Scoring methodology · Personal care
Every personal care product is evaluated against 4 rules, worth a total of 100 points. Your score is the percentage of points the product earns on what we actually know about it.
Quality score
Each rule contributes points up to a known maximum. We sum them, divide by the total possible, and that's the headline number on the product.
Unknowns
If we couldn't verify an attribute, that rule earns zero. Brands aren't rewarded for non-disclosure, and we don't fill the gap with a guess.
clean_ingredients
No harmful ingredients flagged. Personal-care formulations are scored against the topical/personal-care hazard database (NOT the food MADL path), so substances like parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and PFAS register as ingredient-level penalties.
lab_indexed
A third-party lab report has been indexed. Personal-care testing typically covers heavy metal contamination, microbial load, and label-vs-formula match.
packaging
Container material. Glass jars and paperboard score at the top; PET / polystyrene / generic plastic at the bottom. Generic "container" / "bottle" with no material signal lands mid-tier.
recognized_certifications
Personal-care third-party certifications: EWG Verified, USDA Organic, Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free), MADE SAFE, ECOCERT / COSMOS, NSF, and explicit free-from claims (paraben-free, sulfate-free, phthalate-free).
Scoring is a function applied to evidence. If you think a rule fired on the wrong evidence, the per-product breakdown shows the source for every contribution — each one is challengeable. The methodology itself is version-controlled and evolves in public.
