How we score.

Four tiers, one honest number

Nutrition first, then additives, then certifications

Nutrition carries the most weight. It is based on the Nutri-Score, the peer-reviewed European nutrition-profiling system. It weighs calories, sugar, saturated fat and salt against fiber, protein and fruit/vegetable content. When a product has no published Nutri-Score (common for US store brands), we compute one ourselves from its nutrition facts using the official 2023 method.

Additives count next — every additive in the ingredient list is identified and weighed by its risk level, using assessments from public health bodies (IARC, EFSA, FDA). Low-risk additives like citric acid cost almost nothing; riskier ones like nitrites, artificial dyes or aspartame count heavily against the score.

Certifications — certified-organic products get a flat bonus, because certification limits pesticide residues and synthetic additives.

Your worst ingredient sets the score

Cosmetics aren't about nutrition — they're about hazard. We scan the full ingredient list (INCI) against a database of ingredients flagged by public health research: parabens, formaldehyde releasers, endocrine-disrupting UV filters, strong allergens, and more.

• High-hazard ingredient present (e.g. triclosan, formaldehyde, phthalates) → the product lands in the Bad band.
• Moderate-hazard only (e.g. some preservatives, harsh sulfates) → Poor.
• Minor concerns only (e.g. fragrance allergens like limonene) → Good.
• Nothing flagged → Excellent.

The worst ingredient drives the band — because one endocrine disruptor isn't offset by ten clean ingredients around it.

Judged on what's around the actives

Supplement labels come from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD). Since dosing "correctness" varies per person, we score what quality actually depends on:

• Banned or unapproved substances (DMAA, ephedra, SARMs, and others flagged by the FDA/WADA) → capped deep in the Bad band.
• Proprietary blends — hidden per-ingredient doses cost points, because you can't verify what you're taking.
• Fillers, artificial sweeteners & dyes in the "other ingredients" (sucralose, titanium dioxide, Red 40, maltodextrin…) each count against the score.
• Clean-label signals — third-party testing (NSF, Informed Sport, USP), organic certification, and no-artificial-additive claims earn points back.

The medicine is shown, never scored

For over-the-counter drugs (read from the U.S. FDA's openFDA label database), the score rates only the inactive ingredients — the formulation around the medicine. The active ingredient is the reason the product works, so it's displayed clearly and deliberately kept out of the number. Ratings are informational, never medical advice: talk to a pharmacist or doctor about the medicine itself.

Cross-checked, not copied

Our Verification Engine attempts to cross-check each food product's nutrition against independent sources — normalizing every value to the same basis before comparing, and scoring each field's confidence. When sources agree, the data shows as verified. When only one source answers, the result says exactly that: "not yet cross-verified." And when sources disagree, we flag the product for human review rather than silently picking a winner. You can help: every result has a "Report incorrect product information" link that sends us a photo of the current label (sign-in required, to keep the review queue human).

Open sources, credited

ScanVeer computes every score live from open public databases, maintained by nonprofit communities and US federal agencies:

Nutrition and label data come from Open Food Facts, Open Beauty Facts, NIH DSLD, USDA FoodData Central, and the U.S. FDA's openFDA. Risk assessments for additives and ingredients reference published findings from IARC (WHO's cancer research agency), EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), the FDA, and peer-reviewed studies. Tap any additive inside the app to see its specific science.