Glowcheck

Inspiration: People buy skincare products and keep using them for months without knowing whether they work. Our skin changes slowly, so it's hard to see progress just by looking in the mirror. I wanted a simple way to get a clear answer.

What it does: GlowCheck tracks whether a skincare product is actually working for you. You take a selfie when you start a product, then a new one each week. The YouCam skin analysis API scores your skin on things like acne, spots, wrinkles and texture. GlowCheck compares your scans over time and tells you in plain words whether to keep the product, switch, or pause. When a product isn't helping, it suggests ingredients to try instead. You can track several products at once, and it reminds you when your next weekly scan is due, either on the site or in your phone's calendar.

How I built it: I'm a solo builder from Nigeria, and this is my first hackathon. I knew HTML, CSS and JavaScript, so I kept GlowCheck simple and built it with those, hosted on Vercel. Each selfie goes through a small server function to the YouCam skin analysis API, which keeps my API key private. Your scores stay on your own phone, and a chart shows how they change each week.

Challenges I ran into: My first version worked, but my friends told me honestly that it looked plain. They also said a verdict alone wasn't enough. They wanted to know what to use instead. So I redesigned the whole look and added the "try instead" suggestions. I also rewrote the verdicts many times until they sounded like a friend giving advice, not a machine reading numbers. Once I was ready to share it, I realized strangers could use up my API credits, so I added a separate demo link and daily limits.

Accomplishments that I’m proud of:

I built and launched a real, working app on my own in my first hackathon. Real people can open it on their phone, take a selfie, and get an answer they understand. I'm proud that the advice reads like a friend talking, not a machine reading numbers. I also kept my API key safe and protected my credits, so the public demo can't use them up. I’m proud to be a problem solver.

What I learnt: This was my first time working with a real AI API and keeping a secret key safe on a server. I also learned to show my work to people early, because their feedback made GlowCheck much better.

What's next for Glowcheck: A daily routine planner, which my friends suggested, and before-and-after skin previews.

Built With

• chart.js
• css
• html
• javascript
• node.js
• vercel
• youcamapi