Our Ranking System

Last reviewed: September 2026

Every product on this site is assessed against the same six criteria. We publish them here so you can check our work, disagree with it, or weigh the criteria differently than we do.

Two rules sit behind all of it. We read product data off the Supplement Facts panel, never off front-panel marketing text. And where we make a claim about an ingredient, we cite the research it comes from.

1. Label Transparency

Does the label state the amount of every active ingredient?

A proprietary blend lists ingredients without individual amounts, so a formula can name an impressive ingredient while including a fraction of the amount used in research. There is no way to verify dosing on a blended label, which means there is no way to assess the product. Formulas that disclose every amount score highest. Formulas that hide core actives inside a blend score lowest, regardless of how good the ingredient list looks.

2. Ingredient Evidence and Dosing

Do the active ingredients appear at amounts used in published research?

Naming a studied ingredient is not the same as including a useful amount of it. We compare each disclosed dose against the amounts used in the research we cite, and we look at the form as well as the quantity. A standardised extract with a stated ratio is not interchangeable with raw powder, and we score them differently. Ingredients present at token amounts do not earn credit.

3. Third-Party Testing

Has an independent lab verified what is in the bottle?

Supplements are not pre-approved by the FDA, so the label is a claim until something independent confirms it. We look for testing covering ingredient identity and potency, microbial contamination, and heavy metals, and we look for whether the results are actually published rather than merely mentioned. A brand that makes its certificate of analysis available scores higher than one that only references testing in marketing copy.

4. Cost Per Serving

What does the product actually cost to use as directed?

Bottle price is misleading on its own, because serving sizes and bottle counts vary widely across this category. We calculate cost per serving at the directed dose, and we also work out what a year costs, since these are products people take continuously rather than once. A cheaper bottle that requires four capsules a day can cost more annually than a more expensive bottle taken twice a day.

5. Purchase Terms

Is it clear what you are buying, and can you undo it?

We look at the refund window and whether the process is described plainly, whether checkout enrolls you in a recurring charge by default, whether upcoming charges are announced in advance, and whether the terms are findable before you pay rather than after. Automatic subscription enrollment presented as a discount is marked down. So is a refund policy that exists but is written to be difficult to use.

6. Customer Feedback

What do buyers report over time?

We read reviews across retail listings and brand sites, looking for patterns rather than individual opinions. Repeated complaints about billing, shipping, or customer service count against a product even when reviews of the formula itself are positive, because those are the problems buyers most often tell us they were not warned about. We weigh this less heavily than label and dosing evidence, since review volume is easy to manipulate and difficult to verify.

What we do not do

We do not test products in a laboratory, and we do not claim to. Our assessment is of published label data, third-party documentation, pricing, purchase terms and customer reports. Where a claim comes from research on an ingredient, we cite it, and research on an ingredient is not evidence about a finished product that contains it.

We do not publish star ratings as structured data, and we do not present our scores as independent laboratory findings. We also do not give medical advice. Testosterone symptoms have causes that a supplement will not address, and a blood test and a doctor are the appropriate route for anyone who suspects a genuine deficiency.

How we are paid

This site earns commission when readers buy through some of our links, including the product currently ranked first. That relationship is disclosed on every page that carries a ranking.

We publish the criteria above so that our ranking can be checked against them rather than taken on trust. If you think we have applied them incorrectly, or that a product deserves a different placement, tell us and we will look at it. Corrections are made on the page itself.

Keeping this current

Formulas change, prices change, and refund policies change. We re-check label data, pricing and purchase terms when we revisit a page, and the date at the top of this page reflects the last time the criteria themselves were reviewed.