This policy explains how FORMUSCOPE content is chosen, researched, written, checked and kept current. It applies to every dossier, ingredient page and comparison we publish.
Who writes FORMUSCOPE
Everything is published under the FORMUSCOPE Research Desk. We’re a faceless publication on purpose: our authority has to come from method and sources you can verify, not from personality. Anyone who contributes to the desk follows this policy, the Scope Grade methodology and our sourcing standard.
How we choose topics
We cover what readers are actually being sold: viral claims, trending ingredients, label terms that confuse people, and the questions readers send us. We never take commissions or pitches from brands to cover a product, and how much a product might earn in affiliate commission plays no part in whether we cover it or how we grade it.
How a dossier is made
- Claim capture. We quote the claim word for word from the brand’s own page or pack and record the date we captured it.
- Formula capture. We record the full INCI list and its source, and we prefer the brand’s own published list.
- Evidence search. We go to primary literature (usually via PubMed) and to regulators such as the US FDA, Health Canada and the European Commission.
- Grading. We apply the Scope Grade rubric and write a plain-English reason for every grade.
- Citation check. Before publication, a person opens every source and confirms it says what we say it says.
- Pre-publish checklist. Prices, sizes, claim wording and links are re-checked on the day of publication.
Product testing
Most dossiers grade claims against the label and the literature, and they say so. When we test a product in hand, we buy it at retail, keep the receipt in the evidence file, and say clearly what we did and didn’t test. We don’t run lab assays unless a dossier explicitly says so.
Use of AI tools
We use software, including AI tools, to help search literature, organize notes and draft text. AI output is never treated as a source. Every factual statement must trace to a cited primary source, and a person checks every citation before publication. If a dossier relied on AI tools in a way that matters to readers, we say so on the page.
Health and safety content
Skincare touches health, so we hold a few lines firmly:
- We grade cosmetic claims. We don’t diagnose, treat or give personal medical advice.
- Every dossier includes a “when to see a professional” section that names the situations where a dermatologist or pharmacist should come first, including pregnancy, children, and broken or infected skin.
- We describe study populations accurately and don’t stretch results from mice, cell cultures or one age group to everyone.
Language standards
We avoid fear-based and meaningless terms like “toxic”, “chemical-free” and “clean” unless we’re quoting them. We call a claim unsupported when the evidence is thin, but we don’t call a product dangerous without regulator-level evidence. We give credit where it’s due, for example to brands that disclose percentages.
Independence and conflicts
No sponsorships, no paid placements, no free products and no brand review of drafts. Anyone working on a dossier declares any brand employment, consulting or financial interest, and doesn’t work on that brand’s coverage. Details are in How we make money.
Updates and corrections
Every dossier shows its last-reviewed and next-review dates, and follows the review cadence in our methodology. Material errors and every grade change are logged publicly in the corrections log.
Last updated November 13, 2026.