How we work

Transparent about our process, our limitations, and our conflicts of interest — which is none.

We don't score products

A single number cannot capture the complexity of ingredient safety. Context matters: concentration, product type, application frequency, individual sensitivity. We give you the full picture — what the evidence says, at what dose, with what certainty — and you decide.

Concentration-aware interpretation

INCI lists are in descending order of concentration. Ingredients below 1% can be listed in any order. We interpret list position as a proxy for concentration and flag accordingly. Where concentration is critical to interpreting safety, we say so explicitly.

Evidence tiers

Strong: multiple robust human or animal studies with regulatory consensus. Moderate: mechanistic data with some in-vivo support. Weak: in-vitro only, or single studies at concentrations exceeding cosmetic use. We never treat weak evidence as established risk.

We reward transparency

NZ labelling law does not require individual fragrance allergen disclosure. The EU does. When a brand voluntarily meets EU standards — as Raw Nature does — we flag that as a transparency positive, not just another concern to add to a score.

Data verification

Products marked ⚠ are based on web-sourced data pending physical product verification. Only products marked 'Full analysis' have been verified against the physical label or confirmed INCI from the brand. We are explicit about the difference.

No commercial incentives

No affiliate links. No brand fees. No advertising. Revenue is subscription-only. We have no financial relationship with any brand whose products we analyse. If we did, we'd disclose it immediately.