How We Test
Each review follows the same steps, so products can be compared fairly.
1.
We buy the product at retail unless the page says otherwise. If a brand sent it free, the review says so at the top.
2.
We check the label against the evidence: the form of the ingredient, the dose per serving, and whether that dose matches what studies used.
3.
We weigh five scoops on a calibrated 0.01 g scale and report the average against the label claim.
4.
We test mixability in water and in milk, on camera, with the same shaker and the same 20 shakes.
5.
Where the science supports a 30-day window, we come back with a 30-day follow-up and add what we noticed and what we did not.
6.
We compare at least three brands on cost per effective dose, not cost per tub.
7.
We check third-party testing: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, USP, or a published certificate of analysis. No certificate means we say so.
We do not run lab tests ourselves unless the page says an independent lab was used, and then we link the report. How we score: Each product gets a score from 1 to 5 on six things: label accuracy (the scoop weighed against the label), mixability, dose compared to the studies, third-party certification (verified by lookup), value per effective dose, and how it sat with us over the first 14 days of use. The overall score is the average of the six, rounded to one decimal.