Editorial Policy

Independence

No brand, agency or retailer has any influence over what appears on this site or in what order. We do not accept payment for inclusion, payment for a higher ranking, sponsored posts, or gifted products in exchange for coverage. Affiliate commission is earned after publication and plays no part in editorial decisions.

How rankings are produced

Every product is scored out of ten against four weighted criteria — formulation quality (40%), strength of evidence for the key actives (25%), patterns in published customer reviews (20%), and value and usability (15%). The full methodology is set out on our about page.

What we do not claim

We think honesty about our limits is worth more than a borrowed lab coat.

• We do not run clinical trials and we do not describe our research as clinical testing.
• We do not employ dermatologists and we do not present our conclusions as a medical opinion.
• We do not publish before-and-after imagery. It is trivially manipulated and it sets expectations no topical product can meet.
• We do not use words like “miracle”, “cure”, “erase” or “guaranteed”. No eye cream does any of those things.
• We do not invent customer testimonials, star ratings or review counts. Scores on this site are clearly labelled as our own editorial assessment.

Sourcing

Ingredient claims are drawn from manufacturer-published ingredient lists and from the dermatological literature on each active. Where evidence is weak or contested, we say so in the review rather than rounding it up to a benefit.

Updates and corrections

Rankings are reviewed monthly. Products are removed when discontinued or reformulated, and positions move when the evidence or the reported experience changes. If we publish something inaccurate we will correct it promptly and note that a correction was made. Report errors to contact@topratedcream.com.

Advertising

We promote this site using paid advertising, including Pinterest Ads. Our advertising creative is held to the same standards as our editorial: no before-and-after imagery, no exaggerated or absolute claims, and no promise of results that a cosmetic product cannot deliver.