Every product goes through the same structured process. We do not rush to publish — a review written after a week of use is a first impression, and we would rather give you something more useful than that.
Our Testing Process
Research & Selection
We pick products based on reader questions, category gaps, and claims that seem worth interrogating. If a product is everywhere and nobody has actually tested it properly, that moves it up the list.
Self-Funded Purchase
We buy at full retail, through normal consumer channels, like anyone else would. No press samples, no gifted units, no brand relationships. This is the single most important rule we have.
Extended Real-World Testing
Topical skincare gets a minimum of sixty days — roughly two full skin renewal cycles, and the shortest window in which a change can reasonably be attributed to the product. Devices are used on the manufacturer's own stated protocol, at the stated frequency, for the stated duration.
Documentation
Photographs under consistent lighting, taken at fixed intervals. Written notes throughout, including the early weeks when nothing is happening. We record what we observe as we observe it, rather than reconstructing a narrative at the end.
Verdict & Publication
We state plainly who a product suits, who should skip it, and whether the price is defensible. Every claim traces back to something we did and recorded.
What We Evaluate
- Effectiveness — did the product do the specific thing it claims to do?
- Formulation — are the active ingredients present at concentrations that the research supports?
- Tolerability — irritation, breakouts, and how it behaves on sensitive skin.
- Usability — texture, absorption, smell, and whether you would realistically keep using it.
- Value — cost per use, measured against alternatives that do the same job.
Testing Timelines
- Serums, creams & topicals: 60–90 days
- LED and light-based devices: 60–120 days, following the stated protocol
- Cleansers & exfoliants: 30–45 days
- Ingestible supplements: 90 days minimum
What We Can't Tell You
We are testers, not a laboratory. We do not run clinical trials, we cannot control for every variable in a real person's life, and a result on one person's skin is not a result on yours. Where we cite research, we link to it so you can read the actual study rather than our summary of it.
Nothing we publish is medical advice. If you have a skin condition, are pregnant, or take prescription medication, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before changing your routine.
Our Commitment
We would rather publish six reviews a year done properly than sixty done badly. If a product needs longer to assess fairly, it gets longer.