Methodology
How we rank beauty brands
The published rubric behind every TrustScore: the eight axes, how they are weighted, what we test, and what money can and cannot buy on this site.
The score, in one paragraph
Every brand gets a TrustScore out of 10. It is the mean of eight axes, each scored 0-10 by the reviewer who tested the range. The axes are published below, the per-axis scores are shown on every review page, and none of it is generated by an algorithm reading other people's reviews. A person tested the products and wrote the numbers down.
The eight axes
1. Product quality
How the formulas perform in real use, over weeks not minutes.
2. Value for money
Price against what comparable brands charge for the same result.
3. Ingredient quality
Actives at meaningful concentrations, and what is left out.
4. Shade & skin-tone range
How many people can actually find their match.
5. Sustainability
Packaging, refills, sourcing and how much of it is verifiable.
6. Packaging & experience
Does the pump work, does it travel, does it survive a handbag.
7. Delivery & returns
Shipping speed, condition on arrival, and how painless returns are.
8. Customer support
Response times and whether a real person resolves the problem.
What we actually do
- Buy the range. We buy the brand's three to six best-selling products at retail, in the sizes a normal customer buys.
- Use them properly. A minimum of four weeks for skincare, because nothing meaningful happens in less. Colour products are worn through full days, including hot ones.
- Read the labels. Full INCI lists are checked against the marketing claims. A brand that shouts about an active without disclosing its concentration loses points on ingredient quality — every time.
- Check the claims. Cruelty-free and vegan positions are checked against Leaping Bunny, PETA and the brand's own published statements. Anything we cannot trace is left unmarked rather than guessed at.
- Order like a customer. We place a real order through the brand's own checkout to test delivery, packaging condition and the returns process. Support is contacted with a genuine question and the response time is recorded.
- Write the cons first. Every review starts from what is wrong with the brand. A review with no downsides is a press release.
What money buys, and what it does not
It buys: a labelled partner placement. Partner cards can appear in featured slots and carry a visible "Paid partnership" chip wherever they are shown.
It does not buy: a score, a rank, a badge, a favourable sentence, the removal of a criticism, or advance sight of a review before publication.
Affiliate links earn us a commission when you buy. That commission is identical whether a brand scores 9.5 or 4.5, which is the structural reason it cannot bias the ranking — we have nothing to gain from recommending the wrong thing to you, and a reputation to lose.
Where the ranking order comes from
The default order on every listing is: editor pin, then TrustScore, then star rating, then alphabetical. Sponsorship is not in that sort. A partner that wants the top slot has to be pinned by an editor, and a pinned row is visible as such in the admin and labelled on the page.
How to argue with us
If you think a score is wrong, tell us what we got factually wrong and we will check it. Reviews are updated when the facts change and corrections are noted on the page. Brands are welcome to send a correction; they are not welcome to send a preferred score.
Common questions
- Can a brand pay for a better score?
- No. Brands can buy a labelled partner placement, which affects where a card appears in a promotional slot. It does not change the TrustScore, the ranking order, or a single word of the review. Our highest-paying partner currently holds the lowest value score on the site.
- How often are scores updated?
- Every brand is re-checked at least quarterly, and immediately whenever something material changes — a reformulation, a shade-range expansion, a policy change, or a pattern of new complaints. The review page shows its own last-updated date.
- Do you buy the products you test?
- In most cases, yes. Where a brand sends a sample we say so on the review, and a sample never changes how the product is scored. We do not accept payment in exchange for a review or a rating.
- Why does a brand I like score badly?
- Usually value or ingredient transparency. A brand can make products people enjoy and still score poorly if it charges far more than comparable formulations, or refuses to disclose what is in them. The axis breakdown on each review shows exactly where the points were lost.