The wedge.
This page is the most important one on the site. If you don't trust the methodology, the scores don't matter — so we publish the full thing, and we keep this page in lockstep with the code that computes the score.
The scoring formula is being calibrated against a curated reference set of products that experienced parents and dermatologists already agree on (CeraVe Baby, Aveeno Baby, Vanicream, Cetaphil Baby, plus a handful of fragrance-loaded drugstore brands as known-bad references). No scores are published until the formula matches the reference set within a tolerance we're comfortable with.
The five sub-scores we're calibrating are below. Weights will appear here once locked.
Count and severity of common-irritant and allergen flags: fragrance, dyes, formaldehyde-releasers, MIT/MCI, lanolin in allergen-flagged contexts, essential oils in leave-on products, sulfates in leave-on products, and so on. Each flag has a published evidence summary and citations.
Newborn skin, toddler skin, and adult skin have different tolerances. Some preservatives are age-gated. Fragrance is avoided categorically for under-two. Topical steroid potency is age-matched against AAD / AAP guidance.
NEA Seal of Acceptance, dermatologist-recommended-brand status, AAD- cited products. These signal-boost rather than dominate — they confirm, they don't determine.
Barrier-supporting ingredients (ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, colloidal oatmeal, petrolatum, niacinamide) earn formulation credit. Filler emollients with nothing to do don't.
Full INCI disclosure, country of manufacture, parent-company disclosure, third-party testing claims. We can't score what we can't see, and brands who won't disclose lose transparency points.
Affiliate revenue. Brand relationships. Whether a brand is "natural." Marketing claims that aren't backed by ingredient data. Sponsored mom- blog rankings. EWG Skin Deep scores (we use their ingredient hazard data as one input among many, not as authority).