A Sneak Peek at the Upcoming New Skin & Tonics Design and Product Rating System

March 16, 2014 | Announcements, News

Regular S&T readers may have noticed a drop in my post frequency lately, and I’m here to tell you that you aren’t imagining things. I have been posting less lately, but trust me when I tell you that it’s not for lack of interest, nor a shortage of products I’m ready to review! In fact, it’s quite the opposite – I’ve been working hard on a blog redesign to accommodate my growing needs, as well as some other major site changes, including a revamped product rating system, updated guides, and an improved categorization system.

I am so excited about these updates that I’ve decided to focus my energy for the next week or so on finalizing the changes so I can get the new design into development. If you don’t like change, don’t worry. These changes are good, and will not be like that time your parents made you move to a boring new town, or when your boyfriend grew that skeevy mustache, or the time someone secretly switched your fresh brewed coffee with dark, sparkling, Folgers crystals.

If you’re curious about what the changes will be, here is a sampling of what you’ll be seeing:

• More advanced searching and browsing capabilities
• Easier to read fonts
• Vastly improved mobile experience (the mobile experience for S&T is currently awful, and I am ashamed)
• A new, detailed rating system for skincare products, makeup, and beauty tools (more on this below)
• More guides
• More skincare reviews (but fewer makeup reviews, with the exception of complexion makeup such as foundations and BB creams)
• Updated Asian Skincare Guide with more details and breakdowns

New Design

Here’s a sneak peak of what the new site will look like:

Click to view full size. Keep in mind that this is an image, so clicking links on this preview will not actually do anything.

I considered many factors with the new design, including information provided by you guys in the reader survey you completed late last year (thanks, everyone!). Aesthetically speaking, I wanted to keep the “spirit” of Skin & Tonics intact, but make it feel cleaner and more accessible. In terms of readability, I think the typefaces I’m currently using are difficult to read in large blocks, so I made some changes to increase the readability. Being longwinded is one of this blog’s defining characteristics, so making sure people could finish reading a post without having to lay down with a cool compress was of utmost importance.

I also wanted to make browsing easier, so I made a filtering system that would allow for easier post searches. For example, if you just want to look at all the posts about serums with an “A” rating from Korea, or cleansers and lotions with a “B” rating or higher from the US, or guides that include products from the UK, you’ll be able to do that. Do I sound pleased with myself? I should, because I really am. I am ridiculously excited about this feature!

New Rating System

I’m just as excited about the new rating system as I am about the new design, if not more so. Product rating systems are something I’ve agonized over since I began blogging, and I’ve been working very hard to develop a new one that successfully balances scientific data and personal experience in the final score. Part of what has made devising a system so complicated, especially for skincare products, is not just the variation in skin types and sensitivities, but also the variation in ingredient safety and comedogenicy data available, as different sources offer different numbers on those items.

In addition to not being standardized, individual ingredient safety, comedogenicy, and irritation ratings do not take into account the context in which an ingredient is used. For example, sodium hydroxide has a high irritation and hazard score, which is 100% accurate for sodium hydroxide on its own, but when it’s used in a product formula to balance the pH of a product, it has already been reacted and is completely harmless – in fact, its chemical properties no longer resemble that of the original ingredient at all. By law, however, the ingredients in their original form are what must be listed for a product, not what the ingredient becomes once it’s been integrated into a formula.

For the new rating system, I decided to use CosDNA as my standard reference source. My reason for this is that it has a fairly complete INCI database, and pulls its numbers from a few different sources. I’ve had a few people ask me why I never mention EWG/SkinDeep as a source, and the reason is that EWG is not the reliable source it was in its infancy. These days, EWG has political ties and receives funding from sources with ulterior motives, so much so that their non-profit status has been challenged. Additionally, EWG ingredient lists are inaccurate up to 50% of the time, and they consistently misinterpret, misrepresent, and misread key ingredient data. CosDNA, on the other hand, is politically agnostic and does not have any specific corporate ties.

My new rating system has taken into account the variables surrounding ingredient safety, comedogenicy, and sensitivity into account. As for variables for different skin types – I’ll be rating those aspects based on my own experiences because that’s what I’m most informed about, but I’ll be noting in the actual review whether I believe the effects would differ for other skin types.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of how the new rating system will work:

Overall:

Each product will receive a total numeric score with 100 point cap, based on the sum of the scores from each subcategory. Additionally, each product will receive a corresponding letter grade based on the following system:

A+: 97-100
A: 93-96
A-: 90-92
B+: 87-89
B: 83-86
B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79
C: 73-76
C-: 70-72
D+: 67-69
D: 63-66
D-: 60-62
F: 0-59

Skincare Products

20 point cap for each category, for a maximum total numeric rating of 100.

