Editorial Standards

These are the rules we hold ourselves to. They are written down so you can hold us to them too.

How we evaluate a claim

Is the study about the product, or about an ingredient? Evidence for an isolated compound at a studied dose is not evidence for a blend containing some unknown fraction of it. We say which one we are looking at, every time.
Is the dose in the product the dose in the study? If the label does not disclose the dose, the honest answer is “unknowable,” and we write that word instead of implying otherwise.
Is the finding an association or a demonstrated effect? We do not upgrade one into the other, and we flag it when marketing does.
Who paid for the study, and where was it published? Both are relevant and neither is disqualifying on its own.

What we will not write, even on a paid page

That a dietary supplement treats, cures, prevents, or diagnoses any disease. It is not allowed and, more to the point, it is not true.
That something is “clinically proven” when the finished formula has not been clinically tested.
That a purchase is “risk-free” or “costs you nothing” unless every cost — including shipping — is genuinely refundable. If shipping is not returned, we say so.
A testimonial we did not receive, an expert we cannot name, or a credential we cannot verify.
A manufacturer's numbers presented as our own findings. If the company reports a figure, we attribute it to the company.

Advertising pages

Paid pages are labelled as advertising above the headline, disclose the affiliate relationship next to every commercial link, and state plainly who sells the product and who processes the payment. They are held to the same factual standard as our editorial work: being paid does not entitle us to say something untrue, and we will decline a placement rather than write one that does.

We also tell readers what they are about to walk into — the price range, the fact that the next page is a sales page — because a click bought with a false expectation is worth less than one bought with a true one, to us and to them.

Corrections

We correct errors and mark them as corrections rather than editing them away quietly. If you find one, tell us.