What do we read on every listing we link?
Six things, each written down with the date we read it. We don't test anything ourselves.
- The star rating and the full histogram, the share of ratings at each star level.
- How many ratings the listing has.
- The price and size on the day, so we can compare cost per ounce. We only print a price with the date beside it; otherwise we give a price band.
- The buy-box seller: the “Sold by” line, not the badge.
- The reviews Amazon shows on the listing.
- Amazon's own summary of what customers say, where the listing has one. We attribute it to Amazon.
Every figure on the site carries the date we read it, like “4.6 stars across 5,911 ratings on 23 September 2026”. A figure we can't date doesn't run. Prices change daily, so check the listing before you buy.
What changed in September 2026?
On 12 September 2026 Amazon stopped letting shoppers filter, sort or page through reviews. Each listing now shows a fixed sample of about eight to thirteen reviews. That sample leans positive.
So we can no longer read a product's one-star reviews in bulk, and we can't count complaints. That changes what we can say.
We have stopped writing things like “30% of buyers report”. Where older pages carried figures like that, we removed them in this update. The histogram, the served reviews and the seller check all still work, and that is what the pages now rest on.
Which products make a ranking?
Three things get a product ranked. It needs at least 4.1 stars, more than 100 ratings, and at least 60% of its ratings in the four- and five-star band.
We make exceptions, and when we do, the page names them and says why. A new launch with 40 ratings can matter. A cult product with a poor histogram can be worth warning you about. A short, honest ranking beats a padded one.
How do we check who is selling it?
Luxury skincare attracts counterfeits, expired stock and gray-market resellers. So we check.
We read the “Sold by” line on each listing we link, on a recorded date. When the brand or Amazon.com is the seller, we link it. When it's a third party on a prestige product, the page names the seller and the date, or we don't link at all.
We only link a specific listing when its title matches the brand, the product line and the variant, and we've inspected it. Otherwise we link an Amazon search and tell you to check the seller. Sellers can change after we look. The buy box you see is the one that counts.
Which brands won't we link, and why?
Five brands have no authorized storefront on Amazon US: SkinCeuticals, La Mer, Sisley Paris, Vintner's Daughter and Biologique Recherche. What you find on Amazon under those names comes from third-party sellers, and buyers report broken seals, oxidized serums and textures that don't match a counter jar.
We still rank them where buyers put them, with a warning and no buy button. We also withhold links from individual listings when the seller doesn't check out, even for brands we otherwise link. The card says why.
What do we check beyond Amazon?
This is the part most review sites skip. When a claim can be checked against a public record, we check it and name the record.
- Certification databases, such as NSF's listings for shower filters certified to NSF/ANSI 177.
- FDA records, including its drug listings for products regulated as drugs, like sunscreens and antiperspirants.
- Federal regulations, where a label claim depends on what the rules allow.
- Court records, when a product's reputation rests on a lawsuit.
- Peer-reviewed studies, named with authors, year and journal so you can read them yourself.
Pages built this way include our shower filter ranking, the pregnancy-safe skincare guide and the beef tallow review. When we can't query a record, we say so. Absence from one database is not proof of anything.
How is the order set?
By judgment. We weigh the histogram, the review base, what the served reviews and Amazon's summary say, cost per ounce, and the seller. Then we write down why each product sits where it does.
There is no score. Until September 2026 each ranking carried a Skin Score out of 10.
Those scores fell by a fixed 0.2 per place, so they only restated the order. We removed them. Where our order departs from the star ratings, the page says why.
Does commission affect the rankings?
No. The Skin Score is a participant in the Amazon Associates program, and we earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. A higher commission never moves a product up a list. It doesn't break ties either. Brands don't pay us to feature or rank their products.
How do we use AI?
We use AI tools to help draft pages, sort through listings and check our writing against our own rules. Every figure is checked against the listing or record it came from before it's published. AI doesn't decide what gets ranked or linked.
What are the limits?
We don't test products, so we can't tell you how one feels on your skin. The reviews Amazon shows lean positive, and a histogram tells you how many people were unhappy but not why. Ratings on Amazon can pool several sizes or versions of a product. And figures change daily, so ours are true on the date we give, not forever.
Nothing here is medical advice. Skin is individual. Ask a qualified professional about yours.
How do updates and corrections work?
Each article shows an Updated date. It moves only when the content changes. Each updated article also carries a short note of what changed.
If you find a mistake, email theskinscoreinfo@gmail.com. We fix it and list it on our editorial policy page.