Science-Backed Skincare Reviews: How Dermatocare Evaluates Products

At Dermatocare, our mission is to help you choose science-backed, dermatologist-reviewed skincare. Every product listed on our platform goes through a three-step review process that combines a structured ingredient database, AI-assisted research and algorithm design, and independent medical review.

Step 1: Ingredient Audit

We begin by collecting the product's ingredient list from trusted sources preferably the brand's official website. This list is then checked against Dermatocare's own ingredient database, built and maintained by Dr. Surbhi, Dermatologist & Founder of Dermatocare, which currently tracks close to 1000+ individual ingredients across several purpose-built layers:

• A safety-flagging layer: screens for sensitivity/rosacea triggers, pregnancy caution, teen suitability, three separate child age bands (under 6 months, 6 months–3 years, 3–12 years), environmental concern, and ingredients currently under internal review.

• A function/benefit layer: maps supporting ingredients to their cosmetic function (Hydrating, Soothing, Antioxidant, Brightening, Barrier repair, Oil control, Anti-aging, Anti-acne, Anti-pollution).

• A key-ingredient master list: the fixed set of actives a product has is checked for the form and concentration used.

• A comedogenicity layer:  rated for pore-clogging risk.

Every classification in this database is cross-checked against named external sources, not a single blanket citation:

• PubMed: to verify the published efficacy data behind a cosmeceutical active before it's credited with a benefit.

• EWG (Environmental Working Group): to cross-verify anything flagged under our ingredients-under-review list.

• EU cosmetic regulation guidelines: for banned and restricted ingredient status.

• AI-assisted research (Claude and Gemini): used to validate individual ingredient efficacy claims against the current literature before they're added to the database.

  The same sourcing discipline extends to sunscreen-specific data — each UV filter's generation (mineral, new-generation chemical, or older chemical filter) and its UVA/UVB coverage profile are verified the same way before a sunscreen review can cite them.

  While ingredient safety and efficacy can sometimes be debated in the wider literature, our classifications are rooted in published research and recognized regulatory guidelines, not opinion.

Step 2: AI-Assisted Algorithm Design

Rather than re-analysing each product from scratch by eye, we use Claude to help translate dermatological research and Dr. Surbhi's own clinical judgment into structured, rule-based scoring algorithms utilizing concentration thresholds for actives, ingredient-tier gates, life-stage suitability rules, sunscreen filter coverage rules, and more.

This means every product is judged against the same fixed, published criteria every time and not a fresh, potentially inconsistent judgment call per review. The goal is consistency and fact-based scoring, not opinion that can shift from one review to the next.

Step 3: Final Expert Review

The ingredient audit and the scoring algorithms are then reviewed, word-by-word, by Dr. Surbhi. Each review is refined to reflect Dermatocare's philosophy of transparency, science, and consumer safety.

Every product is assigned:

• Skin type suitability

• Skin concerns it can be credited with addressing

• Sensitive skin suitability

• Life stage suitability: Teens and Pregnancy compatibility for adult products; Newborn (0–6 months), Toddler (6 months–3 years), and Child (3–12 years) compatibility for child products

• 5 FAQs: sensitive skin, pregnancy, teens, ingredients under review, and environmental concern (or the equivalent age-band questions for child products)

This ensures the review isn't just about what's in the bottle — it's about who the product is actually suitable for.

Badges

Dermatocare Select is our headline badge, and it's earned, not assumed. A product qualifies only after passing three checks, in order:

Step 1: A Verified, Complete Ingredient List
We source the exact ingredient list from the brand's own official page. Where that isn't available, we verify it against an authorized retailer listing or the product's own pack. No formula gets the Dermatocare Select badge unless we're confident in the confirmed ingredient list.

Step 2: No Ingredients Under Review
We screen the full formula against our internal database of ingredients currently under safety evaluation. If even one ingredient in the formula is flagged, the product doesn't qualify, regardless of how the rest of the formula looks.

Step 3: An additional, category-specific bar — for example, a sunscreen must use only mineral filters or new-generation chemical filters to qualify; an older chemical filter disqualifies the badge regardless of the other two checks.

A product that doesn't clear all three simply carries no badge. We don't rate every product on a sliding scale, and we don't state that a product is excluded from Select; we only ever say when it's earned. Dermatocare Select is currently our only badge.