How we Test

• We want to find the very best products, and that is based on a range of factors, including efficacy, content, ease of use (if appropriate), and price.
• Our method will vary depending on the product. Sometimes, if the test is only about active ingredients, we anonymously purchase the full range of products that you would see in a typical store, and send them to our laboratories for testing and analysis. The research team send us back a technical analysis report, which we convert into an easy-to-understand format for our readers. After researching the laboratory findings, and possibly speaking to the manufacturer or supplier, we award the product a series of stars.
• In some cases, the products we are reviewing are better tested by our panel of 100 testers. They will sample or trial the product for at least a month before completing a detailed questionnaire. Again, these reports are carefully analysed before we give each product our star rating.
  

Star rating system

Our star rating system is simple to follow, and gives you an instant picture of the very best products on the market:

***** = Excellent

**** = Very good

*** = Good

** = Fair

* = Poor