Efficacy: Product results, with an emphasis on performance to claims, unexpected benefits, and damages

– 2 point deduction for every claim not fulfilled
– 2-6 point deduction for each instance of skin damage, such as irritation, scarring, decrease in skin quality, increase in acne, increase in inflammation, or long-term redness, depending on severity
– 2 point addition for unexpected/unadvertised benefits

Ingredients: Quality, safety, efficacy, sensitivity, and comedogenicy

– 2 point deduction for every ingredient with a 3 or higher CosDNA rating as a potential acne or irritation trigger
– 2 point deduction for level 1 hazard based on CosDNA scale
– 3 point deduction for level 2 hazard based on CosDNA scale
– 3 point deduction for using a disproportionately high number of cheap or ineffective ingredients

Application: – Absorbency, spreadability

– 2 to 6 point deduction for poor absorbency relative to product expectation (depending on severity)
– 2 to 6 point deduction for spread difficulty (depending on severity)

Wear: Overall sensation, weight, finish, as well as texture compatibility with other products

– 3 point deduction for unpleasant sensation, such as unpleasant burning, stinging
– 2 point deduction for excessive feeling of heaviness
– 2 point deduction for unpleasant tactile finish relative to product expectation
– 2 point deduction for interference with application of other products due to texture or absorbency issues (does not apply to issues with incompatible ingredients)

Packaging: Preservation of product integrity, hygiene, ease-of-use, and craftsmanship

– 2 point deduction for each aspect of packaging that compromises shelf life
– 2 point deduction for each aspect of packaging that makes it difficult to dispense product
– 3 point deduction for each aspect of poorly made packaging, including packaging that is flimsy, degrades easily, or breaks due to lack of craftsmanship

Makeup Products

25 point cap for each category, for a maximum total numeric rating of 100.

Pigmentation: Product appearance on the skin

– 3 point deduction for every instance of coverage or pigmentation not performing as advertised
– 4 point deduction for each instance of skin damage, such as scarring, decrease in skin quality, increase in acne, increase in inflammation, or long-term redness
– 2 point addition for unexpected/unadvertised benefits

Ingredients: Quality, safety, efficacy, sensitivity, and comedogenicy

– 2 point deduction for every ingredient with a 3 or CosDNA higher rating as a potential acne or irritation trigger
– 2 point deduction for level 1 hazard based on CosDNA scale
– 3 point deduction for level 2 hazard based on CosDNA scale
– 3 point deduction for using a proportionally high number of cheap or ineffective ingredients
– 2 point addition for an unusually high number of skin beneficial ingredients

Application: Ease of spreading, blending, accuracy etc.

– 2 to 6 point deduction for each aspect of difficult application, relative to product expectation and depending on severity
– 2 point deduction for every application claim not fulfilled

Wear: Overall sensation, weight, finish, and longevity

– 2-6 point deduction for shorter than expected wear time, depending on severity
– 2 point deduction for every wear-related claim not fulfilled (such as moisture, skin improvement, etc.)
– 3 point deduction for unpleasant sensation, such as unpleasant burning, stinging
– 2 point deduction for excessive feeling of heaviness
– 2 point deduction for unpleasant tactile finish relative to product expectation
– 2 point deduction for interference with application of other products due to texture or absorbency issues (does not apply to issues with incompatible ingredients)

Beauty Tools

25 point cap for each category, for a maximum total numeric rating of 100.

Performance: Product results, with an emphasis on performance to claims, and damages

– 2 point deduction for every claim not fulfilled
– 2 – 6 point deduction for each instance of skin damage, such as irritation, scarring, decrease in skin quality, increase in acne, increase in inflammation, or long-term redness, depending on severity

Use: Application, handling

– 3 point deduction for every instance of awkward handling due to size, weight, or other form factors
– 3 point deduction for discomfort, relative to product expectation (e.g. a hair removal device has different expectation of comfort from a makeup brush)
– 3 point deduction for uneven or inconsistent application

Craftsmanship: Sturdiness, quality of build, overall finish

– 3 point deduction for each aspect of poor overall finish
(e.g. uneven hair in a makeup brush)
– 3 point deduction for each instance of poor construction, including flimsy construction, and construction that breaks or degrades easily

Materials: Quality, safety, efficacy

– 2-6 point deduction for every instance of unsafe or potentially damaging materials or mechanisms, depending on severity
– 2 point deduction for use of cheap, underperforming materials
– 2 point deduction for use of environmentally or ecologically harmful materials
(e.g. hair from an endangered species)

I still have a bit of work to do before the new design and rating system are ready to go live – but I hope to have it up and running sometime in April. In the meantime, I’ll still be posting – just not quite as often as usual. Any reviews I write before the new design launches will use the existing rating system, but all reviews will receive updated ratings once the new site launches. As soon as the new design is in full swing, not only will my posting frequency return – I’ll be celebrating with my biggest giveaway ever! (Hint: the prizes are made by a company that rhymes with Shmulshmashmoo.)

If you’ve got questions or comments about the upcoming design or rating system, I’d love to hear them!

Skin & Tonics : Skincare Guides & Product Reviews

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