Methodology: how every score is calculated
Published in full, applied identically, open to challenge.
A rating you cannot interrogate is just an opinion with a number attached. Any ethical ranking has to publish its criteria, its weightings and its blind spots, or it becomes exactly the kind of unverifiable claim it exists to expose.
This is the complete methodology: what is measured, how much each part counts, what evidence is accepted, and where the model is weakest.
Key takeaways
- Every EthiCompare rating is a 0–100 score built from five weighted pillars, not a pass/fail badge.
- Certifications are auditable evidence; adjectives like "natural", "green" or "conscious" are not.
- Missing disclosure costs a brand points — we never assume the best case for an unanswered question.
- Ownership matters: a certified brand inside a group that still tests where the law demands it is a different decision.
- Scores and sources are re-checked continuously, and every page shows the evidence behind the number.
The five pillars
Every product is scored on the same five dimensions, then combined into a single 0–100 figure.
- Animal welfare — testing policy, animal-derived ingredients, supply-chain testing exposure.
- Environmental impact — materials, deforestation risk, carbon intensity, water use.
- Packaging — recycled content, recyclability in practice, refill options, plastic intensity.
- Labour and sourcing — fair trade, living-wage commitments, factory disclosure, audit results.
- Corporate transparency — what the brand and its parent publish, and what they withhold.
Evidence rules
Independently audited certification carries the most weight. Documented, specific self-disclosure carries some. Unverifiable marketing language carries none, and vague claims never raise a score.
Documented controversies apply a weighted deduction that decays over time if the issue is credibly addressed, so a brand that fixes a problem is not punished indefinitely.
Limitations we accept openly
Certification is expensive, which biases scoring towards brands that can afford it. Supply-chain data is self-reported at some tiers. Availability and pricing vary by market. None of these are solved problems, and pretending otherwise would be its own form of greenwashing.
Where evidence is thin, the score reflects uncertainty rather than filling the gap with an assumption.
Independence
Placement and scores cannot be bought. Affiliate commissions may fund the site, but the scoring pipeline has no access to commercial data, so a higher-earning product cannot rank higher for that reason.
How to use this page in four steps
The guide below explains the thinking; this is the fastest route from question to decision.
- 1
Start with the score
The 0–100 number tells you where a product or brand sits against everything else we track in the same category.
- 2
Open the evidence
Each pillar links to the certification, policy page or report behind it, so you can verify the claim yourself.
- 3
Check the ownership
Parent-company policies can override a brand's own promises in markets where testing or sourcing rules differ.
- 4
Compare alternatives
Every page ends with better-scoring options in the same category and price band, so switching takes one click.
How the score is calculated
Every product is graded 0–100 across five weighted pillars. Nothing is pay-to-play: brands cannot buy a position, and a missing disclosure costs points rather than being assumed positive.
| Pillar | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Animal welfare | 25% | Third-party cruelty-free and vegan certification, animal-derived inputs, testing policy in every market the brand sells in. |
| Materials & sourcing | 25% | Organic, recycled or regenerative inputs, traceability to farm or mill, deforestation and biodiversity risk. |
| Labour & human rights | 20% | Living-wage commitments, published supplier lists, audit results and remediation, Fair Trade certification. |
| Packaging & waste | 15% | Recycled content, plastic intensity, refill or take-back options, real end-of-life recyclability. |
| Transparency | 15% | Public reporting, verifiable claims, parent-company disclosure and how quickly the brand answers questions. |
Reading the score
Leader · 80–100
Multiple independent certifications, published supply chain, credible reductions.
Strong · 65–79
Solid certified core with one weak pillar, usually packaging or labour disclosure.
Mixed · 50–64
Real progress in places, significant gaps elsewhere — read the detail before buying.
Weak · 0–49
Little verified evidence, or an ownership structure that contradicts the marketing.
What to look for before you buy
A ranking gets you to a shortlist; these checks tell you whether a specific product is right for your household. Work through them in order — the first two rule out most greenwashing on their own.
