Verified reviewer
Editorial Policy
DermFND publishes ingredient analysis, not product reviews. This policy explains the difference, how content is produced, and what we disclose.
Independence
Editorial independence
- No paid placement. No brand, retailer, or PR agency can pay to be reviewed, scored higher, ranked, or featured on DermFND.
- No sponsored reviews. We do not accept free product, payment, or any other consideration in exchange for coverage.
- No affiliate revenue. DermFND does not participate in any affiliate program. Amazon links on product pages go to plain searches without a tag. The site is funded by the founder, not retailers.
Editor
Who writes this
DermFND is built and edited by Alex Brufsky, founder of ViewEngine. Alex is not a dermatologist or licensed medical professional. DermFND is a research and analysis resource; it does not give medical advice. For medical concerns, see a board-certified dermatologist.
AI
AI assistance disclosure
DermFND was built using substantial AI-pipeline assistance for content scaffolding. Specifically:
- AI does: collect public INCI lists from manufacturer product pages, format them into structured sections, draft initial summaries, and propose data tags.
- The editor does: review every score and evidence rating before publication, set the scoring formula and its weights, write or rewrite editorial framings, and overrule AI-suggested ratings when published evidence contradicts them.
AI does not make ranking calls, evidence calls, or safety calls unsupervised. If you see a claim on the site that contradicts published research, contact us — we treat corrections seriously and update the database.
Sources
What we cite
- Ingredient evidence: PubMed (peer-reviewed cosmetic-chemistry, dermatology, and pharmacology literature), CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review), regulatory databases (EWG Skin Deep, INCIDecoder, EU CosIng).
- Product data: manufacturer INCI lists, retailer product pages, public regulatory filings.
- Customer signals: publicly aggregated retailer review data (currently Amazon) is shown as "Customer rating (Amazon)" — not laundered as DermFND's own rating.
Corrections
Corrections policy
When we publish an error, we update the page. For substantive corrections (a changed safety flag, a removed product, a score adjustment), we will note the correction inline on the page with the date.
Pre-publication, every page is reviewed by the editor. Post-publication, the database is re-run periodically; flagged inconsistencies trigger a manual re-check.
Off-limits
What we will not do
- We will not publish negative content about a brand in exchange for payment from a competitor.
- We will not remove negative ingredient analysis in exchange for payment or advertising placement.
- We will not invent credentials, fabricate testing, or claim first-hand product experience we don't have.
If you see anything on the site that violates these commitments, contact us and we will investigate.
Updates
This policy
Last updated: May 21, 2026
We will update this policy as the site evolves. The canonical version lives at /editorial-policy/.