We score what the seller puts in writing. Nothing else. Not what a brand is famous for, not what a product probably is, and not what another reviewer assumed. If a Shopee or TikTok Shop listing does not state it, the product does not get credit for it.
“In writing” means the listing title, the description, the specification panel, the variation names, and any label that is readable in the product photos. This one rule makes every score traceable to a line we can quote, or to its absence. It also means a famous brand with a thin listing can score below an unknown brand with a thorough one. We apply the rule anyway, and we say so in the guide when it happens.
Our process
How every product review works, in five steps
- Find what people actually seeWe search Shopee and TikTok Shop the way a buyer would and list the products that come up, one product per brand.
- Read the full listingTitle, description, specifications, variations and the label in the photos. We screenshot everything, dated.
- Check the FDA recordEvery registration number is looked up on the FDA Philippines record and matched against the product name and company.
- Score out of 100Six hard checks first, then the same six-part rubric for every product in every category.
- Recheck and updatePrices and stock change weekly. We recheck picks on a schedule and replace any that can no longer be bought.
Step one
The six hard checks
Before anything is scored, a product must pass all six. Fail one and it can never be a recommended pick, whatever it would have scored. It may still appear in a guide, as a warning.
- 01Registration mismatchThe FDA number on the listing belongs to a different product or company.
- 02FDA advisoryThe product or brand is named in an FDA Philippines public health warning.
- 03Banned or restrictedIt contains a prohibited substance, or is a prescription product sold as wellness.
- 04Not buyableIt is out of stock or the listing has been removed. A dead pick helps nobody.
- 05Counterfeit riskA branded product sold far below the official price by an unauthorised seller.
- 06Wrong categoryIt is not actually the type of product the guide covers.
Step two
The score out of 100
Every product that passes the hard checks is scored on the same six things. Where registration does not apply to a product type (a pillow, for example), we drop that part and rescale the rest to 100.
- 90+ Top pick territory
- 80+ Solid choice
- 70+ Buy with caveats
- <70 Hard to recommend
Disclosure
The one spec that decides each category
Every product type has one detail that decides whether you can compare products at all. It is usually the detail listings leave out. Before scoring a guide we decide what it is, and listings that state it earn the most disclosure points.
| Product type | The spec that matters | What we often see instead |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | Form and milligrams per serving | “High potency” |
| Fish oil | EPA and DHA in milligrams | “1,000 mg fish oil” |
| Sunscreen | SPF, PA rating and named UV filters | SPF number only |
| Whey protein | Grams of protein per scoop and scoop size | “25 g per serving” with no serving size |
| Probiotics | Strain names and count guaranteed at expiry | “Billions of good bacteria” |
| Collagen | Type, source and grams per serving | “Premium collagen” |
Claim honesty
How we treat certification claims
Words like “certified”, “organic” and “clinically proven” are scored by how checkable they are. The surprise for most people is the last row: a listing that makes no claim at all scores higher than one making a claim nobody can verify.
- Named certifier and standardAuditable and traceable. Full credit.
- No claim at allHonest silence. Scores above an unverifiable claim.
- “Certified” with nobody namedAsserts a third party but names none. Partial credit.
- A bare adjective“Organic”, “clinically proven”, “premium grade”. A description, not a credential.
Two more rules apply. Cure, treatment or prevention claims on a food supplement cost heavy points, because supplements are not approved for therapeutic claims. And a listing that admits a limitation, such as “not a substitute for a balanced diet”, earns points. It costs the seller sales, and it is the best sign the rest of the listing can be trusted.
Example
Two listings, scored side by side
An illustration with two fictional vitamin C listings, to show how the points add up.
| Listing X (official store) | Listing Y (regular seller) | |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | 25: number matches the record | 0: number not found |
| Disclosure | 18: form and mg stated, no maker address | 7: “high potency”, no mg |
| Claim honesty | 20: one unnamed “premium grade”, one stated limit | 5: “prevents flu”, “FDA approved” |
| Consistency | 10: everything agrees | 5: title says 100 tablets, photo shows 60 |
| Seller | 15: Mall store, strong rating, guarantee | 4: no authorisation stated |
| Value | 6: mid-priced per dose | 0: dose unknown, value cannot be judged |
| Total | 94 | 21, and likely fails the registration check |
Our promises
What you can hold us to
- No brand, seller or agency pays to be included, ranked or scored.
- Every pick, including the winner, comes with a genuine watch-out.
- We recommend the cheaper product when it is the right one.
- We do not manufacture alarm. Where an ingredient is fine, we say so.
- When we get something wrong, we correct it and say what changed. See our editorial policy.
Questions about our method
Do you test products in a lab?
No. We score listings and labels against the official FDA Philippines record. A score tells you how complete, consistent and verifiable a listing is. It is not a lab result, and we say so on every guide.
Why do you only score what the listing says?
Because it is the only thing every buyer can see, and the only thing we can quote. It makes every score repeatable: two people applying the rubric to the same listings land in the same place.
Does “FDA registered” mean a product is safe and effective?
Registration means the product is on record with FDA Philippines and may be sold. It is not an endorsement of the claims on a listing. That is why registration and claim honesty are scored separately.
Can a brand pay to improve its score?
No. We do not accept payment, free products or advertising in exchange for coverage. A seller can send us evidence that a listing was misread, and we will recheck the listing as it currently stands.
How often are scores updated?
Prices and stock are rechecked on a schedule. Scores are updated when a listing changes in a way that affects the rubric, and every guide shows the date it was last updated.
A score reflects a listing, not a lab test. Nothing on WellnessPicks is medical advice. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting a supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or taking medication.