Product Barcode Checker
Type the numbers printed under any barcode. We check the code is valid, where the brand registered it, which product it belongs to, and whether that product has been recalled.
Is the code valid?
The last digit of every retail barcode is a check digit calculated from the others. Invented or mistyped codes usually fail it.
Where was it registered?
The first digits show which national GS1 office issued the company's prefix. That is where the brand registered, not necessarily where it was made.
What product is it?
We search the Open Food Facts, Open Beauty Facts and Open Products Facts databases, and the FDA directory for medicine barcodes.
What a barcode can (and cannot) tell you
The numbers under a retail barcode are a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), issued through GS1, the not-for-profit body that runs barcodes worldwide. A company joins its national GS1 office, receives a company prefix, and numbers each of its products from that prefix. That structure lets you check three useful things in seconds.
1. Is it a real, valid code?
The final digit is a check digit: the other digits are multiplied alternately by 3 and 1, added up, and the check digit is whatever brings the total to the next multiple of ten. Scanners reject codes that fail this test, so a pack printed with an invalid barcode was almost certainly not made by a brand that sells through normal shops.
2. Where did the brand register?
The first two or three digits (the GS1 prefix) show which national office issued the company number: 000–139 for the United States and Canada, 400–440 for Germany, 500–509 for the United Kingdom, 690–699 for China, 615 for Nigeria, 890 for India and so on.
The popular myth that "690 means made in China" is wrong. The prefix shows where the brand owner registered, not where the factory is. A U.S. brand can make products in Vietnam and still use a U.S. prefix, and a European importer can relabel goods made anywhere. Use the prefix to spot inconsistencies (a "French luxury cream" whose barcode was issued in another country is worth a second look) rather than as proof of origin.
3. Does the code match the product in your hand?
Counterfeiters often copy a real barcode from the genuine product, so a valid code that belongs to a different product, size or brand is a strong warning sign. We look the code up in large open product databases and show the name, brand, size and photo on record so you can compare.
Spotting counterfeit products
- Buy from the brand's own store or authorised retailers, especially for cosmetics, chargers, baby products and anything you put on your skin or in your body.
- Compare the packaging with photos on the brand's official website: fonts, colours, batch codes, seals and the ingredient list.
- Prices far below every authorised seller, marketplace listings with stock photos only, and sellers who will not show the batch number are all common warning signs.
More in our guide: How to spot counterfeit products.