The supplement, SARM, and peptide space is full of paid “best of” lists dressed up as journalism. We publish our criteria so you don’t have to take our rankings on faith. You can see what we checked and judge for yourself whether it holds up.
01What We Evaluate
What we check depends on what’s being reviewed. Here are the specific criteria for each category we cover.
For supplements and compounds
- Ingredient transparency: Full label disclosure vs. proprietary blends that hide actual dosages.
- Third-party testing: Independent lab verification (COA — Certificate of Analysis) of purity and potency, not just the manufacturer’s own claims.
- Dosage vs. research: Whether the product’s actual dosing matches what’s used in the studies its marketing cites. This is a common gap worth calling out by name — plenty of products cite real research at doses far higher than what’s actually in the bottle.
- Manufacturing standards: GMP certification, facility transparency.
For SARM / peptide / research-chemical vendors
- Certificate of Analysis availability: Is third-party purity testing published per batch, or claimed without evidence?
- Legal framing: Does the company market compounds honestly (e.g., “for research purposes,” where that’s the accurate legal status) rather than implying human-consumption safety it can’t substantiate?
- Sourcing transparency: Can the company speak to where/how the product is manufactured?
- Shipping, packaging, and support: Real operational quality, evaluated the same way a consumer review would.
For clinics (TRT / hormone optimization)
- Licensure and staffing: Are prescribers actually licensed physicians/NPs, and is that verifiable?
- Diagnostic rigor: Does the clinic require actual bloodwork and diagnostic criteria before prescribing, or does it prescribe based on a quiz/self-report alone?
- Transparency on pricing and monitoring: Clear costs, and a real follow-up/monitoring protocol rather than a one-time script.
- Red flags we check for: No-bloodwork prescribing, guaranteed-results marketing, pressure sales tactics.
02What Disqualifies a Company Outright
03How This Stays Independent of Advertising
A company’s ranking or inclusion in our reviews is never influenced by whether it advertises with us or by our affiliate relationship with it. Sponsored placements are clearly labeled as sponsored and never appear inside our independent rankings. See our Editorial Guidelines for the full policy.
04How Often Reviews Are Updated
Company evaluations are revisited on a regular basis, since formulations, lab testing, and business practices change. Each review shows a “last updated” date, and any material change to our assessment is noted directly in the article.