Methodology

How We Investigate Supplements

What Clearline actually does before publishing a review, and what we deliberately don't do.

What we check for every review

• Label and marketing claims. We read the product page text, label and bottle images, and any linked policy pages word for word.
• Ingredient disclosure and consistency. We note exactly which ingredients are named, whether doses are published, and whether the ingredient list is consistent across a brand's own materials.
• Testimonial honesty. We check whether a brand discloses its customer quotes as illustrative or verified, and we treat that disclosure as a real transparency signal, positive or negative.
• Math and consistency checks. We verify that stated serving sizes, bottle counts, prices and day-supply claims are internally consistent.
• Guarantee terms. We read the refund terms we can find, including any minimum-use conditions, not just the marketing headline.
• Unverifiable claims. Where a brand makes a specific, checkable claim (like a certification) without naming the lab or linking a certificate, we note that as unverified rather than confirmed.

What we do not do

• We do not run a formal, controlled clinical trial ourselves, and we do not buy or lab-test every product.
• We do not invent statistics or user quotes we cannot trace back to a real source.
• We do not accept payment from a brand in exchange for a favorable score, and no brand gets to see or edit a review before it publishes.

Our scoring criteria

Every review scores the same six categories:

• Ease of use — how simple the actual daily routine is
• Guarantee clarity — how plainly refund terms are stated, including any conditions
• Ingredient naming — whether active ingredients are named, and whether amounts are given
• Manufacturing standards — disclosed facility certifications and a named maker
• Value for money — price per serving relative to what is actually disclosed
• Label & marketing transparency — dosage disclosure, internal consistency, and whether marketing claims hold up to a direct check

The headline score is the average of the six, rounded to one decimal.

Why we disclose affiliate links

Clearline earns revenue when readers click through to an official store and buy. This does not change how we score a product. Full detail is in our advertising disclosure.