Editorial Policy

The rules we hold ourselves to. Published so you can check us against them.

What we will not publish

• A product list with no reasoning behind the ranking.
• A claim about performance we have not seen hold up in use.
• An article that repeats what the top search results already say, in substance.
• A page whose only purpose is to rank for a term and send you somewhere else.

Every article must contain

• A direct answer up front. If the answer takes four paragraphs to reach, we have written it badly.
• A real basis. Every article is researched one of two ways: a first-hand account of something we noticed ourselves, or a synthesis of documented public discussion. We never present the second as the first.

Affiliate links and supplied products

Affiliate links are disclosed on the page they appear on. Commission never determines placement: we regularly recommend products that pay us nothing and advise against products that pay us well.

Where a product was supplied for review, the page states it. Supplied products are tested the same way as bought ones, and a supplied product is not guaranteed a positive write-up.

Authorship

Articles carry a named author. We do not publish under invented personas. If a piece is updated substantially, the update date changes and the reason is noted.

Corrections

Corrections are made in place and noted. Fragrance formulations get reformulated, prices move, and products get discontinued — we would rather correct a page than leave it confidently out of date.