How We Rank

Every ranking on this site runs through the same five-part rubric. It is deliberately boring, because consistency is what makes a recommendation trustworthy.

The five checks

1. Formulation quality — the full formula, not just the hero ingredient: concentration, delivery, supporting actives, and whether the base suits the claim.
2. Ingredient evidence — how strong the published research is for the key actives at the concentration used. We distinguish well-supported ingredients from promising-but-early ones.
3. Texture & daily wear — how it feels, absorbs and layers, and whether it plays nicely under sunscreen or makeup. A product you won’t use every day can’t work.
4. Value — cost per use against what you actually get, across price tiers. Expensive is not a disqualifier; overpriced-for-what-it-is is.
5. Long-term user experience — the recurring themes in verified, long-term user feedback, kept separate from any single anecdote.

What we never do

• We never publish fabricated star ratings. Amazon prohibits third-party rating data and its Creators API serves none, so we show none.
• We never hide the downside. Every pick lists at least one honest con and a “who should skip this”.
• We never let commissions move a ranking. Placement is earned on the rubric above.
• We never give medical advice. We are researchers, not clinicians — anything diagnostic goes to a dermatologist.

Prices & availability

Where we show a price, it is pulled live from Amazon’s Creators API under our own affiliate account and stamped with an “as of” time. Prices change constantly; the figure on Amazon at checkout is the one that applies. Any price older than our freshness window is hidden automatically.

Affiliate links

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That funds the research; it does not buy a place in a ranking. See our affiliate disclosure.