Good recommendations require more than reading a label. Here's exactly what goes into ours.
Every product on this site is independently reviewed. No brand partnerships. No gifted products. No payment for placement.
This is non-negotiable. The moment a brand can influence whether they're reviewed — or how — editorial independence ends. Our credibility depends entirely on this single rule.
Our rule: if a brand contacts us offering product, payment, or 'collaboration', we disclose it — and we do not accept it.
We find the product
Sourced through Australian retailers, direct brand sites, or Amazon AU. We don't test products that aren't available in Australia — a recommendation you can't act on is useless.
We use it — for at least 4 weeks
Every product we recommend is purchased and used daily for a minimum of 4 weeks. Notes are logged weekly, not summarised after the fact. First impressions and week-four observations are both recorded.
We request the lab documentation
We email the brand requesting their most recent Certificate of Analysis. If they don't respond, can't provide one, or the CoA is undated, we note this prominently in the review. Transparency cuts both ways.
We cross-reference label claims
Every dosage claim, certification, and sourcing claim is verified against publicly available data, CoAs, or certification databases. "Clinically studied" is not the same as "clinically effective at the dose in this product."
We write the review
Draft written from direct personal experience and verified against label claims and CoA data. No AI writing. No copy-pasted text from brand materials. If something sounds like a press release, it gets cut.
We re-evaluate every 6 months
Products drop off our recommended list if formulas change, sourcing changes, pricing shifts dramatically, or better alternatives emerge. Every review carries the date it was last verified.
Every product is scored 1–10 across five criteria. The Overall Score is a weighted average, not an average of averages — because not all criteria are equally important.
Potency & Dosage 30% weight
We measure actual dose against clinical study minimums. Extract type matters: fruiting body vs. mycelium on grain are not equivalent. A 100mg dose of verified fruiting body extract outscores 500mg of mycelium.
Sourcing Transparency 25% weight
Can we verify where the ingredients come from? Is there a CoA? Are certifications genuine and current? Brands that publish nothing get a low score here — opacity is a red flag regardless of price point.
Taste & Daily Use 20% weight
We use the product daily — not just once. Texture, mixability, and aftertaste all count. Notes are logged across the full review period. A product you dread using is a product you'll stop using.
Value for Money 15% weight
Price-per-serve relative to quality tier. A premium product at a fair price scores well. A premium-priced product with budget-grade ingredients scores poorly — we call this out explicitly.
Brand Transparency 10% weight
Does the brand publish their Certificate of Analysis? Are certifications genuine and current? We flag clearly when a CoA is unavailable or gated behind an email request. Publicly posted CoAs score highest.
Some of our links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission if you buy through them. This never influences our rankings or recommendations. We link to the best product regardless of commission rate. Full disclosure →
We're a small independent editorial team. Each reviewer is responsible for a dedicated product category — mushroom supplements, adaptogens, collagen, functional teas — and holds that category for continuity. No reviewer maintains any relationship with a brand in their category, paid or otherwise. We don't name reviewers publicly to keep brand contact attempts off the table.
New reviews, methodology updates, and the unfiltered verdict on what we've been using. No brand deals. No noise.
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