Product Review & Research Standards

Real. Honest. Clean. Beauty.

At Skincare Ox, we believe that more transparency in the beauty and cosmetics industries would lead to happier, healthier, and more informed consumers. As such, we want to open and transparent with our readers about how we select the products recommended in our articles. Our goal is to bring you the best organic and natural skin care solutions available. Thus, hours of research, product trials, and expert fact checks go into each and every article we publish. Every product that we recommend on our site must pass the minimum product standards and product review process detailed below.

No Advertisements

We do not accept paid promotions, advertisements, or sponsorships for our lists.

No Banned Ingredients

We’ll never recommend a product made with compounds from our Banned Ingredients List.

Real Natural Products

All products featured must be made with real natural and organic ingredients.

Expertly Crafted

Products must be expertly made by qualified formulators.

Satisfied Customers

Products must be well reviewed by customers across the web.

No Hidden Ingredients

A full list of current ingredients must be easily accessible online.

Skincare Ox Product Review Process

How do we select our recommended products?

PRODUCT DISCOVERYStep 1: Finding Products That Meet Our Standards

Identifying Real Natural Products

Identifying Real Natural Products

Our team is constantly searching the web for the very best organic and natural products and brands in every category. There are tons of beauty brands marketed as “clean,” “natural,” and “organic,” but we’re looking for a higher standard of clean.

PRODUCT RESEARCHStep 2: Taking a Deeper Dive Into Each Product

TAKING A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE PRODUCT

TAKING A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE PRODUCT

Once a product passes our initial screening, we then take a deeper look into all of the product details. We research everything from the brand and formulators behind the product, to online reviews and product reputation. We also analyze the formulation and check every ingredient for safety. At a minimum, the product must not contain any ingredients from our Banned Ingredients List.

PRODUCT TESTINGStep 3: Putting the Products to the Test

GETTING OUR HANDS DIRTY

GETTING OUR HANDS DIRTY

Now that the product has passed our “background checks,” its time to put the theory aside and see how the product works in real life. During this phase, we review aspects of the product like texture, scent, packaging. We are also trying to answer questions like “How does it feel when applied to the skin?” “Does it work?” “How long does it last?” and take note of the experience of using the product. Our team likes to try products for a minimum of two weeks.

PRODUCT SELECTIONStep 4: Selecting the Best Products for Our Lists

SELECTING THE BEST PRODUCTS

SELECTING THE BEST PRODUCTS

When a product passes all of our tests, then we add it to our list of approved products. The product is now in the running to be added to our Top Lists as a recommended product.

Affiliate Note: After we’ve determined that a product meets our standards, we then look to see if we can recommend the product using one of our affiliate channels. Many of our articles contain affiliate links. Affiliate links enable us to earn a small commission when someone purchases a product that we recommend (without any additional cost to you!). However, Skincare Ox does not require an affiliate relationship for the products we recommend! If no affiliate channel is possible, we simply list the product without an affiliate link and earn no commission on any referrals of that product.

Skincare Ox Banned Ingredients List

We are on the hunt for skincare products made with real organic and natural ingredients. We’re talking the purest of the pure. With that said, the following list of our Banned Ingredients is not meant to be comprehensive. There are many chemicals and compounds that we would not approve of in our skin care and we simply cannot list them all. This list is intended to be a summary of commonly used ingredients in skincare that we avoid in our product selections. As we learn of new ingredients to avoid, we will add them to this list.

1,4-Dioxane
Ethoxylated Ingredients
Sulfates
Dimethicone and Silicones
Propylene glycol/Butylene glycol
Butoxyethanol
Parabens
TEA/DEA
Aluminum Compounds
Mineral Oils & Petrochemcials
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Polyethylene (PEGs)
Phthalates
Denatured alcohols
Siloxanes
Synthetic flavors, fragrances, and dyes
Hydroquinone
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Chemical Sunscreens
Coal Tar
Talc
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS/SLES) and harsh detergents
Triclosan