a Trusted Product shows Re-check due.
• From 90 days it shows Re-scan overdue.

The product stays in your Trusted Products: it's a reminder, not a removal. Scan the label again and the fresh scan updates the entry.

Re-using an old scan for someone new works the same way: under 60 days it's fine, from 60 to 89 days you get a heads-up, and from 90 days you're asked to scan the label again. If the packaging ever looks different, re-check it straight away.

Each person's scans are kept in their own Scan History, with the label photo and the result, so you can see what was checked and when. After a scan you can add a product name and brand so it's easy to find later.

Photos are deleted when you delete that scan or your account.

Not necessarily. For supported conditions, ClearaScan can give you a starting list based on information from recognised health and specialist sources.

In the Ingredient Guard, pick a condition and ClearaScan ticks the usual triggers for you. Untick anything that isn't relevant, then add the rest. It's there to save you starting with a blank page. It isn't a diagnosis or a personalised medical recommendation.

ClearaScan was originally developed in the US, but we wanted the starting allergen list to be broad. US federal food labelling law identifies nine major food allergens. UK rules require 14 regulated allergen groups to be declared, so we use the broader UK 14 as the starting point.

But that's all it is: a starting point. Your Ingredient Guard is personal. Choose what's relevant, remove what isn't and add other ingredients or names that matter to you.

The starting list is broad. The final list is yours.

Each starting list is built from recognised health and specialist sources. They're a starting point to save you a blank page, not a diagnosis or a personalised medical recommendation. You choose what's relevant and remove what isn't.

• Coeliac disease: Coeliac UK
• Colitis / IBD (inflammatory bowel disease): Crohn's & Colitis UK
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome): NHS; Monash University
• Lactose intolerance: NHS
• Fructose malabsorption: NHS; Monash University
• Low-FODMAP: Monash University
• Migraine: The Migraine Trust
• Gout: NHS; UK Gout Society

Always confirm your own specific triggers with your GP or dietitian.

Yes. ClearaScan starts with the ingredient label you're holding rather than requiring the product to exist in a UK product database. That means you can use it with products in the US and other supported countries too.

ClearaScan translates the ingredient list into English, shows it to you and checks it against your Ingredient Guard, just as it would with an English label. A note on the result tells you which language the label was in.

That includes labels in languages such as French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Polish.

No. Translation helps you check unfamiliar labels, but it can occasionally get a word wrong, and ClearaScan cannot guarantee recognition of every regional, unusual or alternative ingredient name. Always review the original label and follow the precautions appropriate to your allergy or sensitivity.

A few things are deliberately designed to reduce guesswork:

• If ClearaScan can't read the whole ingredient label, it never shows Clear. It asks you to add another photo.
• Each person's Ingredient Guard stays separate, so one person's result is never mixed up with another's.
• Relevant precautionary statements, such as “may contain”, are flagged for you to review.
• Only products that came back Clear can be saved to Trusted Products.
• Older information isn't treated as permanently current. A scan over 90 days old can't be reused for someone new, and ClearaScan prompts you to re-scan Trusted Products as they age.
• About every three months, ClearaScan asks you to review each person's Ingredient Guard.

None of these replaces checking the original label.

No. ClearaScan is an ingredient-checking and personal reference tool. It does not diagnose allergies or conditions, provide medical advice, or guarantee that a product is safe or suitable for you.

It helps you compare the ingredient information it can read against the rules you've chosen. You check the label. You make the decision.

Your data, including the label photos saved with your scans, is held in your ClearaScan account. We don't sell it or share it with advertisers, and you can export it at any time from Settings. For the full detail, see our Privacy Policy.

In the app, go to Settings, then Delete Account. This permanently deletes your login straight away, together with your profiles, Ingredient Guards, scans and label photos, Reaction Journal, Trusted Products and Care Circle invite history. It can't be undone, so export a copy from Settings first if you'd like one.

Deleting your account doesn't cancel an App Store or Google Play subscription. Cancel that in your Apple or Google account settings. You can also ask us to delete your account by emailing contact@clearascan.com.

Yes. Every new account starts with a 7-day free trial of full Pro, with up to 40 scans across the 7 days. It starts automatically when you verify your email at sign-up.

No card or payment method is needed, and the trial never turns into a paid subscription on its own.

There's no free plan after the trial, but nothing is locked away.

You can still open everything you've set up, including your profiles, Ingredient Guards, Scan History, Reaction Journal and Trusted Products, and export it or delete your account. To scan again, or add new allergens, profiles, invites or Trusted Products, choose Pro Monthly or Pro Annual.

ClearaScan Pro is £3.99 / $3.99 a month, or £29 / $29 a year. The App Store or Google Play shows the price in your local currency. Both plans include everything in ClearaScan and 150 scans a month.

Pro includes 150 scans each calendar month, and your allowance resets on the 1st. You can see how many you have left in the app under Settings, then Subscription.

During the free trial you have up to 40 scans across the 7 days.

You can buy a 50 Scan Add-On for £1.99 / $2.49 (or the local price shown in your app store) in the iOS or Android app. Add-ons are for Pro subscribers. Add-on scans are only used once your 150 monthly scans have run out, they never expire, and you can buy as many packs as you need.

If you'd rather not buy one, new scans pause until the 1st of the next month. Your subscription and saved data carry on as normal. The full detail is in section 11a of our Terms & Conditions.

In the app, go to Settings, then Subscription. Manage subscription opens your Apple or Google subscriptions, where you can cancel or change your plan. ClearaScan can't cancel a subscription for you, because Apple and Google handle the billing.

Monthly subscribers can also choose Upgrade to Annual, and Annual subscribers can choose Switch to Monthly. The change starts at your next renewal date. If you cancel, you keep Pro until the end of the period you've paid for, and your data is kept.

Each profile has an Emergency Allergy Card: a quick summary of what that person must avoid, to show a restaurant, a carer or emergency staff. It's built straight from their Ingredient Guard, so updating their allergens updates the card. You can share it or print it.

It doesn't replace medical identification or emergency medical advice.