How we score serums
SerumTruth exists because the beauty aisle rewards packaging over proof. A serum can cost ten times another and be built on weaker actives, lower doses, and less disclosure. So we built one rubric and apply it to everything.
The SerumProof score
Every serum earns a score out of 100, built from five parts. We show the breakdown on each review so you can check our math.
- Evidence: 30 points
- How strong is the published research behind the serum’s key actives? Each ingredient carries an honest grade from strong to preliminary, and this is the average.
- Potency: 25 points
- An active only counts if it’s dosed like it was in the studies, and not “fairy-dusted” below the 1% line just to make the label. This is the share of the formula’s actives that are genuinely at a working level.
- Delivery & stability: 20 points
- The right ingredient does nothing if it never reaches your skin or dies on the shelf. We score delivery technology (encapsulation protects and time-releases fragile actives) and packaging. Air- and light-sensitive actives like vitamin C and copper peptides can lose most of their potency in weeks in a clear dropper bottle.
- Formulation: 10 points
- Does the brand disclose what’s actually inside, is the lineup coherent, and are the actives current-generation (a modern dual-peptide blend versus a dated single actor)? Transparency and thoughtful pairing are rewarded.
- Value: 15 points
- What does it actually cost to use for a month? We divide the price by how long a bottle lasts at typical usage for its format, so a 15ml treatment you use by the drop and a 240ml toner you splash on are compared on cost of use, not on the sticker price. Whether the actives are any good is the other four scores’ job, not this one’s.
What we don’t do
We don’t make medical claims. This is cosmetic information about the appearance of skin, not treatment. Some links are affiliate links and may earn us a commission, but they never change a score: the rubric runs on the formula and the research, full stop.
Questions or a serum you want scored? hello@serumtruth.com