How we review products.

The eight criteria

1. Ingredient quality	What's actually doing the work? We read the INCI list end-to-end and weight ingredients by likely concentration, form, and known stability.
2. Evidence strength	We label evidence as Strong, Moderate, Emerging, or Weak based on study type, sample size, replication, and skin-relevant endpoints.
3. Skin-type suitability	Dry, oily, combination, sensitive, acne-prone, rosacea-prone, mature, post-procedure. We say who this is for and who it isn't.
4. Irritation risk	Penetration enhancers, fragrance, essential oils, alcohol denat, high-strength actives, and known contact allergens. Labeled Low, Moderate, or High.
5. Texture & performance	Spreadability, finish, pilling, layerability, scent, sting on application. Multi-week wear notes where possible.
6. Value	Cost per use vs realistic alternatives — including drugstore equivalents.
7. Alternatives	Every review names at least one cheaper alternative and, where relevant, one luxury alternative.
8. Transparency	Affiliate status, samples (PR or purchased), and any brand relationship are stated on the page.

Evidence labels in detail

• Strong — multiple well-designed RCTs in humans, with reproducible outcomes on clinically meaningful endpoints.
• Moderate — a small number of human studies, consistent direction, or strong mechanistic + observational support.
• Emerging — early human data, often single-study, often manufacturer-funded; biological plausibility is real but conclusions are premature.
• Weak — in-vitro or animal data only; marketing claims outrun the science.

How we source products

• Most products are purchased at retail.
• PR samples are accepted but never tied to coverage. We disclose them on the review page.
• No product gets coverage in exchange for purchase, advertising, or affiliate commitments.

Conflicts of interest

If a writer holds a relationship with a brand — past employment, paid consulting, family — that writer does not cover that brand. If we miss something, please tell us.

Corrections policy

Material errors are corrected promptly and noted with a dated correction line. Substantive updates (formula change, new evidence, recall, regulatory action) are flagged at the top of the review.