(Note: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you click. But obviously, this doesn’t change my opinions!) 

As an undergraduate, I studied Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, and now I work in and study Public Health – I’m a scientist by nature! I’m analytical and I like facts and figures and evidence. Which means when it comes to makeup and skincare products, I want to know that they work, and that they actually do what they’re supposed to do.

There are so many products with pretty packaging and big claims that it’s so easy to get sucked into! After buying too many products that didn’t really work – and spending too much money, too! – I discovered Beautypedia. It’s a website that rates beauty and skincare products on a scale of one to five. But unlike other review sites, they go beyond just user reviews – they really do their research. They look into the full ingredient list for damaging or irritating items, and they read scientific journal articles to really learn how different ingredients can help and harm the skin. Best of all, by comparing ingredient lists, they can tell which products are just expensive, over-hyped versions of drugstore products!

I don’t agree with every review 100%; there are definitely products I use that they don’t rate as a five. But it’s still the first place I go when I’m looking for a new product. At the very least, it’s a good starting point for finding new products, especially if you want to see if they’ll work for your skin type, or make sure they don’t contain anything that will irritate your skin.

Below are some recent products I bought after consulting Beautypedia.

 From left to right:
Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Kitten Karma
Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Eyebrow Gel
Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in 714
NYX HD Photogenic Concealer