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Current version v1.12 · Oct 13, 2026

How scoring works.

Every score comes from published rules, applied the same way to every product. This page is the whole method, and every change is logged below.

In 60 seconds

1 · Read

We read the label

Ingredients in label order, plus the product type from the front of the pack.

2 · Match

Match each ingredient

To a known substance and its aliases. Unconfirmed matches are marked unverified.

3 · Rate

Give it a tier

From EU, Canadian and US rules for that product type, with the rule cited.

4 · Score

Combine into 0–100

Weighted by position on the label, with caps for Caution and Avoid.

Ingredient tiers

BeneficialAdds nutritional or functional value with no notable restriction.
FairPermitted without notable restriction.
CautionA hazard-based limit, a mandatory warning, or credibly contested evidence.
AvoidNot permitted for that use in the EU, Canada or the US, or a recognised carcinogen at realistic exposure.

Product tiers

Excellent95–100Nothing flagged.
Good80–94A few common additives, nothing restricted.
Mixed60–79Some ingredients worth a look.
Some Concerns40–59Several Caution ingredients.
High Concern0–39Contains Avoid ingredients high on the list.

The rules

What it measuresHow safe the ingredients are, judged against published regulation. It isn’t a nutrition rating: crisps made from safe ingredients can score well even though they’re high in fat and salt.
Start at 100Points come off for each ingredient by tier, weighted by position: earlier ingredients count more.
Fair is cheapFair ingredients cost at most 5 points in total, however many there are.
CapsAny Caution ingredient caps the score at 94. Any confirmed Avoid ingredient caps it at 79.
Added sugarIn food, refined sugar as the first or second ingredient, or the main part of one, costs 25 points and caps the score at 65. At third to fifth it caps the score at 85. Each further added sugar in the first five costs 5 more, up to 15.
Counted onceA Caution or Avoid ingredient listed twice, such as fragrance and parfum, only counts once. A colour and its lake are one additive.
SweetenersIn food, an artificial sweetener is a Caution ingredient and keeps the score at 79 or below.
Sunscreen filtersThe UV filters in a sunscreen together count as one Caution ingredient, so an SPF product isn’t marked down for each filter it needs.
Sub-ingredientsIngredients in brackets are scored: the first at its parent’s position, the rest as minor components.
UnverifiedIngredients we can’t confirm are scored as Fair and marked unverified. A product with any caps at 94; with a quarter of its list or more (at least 3), at 79.
Product typeFood, cosmetics, cleaning and pet rules differ, so the same ingredient can rate differently. You can change a product’s category in the app; it’s rescored instantly.
Not scoredMedicines with a drug facts panel or a DIN/NPN. Sunscreens and SPF skincare are scored as cosmetics.
What a score isn’t. It isn’t a regulatory finding, a safety certification or medical advice. Tier calls are AI-assisted and checked against the cited regulation; they haven’t been signed off by an independent expert panel yet. We plan to start an independent toxicologist review in Q1 2027 and will publish the reviewers and their findings here.

Changelog

12 versions since Apr 2026

BHT is Caution, not Avoid. Artificial sweeteners cap a score at 79 (was 55), and sunscreen filters count together as one Caution ingredient.

  • BHT: Permitted with limits, so Caution.
  • Citrus oils: Permitted; the description was wrong.
  • Vague Cautions: Caution needs a limit, a warning or contested evidence.
  • Sweeteners: A sweetened product no longer scores below its sugar version.
  • Sunscreens: SPF products aren't marked down once per filter.
  • Pet toxins: Garlic, onion, grapes, chocolate, xylitol and others stay flagged for pets.
  • What the score means: It isn't a healthiness rating.

Urea, steareth-2 and ammonium sulfate are no longer matched to banned substances. Sugar at third to fifth keeps a food out of Excellent, and each extra added sugar costs points.

  • Banned-substance matches: Ordinary ingredients were matched to banned chemicals with similar shortened names.
  • Sugar inside compounds: The cane sugar in "milk chocolate (cane sugar, …)" counts at the chocolate's position.
  • Sugar in the first five: Refined sugar third to fifth on the list keeps a food out of Excellent.
  • Several sugars: A product sweetened several ways scores below one sweetened once.
  • Counted once: Repeated declarations no longer cost points twice.
  • Mostly unverified: A score that rests on too few confirmed ingredients can't be Good.
  • Sunscreens: SPF products get a score.

Products with only Fair ingredients can now reach Excellent. Low-confidence and unconfirmed ingredients cap a score at 94.

  • What Excellent means: No Caution or Avoid ingredient, no rule penalty and nothing unverified.
  • Fair ingredients: A Fair ingredient costs 2 points at most, wherever it sits.
  • Fair cap: All Fair ingredients together cost at most 5 points.
  • Unverified ingredients: A low-confidence classification now counts as unverified and caps the score at 94.
  • Honey: Honey is flagged as not for infants under 12 months.

Excellent, Good, Mixed, Some Concerns and High Concern replace the old "safe" wording. Most scores didn't change.

  • Tier names: Excellent, Good, Mixed, Some Concerns and High Concern.
  • Tier ranges: Good now starts at 80, Mixed at 60, Some Concerns at 40.
  • Avoid cap: A confirmed Avoid ingredient now caps the score at 79, just below Good.
  • Score name: "Ingredient safety score" is now "Ingredient score".