How we review, and how a product earns the badge

Principles

Four commitments govern every review. They are what make the badge mean something to a skeptical customer.

1. Independence

We hold no equity in the brands we review, take no affiliate commissions on reviewed products, and do not sell placement. Laboratory testing is performed by accredited third-party partners, not by us, so the party running the tests is never the party issuing the verdict.

2. The fee never buys the outcome

You pay the same amount whether your product passes or fails. The fee covers the agreed review scope and any separately quoted laboratory work. It is not a licence fee for a guaranteed badge. A seal that can be bought is worthless, so ours cannot be.

3. Published, consistent standards

We review every product in a category against the same criteria, set out below. We do not lower a threshold, waive a test, or exclude an inconvenient result to help a product pass.

4. The badge is revocable

A verdict reflects a product at a moment in time. If the product changes or the evidence changes, the badge can be withdrawn. That is the point: a mark that can be lost is a mark worth trusting.

The review process

Full review engagements run through four stages. Label & Claims Review has a fixed price. Laboratory work is quoted case by case because the appropriate methods and test panel depend on the product. Applying is free.

Optional entry service. Claim Snapshot

Claim Snapshot is a focused diagnostic review of one priority marketing claim using the product label and public-facing evidence. It returns a concise risk summary and next-step recommendation. It is not a full-product verdict and does not issue a badge or public verification page.

Stage 1. Scoping

You tell us the product, its label, and the claims you make. We identify the review that fits the category and the specific claims, define the test panel where laboratory work applies, and send a fixed quote. Nothing proceeds until you accept it.

Stage 2. Scientific desk review

A reviewer examines the full ingredient panel and label, and assesses every marketing claim against the published evidence and the applicable labeling rules for the category. Claims that overreach the evidence, ingredients that do not match the label, and labeling gaps are all documented.

Stage 3. Custom laboratory verification

When laboratory verification is included in the agreed scope, product samples are sent to an accredited third-party partner laboratory for category-appropriate testing such as identity, potency, or contaminants. The methods, panel, timeline, and price are confirmed case by case before work begins. The report names the laboratory and methods used. We do not run these tests in-house, by design.

Stage 4. Verdict

You receive a written report with a clear verdict: pass, or remediate. A pass earns the badge and a public verification page carrying a unique serial. A miss comes with a precise, private remediation list.

What we verify, by category

The panel is tailored to the product. In broad terms:

• Supplements & vitamins: ingredient identity and potency against the label, a contaminant panel (such as heavy metals and microbial testing), claim substantiation against published evidence, and label and disclaimer compliance.
• Cosmetics & skincare: INCI list review and actives verification, marketing and "free-from" claim substantiation, and a safety and irritancy literature review.
• OTC & personal care: active ingredients against the applicable monograph, dosage and directions, claim substantiation, and label compliance.
• Pet food & treats: ingredient and guaranteed-analysis verification, contaminant testing, an AAFCO-style label review, and health-claim substantiation.
• Pet care & equipment: materials and safety-claim verification, durability and fitness-for-purpose review, and marketing-claim substantiation.

Where a product fails

A review does not result in a badge if any of the following are true. These are not negotiable, and they are the same for every applicant.

• A marketing claim materially overstates what the evidence or the ingredient supports.
• An ingredient's identity or potency does not match the label within accepted tolerances.
• A contaminant result exceeds the accepted limit for the category.
• The label omits or misstates information required for the product type.
• The applicant declines to have a material claim tested or substantiated.

The badge and its lifecycle

A passing product is licensed to display the Reviewed & Verified badge (or Independently Reviewed, on the desk-review tier) for twelve months. Each badge carries a unique serial and must link, or point by QR, to its live verification page, which shows what was reviewed, what was tested, and when.

Re-verification

The verification page shows the review year, so an expired badge is visibly stale. Re-verification at a reduced rate keeps a badge live; if the formulation changed, the re-review covers the difference.

Revocation

We may withdraw a badge if the formulation changes, the licence lapses, the product's marketing drifts materially beyond what was reviewed, or credible evidence emerges that the product no longer meets the reviewed standard.

The evidence behind independent trust marks

Research suggests that credible third-party assurance can reduce buyer uncertainty. The strength and commercial effect vary by product, audience, placement, and brand recognition, so we do not promise a specific conversion or revenue result.

Governance and conflicts of interest

We disclose the commercial relationship plainly: brands pay a fixed fee for the review. That fee does not, and cannot, determine the outcome. We do not take equity, affiliate revenue, or paid placement from reviewed brands. Where our own claims rest on outside research, we cite it and state how strong it is.

What this is not

The Scientific Institute is an independent, privately operated review body. Our review and badge are not an approval, endorsement, or certification by the FDA or any government agency, and they do not replace or reduce a brand's own regulatory obligations. For example, dietary-supplement claims still require the standard FDA disclaimer, and our badge does not extend to drug-level claims.