Editorial Policy

How We Test

Every product reviewed on Fitlab Reviews goes through our standardized testing protocol:

1. Anonymous retail purchase. Products are purchased from retail channels (Amazon, brand websites, GNC, etc.) without brand knowledge. We never accept free samples.
2. Batch assay. We test 3–5 batches per product over a minimum of 6 months to account for batch-to-batch variability. Active ingredient content is measured by HPLC-UV/DAD for small molecules, Kjeldahl and amino acid profiling for proteins.
3. Contaminant screening. Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As) by ICP-MS. Pesticide residues by GC-MS. Microbiological testing per USP <61>/<62>.
4. Rubric scoring. The 5-question rubric is applied by at least two team members independently. Scores are finalized by consensus.
5. Lab report publication. Raw assay reports (PDFs) are published alongside every review. Our testing methodology is versioned in a public git repository.

How We Are Funded

Fitlab Reviews has three revenue streams:

• Affiliate commissions. When you purchase a product through a link on our site we may earn a commission from the retailer or brand. Commissions are never a factor in scoring — products are scored before any commercial relationship exists, and we link to the best-scoring options regardless of whether a commission is available.
• Reader subscriptions. $6/month or $48/year gives access to our full lab report archive, raw assay data, and subscriber-only content.
• Enterprise reports. Brands, retailers, and institutional buyers can purchase full lab analysis reports on specific products or categories. These are sold as data products. Editorial scores are never adjusted for enterprise clients.

We do not accept paid placements or sponsored reviews where a brand pays for a specific score or editorial outcome. We may in the future accept clearly labeled brand sponsorships (e.g., sponsored research sections or category guides) that do not involve editorial influence over scores. Any such arrangement will be disclosed prominently on the relevant pages.

FTC Disclosure

Per FTC guidelines (16 CFR Part 255), we disclose any material connections to brands or products we review. As of the date of this policy:

• Fitlab Reviews earns affiliate commissions on purchases made through links on our site. These are disclosed on every page that contains affiliate links.
• No brand has paid Fitlab Reviews for a review, mention, or score modification.
• All products reviewed were purchased at retail price unless otherwise noted.
• We may accept brand sponsorships for non-scored content in future. Any such arrangement will be clearly labeled as sponsored content and will not affect product scores.
• Enterprise report clients are listed in our annual transparency report (available to subscribers), but their identity is kept confidential at their request. Editorial scores for their products are set before any commercial relationship exists.

Score Independence Guarantee

No individual, brand, investor, or advertiser has ever changed a Fitlab score. If you believe we have been compromised, email our editorial board at editorial@fitlabreviews.com with evidence. We will investigate and publish a correction if warranted.

Corrections Policy

We correct errors within 24 hours of verification. Corrections are clearly marked with a datestamp and description of what changed. We do not delete corrections.

Version History

This document is under version control. The full change history is available at our GitHub repository. Current version: 1.2, last updated May 2026.