How We Rate Products
Every product we cover can earn a Physical Glow Rating — an independent, evidence-based editorial score. Here’s exactly how it works, and what it does (and does not) mean.
The six dimensions
We assess each product across six weighted dimensions. The weights reflect how much each area contributes to a confident editorial judgement:
| Dimension | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Formula / Product Design | 25% | What the product is made of and how it is designed to work for its stated purpose. |
| Evidence & Claims | 20% | The quality and independence of the evidence behind the product’s key claims. |
| Suitability & Usability | 15% | Who it genuinely suits, how it is used, and any relevant cautions. |
| Performance Evidence | 20% | Evidence that the product performs as described for its intended outcome. |
| Value | 15% | What you get relative to comparable options — assessed editorially, never from price alone. |
| Transparency | 5% | How clearly the product’s ingredients, claims and limitations are disclosed. |
Evidence-based, not filler scoring
A dimension is only scored when there is enough credible evidence to assess it fairly. When a dimension cannot be evaluated, it is marked unscorable — it is not given a fabricated zero. The remaining weight is then redistributed proportionally across the dimensions that can be scored, so a product is never unfairly penalised for evidence that simply isn’t available.
To produce an overall rating we require at least three of the six dimensions to be scorable, and both Formula / Product Design and Evidence & Claims must be among them. If those conditions aren’t met, we don’t publish a rating.
From score to stars
The weighted result is converted to a five-star scale and rounded to one decimal place. Each score maps to a plain-English label:
| Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 4.5 – 5.0 | Outstanding |
| 4.0 – 4.4 | Very Good |
| 3.5 – 3.9 | Good |
| 3.0 – 3.4 | Average |
| 2.0 – 2.9 | Below Average |
| below 2.0 | Poor |
Our independence commitments
- Physical Glow ratings are independent editorial judgements.
- Affiliate commissions never affect a rating — commercial links are kept entirely separate from scoring.
- Customer and retailer star ratings are separate from the Physical Glow Rating and are never presented as ours.
- Manufacturer claims are not automatically treated as independent proof; we weigh the quality of the evidence behind them.
- Where strong evidence is missing, we say less rather than fabricate it — missing evidence is never invented.
Our ratings are based on published product information and credible independent sources. We do not claim laboratory, medical, or hands-on testing unless a review explicitly states that it was performed.