How we score
The Label Snob score is our editorial opinion — a 0-to-100 read on how clean and minimally-processed a product is by our standards. Nothing on this page is hidden: here's exactly how we get there, every line we won't cross, and what the score is and isn't.
Quick honesty
This is an opinion, grounded in a method we're laying out in plain language. It is not medical advice, not a safety rating, not a nutritional-completeness measure, and we are not the FDA or any regulator. We say what we see; the call is still yours.
What the score is
It measures
It does not measure
The scale
Every score lands in one of six tiers. Single-product scans get a 0–100 number; menu and comparison scans rank items into buckets instead, and lifestyle vibe checks aren't scored at all. If we can't confirm the product or the ingredient list, we won't fake a number — we say so.
Reaching 100requires zero concerns at every tier of severity — plus a list of recognizable whole foods or clean fats. We don't hand them out lightly.
The override rules
A few ingredients and combinations override the score — a product can look fine by the numbers and still land at the bottom because of a single ingredient or pattern we won't let slide.
Dealbreaker — one is enough
Partially hydrogenated oils, shortening, interesterified fats — if any show up in the list, the verdict is the bottom tier. No matter what else is in the product, no matter what else is good about it. One occurrence is enough.
High-severity — one is enough
These are categories we take a strong editorial stance on. Any single one of them sends the verdict to the bottom tier, on its own — no count threshold. They're positions, not science verdicts — held in good company with much of the clean-eating community and grounded in published research.
Body-care products carry their own high-severity set — parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde releasers, harsh sulfates, triclosan, and undisclosed fragrance — held to the same one-and-done rule.
Score ceilings
A product can be excellent in every other way and still hit a ceiling — by our method, certain ingredients are disqualifying for a top-tier “clean” label, no matter how good the rest of the list is.
When more than one applies, the lowest ceiling wins.
The thinking
The score is built on a few editorial positions. We're not hiding them — here they are, in plain language, with the hedging they deserve.
Two layers, one standard
Every score is made by two things working together: an AI reads the ingredient list, then a fixed set of rules in the app enforces the hard limits — so a seed oil can't read “clean” even if the model under-flags it. And those rules only ever lower a score, never inflate one. The same product gets the same standard every time.
Processing-first
We rank by how processed and additive-heavy a product is, not by its calorie count. The cleanest version of a thing is the one with the shortest, most recognizable list — and that's the philosophy the score reflects.
The additive watchlist
We weight specific additive categories lower because research and a broad clean-eating consensus associate them with concerns when consumed in excess. We're up front that this is a position, not a settled scientific fact — and we'll change our minds in public if the evidence does.
Cross-checked before we call it
Before scoring, we cross-check what we read against public ingredient databases like Open Food Facts and the brand's own listing. If the sources conflict, or we can't confirm the product, we say so — see “When we can't vouch.”
An editorial method, in the open
These are our editorial choices — they belong to Label Snob, not to nutrition science. We're laying them out openly because an opaque score that drives buying decisions is the kind of thing we'd be skeptical of ourselves.
Personalization
The verdict you see is keyed to what you've told us — your allergens (with the severity you chose), your sensitivities, your diet type, and your goals. Two people can scan the same product and get two different calls. That's the point.
What we use from your profile
About allergens — please read
Allergen matching is a convenience, not a guarantee. We read the printed ingredient list with AI — that list can be incomplete, out-of-date, illegible in the photo, or updated by the manufacturer faster than any database can catch.
Never use Label Snob as the deciding factor for whether a product is safe for an allergy. Always read the physical label yourself, check for cross-contact warnings, and when it matters, ask the manufacturer or restaurant. If you have a severe allergy, treat anything we say as a starting point, not an ending point.
Unverified
If we can't confirm the product, the ingredients we read don't match what the databases have on file, or the photo is too unclear to be sure — we won't assign a number. The verdict says “CAN'T VOUCH FOR THIS ONE.” It's the honest answer, and it's the one we'd want to read about anyone else's app.
What this isn't
Quick honesty: we're not doctors, dietitians, or any other kind of clinician. Nothing on a Label Snob verdict, in our copy, or on this page is medical or dietary advice. For any decision that matters for your body or your condition, ask a qualified professional.
A low score isn't a regulator's verdict; a high one isn't an official seal of approval. Label Snob is editorial. We're not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of the FDA or any regulatory body.
Allergen matching can miss, mis-read, or lag a manufacturer's label update. Don't rely on us as the sole check for an allergy — always read the physical label and confirm cross-contact policies. (See the full allergen note above.)
Ingredient text comes from a photo plus third-party sources, and can be incomplete or outdated. We mark scans we can't confirm as “unverified” rather than guess.
The thresholds, categories, and editorial positions on this page are our current opinion. They'll change as research evolves and as we learn — and when they do, the change shows up here.
Have a question about a specific score? hello@labelsnob.app.
Now you've read the back of ours
Try it on something in your kitchen.
Get Label Snob — FreeFree · no credit card · iOS 17+Last updated .
← Back to Label Snob