- Check the certification, not the adjective: a logo from Leaping Bunny, Vegan Society, GOTS, Fair Trade or B Corp is auditable; the words "natural" and "clean" are not.
- Look up the parent company — a certified brand owned by a group that still tests where the law requires it is a different decision than an independent one.
- Read the full ingredient or material list, not the front-of-pack claim; a single animal-derived or high-impact input can undo the rest.
- Prefer refills, concentrates and take-back schemes: packaging is usually the fastest win in this category.
- Compare cost per use rather than shelf price — durable and concentrated products almost always win over a year.
- Buy the thing you will actually finish or wear a hundred times; the lowest-impact purchase is still the one you do not replace.
Label decoder: claims vs. certifications
Most on-pack wording is unregulated. Use this table to translate a claim into what it actually guarantees, and what to ask the brand when it does not.
| Claim on pack | What it actually guarantees | What to check instead |
|---|---|---|
| Cruelty-free | Nothing on its own — the term is not legally defined in the EU, UK or US. | A Leaping Bunny or Cruelty Free International logo, plus confirmation the brand does not sell where testing is required. |
| Vegan | Usually no animal-derived ingredients, but self-declared and rarely covers processing aids. | Vegan Society or V-Label certification, and whether shared equipment is used. |
| Natural / clean | Nothing. Both terms are marketing language with no standard behind them. | The full INCI or material list, and an organic certification such as GOTS, COSMOS or EU organic. |
| Eco-friendly / green | Nothing verifiable; increasingly restricted by EU greenwashing rules. | A specific, measured claim — recycled content percentage, certified supply chain, or a published footprint. |
| Recyclable | Technically recyclable somewhere, not necessarily in your municipal system. | Whether the pack is mono-material, and whether the brand runs a take-back or refill scheme. |
| Carbon neutral | Often offsets rather than reductions, and offsets vary wildly in quality. | Absolute emissions cuts against a base year and a validated science-based target. |
Terms you will see on this page
Plain-English definitions of the labels, standards and jargon used across EthiCompare.
- Leaping Bunny
- The strictest international cruelty-free standard: a fixed cut-off date for animal testing, supplier declarations and third-party audits.
- GOTS
- Global Organic Textile Standard — certified organic fibre content plus environmental and social criteria along the whole supply chain.
- B Corp
- A company-level certification scoring governance, workers, community, environment and customers; re-verified every three years.
- Fair Trade
- Certification guaranteeing minimum prices and a community premium to producers, with audited labour standards.
- Greenwashing
- Environmental marketing that is vague, unverifiable or unrepresentative of the product's real footprint.
- Cost per use
- Price divided by realistic lifetime uses — the number that shows whether a durable or concentrated product is actually cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
Can a brand pay to improve its score?+
No. Scores are generated from published criteria and evidence, with no commercial input at any stage.
Why did a score change?+
New certification data, packaging changes, a new controversy entry or an updated brand disclosure. Scores are living figures.
How can I challenge a rating?+
Send documentation via the press and contact page. Verified corrections are applied and recorded.
Does EthiCompare accept payment from brands?+
No. Rankings are never sold and no brand can pay to appear, move up or remove a controversy. Where affiliate links exist they never influence a score, and the methodology is public.
How often are scores updated?+
Certifications, policies and controversies are re-checked continuously and each page shows when its underlying profile was last updated. Material changes — a lost certification, a new testing policy — are reflected as soon as they are verified.
What happens when a brand does not answer?+
Unanswered questions score as unverified, not as positive. That deliberately penalises silence: transparency is one of the five pillars and it is worth 15% of the total.
Is the guide available in other languages?+
Yes — every guide is published in English, Spanish, German and French with fully translated content, and the language switcher at the top keeps you on the same page.
Keep reading
Browse: every product, scored on the things that matter
Filter by your values, not by advertising spend.
Brand transparency: the company behind the label
Ownership, disclosure and a dated record of what each brand has been caught doing.
Label & Certification Lookup: what the logo actually proves
Every mark, what it audits — and what it quietly leaves out.
Reviewed and maintained by the EthiCompare editorial team.