Methodology
How we score products. No algorithms hiding behind marketing.
The Core Principle
We buy products at retail. We send them to certified labs. We film the entire process. We publish the results. No brand-submitted reports. No aggregated public data passed off as independent testing. No paywall on the findings.
If a product on this site has a score, it means we bought it, tested it, and can prove every step of the chain of custody.
Scoring Axes
Every product is scored on four independent axes out of 100. We do not combine these into a single number because doing so hides the methodology. Each axis tells you something different, and you decide which matters most for your situation.
Contaminants
How clean is the product? We test for heavy metals, PFAS, pesticides, microbials, and category-specific contaminants. Lower contamination means a higher score. A product that tests non-detect across a comprehensive panel scores 100 on this axis.
Potency
Does the product contain what the label claims, at the potency claimed? For supplements, we verify active ingredient content. For water, we verify mineral profiles match the brand's published specs. A product that matches its label exactly scores 100.
Transparency
How much does the brand disclose? Published COAs, batch-level testing, ingredient sources, manufacturing location, third-party audits. More transparency means a higher score.
Certifications
Third-party certifications that have real auditing behind them. USDA Organic, NSF, Informed Sport, Clean Label Project, ISO 17025 labs. Certifications from bodies with weak or no auditing do not count.
What We Do Not Do
- We do not aggregate public databases. We do not pull EPA, FDA, or EWG data and repackage it as our testing. If a product has not been tested by us, it is labeled clearly as untested.
- We do not take brand-submitted reports. Brands cannot pay us to test their products. Brands cannot submit their own lab reports for us to display. Everything comes from our own testing.
- We do not lock scores behind a paywall. Every score, every lab report, every piece of data is free. The content is the trust.
- We do not average scores into a single number. A single score pretends the methodology is more objective than it is. Multi-axis scoring respects your ability to weigh the tradeoffs yourself.
Chain of Custody
Every lab report on this site links to documentation of the chain of custody: where the product was purchased, when it was purchased, how it was transported, when it arrived at the lab, and who handled it. Most testing platforms cannot show this. We show it for every single product.
Methodology Version
Current version: v1.0. When we change scoring rules, we publish the new version, archive the old one, and rescore affected products. Every score on this site is tagged with the methodology version it was calculated under.