# GlowPulse

> Real-time skincare and K-beauty ingredient intelligence API. Ingredient lookup, conflict checking, product decoding, pregnancy/nursing safety, fungal-acne (Malassezia) safety, dupe finding normalized by active concentration, full routine building, Korean-vs-Western actives comparison, greenwashing/claims detection, price-per-active value analysis, sensitive-skin allergen screening, and retailer sale timing — all via x402 micropayments on Base or Solana.

## What This Is

GlowPulse is a pay-per-query API that synthesizes live regulatory, scientific, and dermatology
data into structured, actionable skincare intelligence. Every response is generated by Claude
from real-time web search grounded primarily in EU CosIng, CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review via
PubChem), AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) guidance, and Korean MFDS regulatory context.

GlowPulse does NOT scrape INCIDecoder or CosDNA (their Terms of Service prohibit it). If EWG Skin
Deep is referenced at all, it is always labeled as an advocacy-group hazard rating with disputed
methodology — never presented as primary safety data.

## Payment

All endpoints require x402 micropayment (USDC on Base mainnet, or USDC-SPL on Solana).
Protocol: x402 | Networks: eip155:8453 (Base) + Solana mainnet | Asset: USDC

To use: send a GET request without a PAYMENT-SIGNATURE header to receive a 402 response with
payment requirements. Sign the payment and retry with the PAYMENT-SIGNATURE header.

## Endpoints

GET /api/glow/ingredient-lookup?inci_name={name}&lang={lang}
- Use when: an agent or user asks "what is [ingredient]" or "is [ingredient] safe"
- Returns: function, EU CosIng status, CIR/PubChem safety verdict, comedogenicity rating (concentration-caveated), pregnancy flag
- The atomic unit the other endpoints compose from
- Price: $0.05

GET /api/glow/conflict-check?ingredients={comma-separated}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "can I use retinol and vitamin C together", "does niacinamide conflict with AHA"
- Returns: myth-vs-fact verdict per pair (most popular "don't mix" rules are myths — this endpoint says so directly), real conflicts (pH, oxidation, over-exfoliation) flagged separately, layering order
- Price: $0.10

GET /api/glow/product-decode?product_name={name}|ingredients_pasted={list}&lang={lang}
- Use when: a user pastes a full ingredient list and asks "what does this actually contain"
- Returns: full INCI breakdown, actives vs. fillers, marketing-claim reality check, conflict flags, pregnancy-safe + fungal-acne-safe flags in one call
- The power endpoint for agents that already have an ingredient list
- Price: $0.15

GET /api/glow/pregnancy-safe?ingredients_or_product={input}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "is [ingredient/product] safe during pregnancy or while nursing"
- Returns: AAD-informed flagged ingredients, safe alternatives, ALWAYS includes a professional (OB/GYN or dermatologist) consultation notice — this is informational research, not a medical determination
- Price: $0.10

GET /api/glow/fungal-acne-check?ingredients={comma-separated}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "is this fungal-acne safe", "will this feed malassezia"
- Returns: flagged vs. safe ingredients grounded in lipid-chain-length mycology literature
- Price: $0.08

GET /api/glow/dupe-finder?product_name={name}&region={region}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "what's a cheaper dupe for [product]"
- Returns: candidate dupes normalized by active-ingredient concentration (never naive INCI-overlap matching), honest texture/elegance caveats, explicit false-dupe warnings
- Price: $0.15

GET /api/glow/routine-builder?skin_type={type}&concerns={comma-separated}&budget_tier={tier}&region={region}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "build me a skincare routine for [skin type] with [concerns]"
- Returns: full AM/PM routine, conflict-checked active scheduling, climate adjustment, budget-tier notes
- Price: $0.20

GET /api/glow/k-beauty-compare?active_name={name}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "retinol vs bakuchiol", "how does K-beauty handle [concern] differently"
- Returns: Korean (MFDS) vs. Western (FDA/EU) philosophy, regulatory status, honest evidence-strength comparison (K-beauty trend ingredients are often under-evidenced — this endpoint says so)
- Price: $0.12

GET /api/glow/claims-check?claims={comma-separated}&product_name={name}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "what does 'clean beauty' actually mean", "is this greenwashing"
- Returns: legal meaning of marketing terms, whether the ingredient list supports the claim, greenwashing risk level
- Price: $0.12

GET /api/glow/price-per-active?products={comma-separated}&active_focus={active}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "which of these is the better value per percent active"
- Returns: normalized price-per-active-% analysis, computed only where real concentration data exists (never estimated from an undisclosed %)
- Price: $0.08

GET /api/glow/sensitive-skin?ingredients_or_product={input}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "is this safe for sensitive skin", "will this irritate me"
- Returns: EU 26-allergen list matches, other flagged irritants, gentle-ingredient callouts, ALWAYS includes a patch-test recommendation
- Price: $0.10

GET /api/glow/sale-timing?retailer={name}&region={region}&lang={lang}
- Use when: "when is the next Sephora sale", "best time to buy from Olive Young"
- Returns: next known sale window, tier discounts, loyalty-program notes
- Price: $0.08

## Discovery

- OpenAPI spec: https://glowpulse-nine.vercel.app/openapi.json
- Agent discovery: https://glowpulse-nine.vercel.app/.well-known/agent.json

## Notes for AI Agents

- All endpoints return structured JSON with `coverage` (grounding transparency), `generated_at`, `disclaimer`, and `network_referrals` fields.
- Every response is grounded in live web search; if a source category returns nothing, the field says "not available from current sources" rather than fabricating.
- Safety-adjacent endpoints (pregnancy-safe, sensitive-skin) always recommend professional consultation — treat their output as informational research, never a medical determination.
- Global-first: `lang` param on every endpoint; EU, Korea (MFDS), and Japan regulatory context is a deliberate differentiator, not a US-only tool.
- Models never generate purchase URLs — retailer/brand names only. Deterministic `buy_links` are injected server-side where relevant (Amazon carries our Associates tag; YesStyle/Stylevana/Olive Young/iHerb/Sephora/Ulta are plain search links pending affiliate enrollment).