The Glow Formulary is an independent skincare publication. We read the research behind trending ingredients, check the claims against the evidence, and only then recommend products.
Skincare has an information problem. Ingredients arrive on a wave of marketing language, get repeated across a thousand identical listicles, and by the time they reach your basket nobody can tell you what the product is actually formulated to do. Peptides are the current example: a genuinely interesting category buried under some of the least careful writing on the internet.
So we do the boring part. We read what the published cosmetic research supports, we read the full ingredient list rather than the front of the bottle, and we write it down in plain language.
How we choose products
Every product we recommend is assessed against four things, in this order:
- The formula. Is the active peptide actually named on the ingredient list, and does it appear high enough to matter? A product marketed on “peptides” with an unnamed peptide near the bottom of the list is marketing, not formulation.
- The evidence. What does published research support for that specific ingredient, at roughly that concentration? We say when the evidence is strong, and we say when it is thin.
- The experience. Texture, scent, how it layers under sunscreen and makeup, whether the packaging protects the formula. A product you dislike using is a product you will not use for twelve weeks.
- The value. Price per millilitre against comparable formulas. Expensive is sometimes justified. Often it is not, and we say so.
What we don’t do
- We don’t accept payment for reviews, rankings or inclusion. Ever.
- We don’t use before-and-after photography. It is the least reliable evidence in skincare and the easiest to stage.
- We don’t make medical claims. We describe what products are formulated to do for the appearance of skin, because that is what cosmetics do.
- We don’t cover injectable or “research” peptides. Those are prescription and unapproved drugs, not skincare, and they belong in a doctor’s office rather than a shopping guide.
How we’re funded
The Glow Formulary is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
The process runs in one direction and only one direction: products are selected on editorial merit first, and retailer links are added afterwards where a programme happens to exist. Commission rates never influence what we recommend, how we rank it, or what we say about it. Where a product we rate has no affiliate programme at all, we still recommend it. Read the full affiliate disclosure.
Corrections
Formulations change, prices move, and research advances. If you spot something out of date or incorrect in one of our guides, email us with the article link and we will review it. Substantive corrections are noted on the article itself.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or brand enquiries: editor@theglowformulary.com. More detail on the contact page.
The Glow Formulary publishes cosmetic information, not medical advice. Speak to a dermatologist about any skin condition or concern.