Our honesty contract

How we make money — and how we rank.

We'd rather lose a sale than lose your trust. So here is exactly how the money works, in plain language — no fine print, no asterisks.

The vault

What is never for sale.

Our rankings, our best-value picks, and our authenticity verdicts. No brand can pay to be ranked higher, called authentic, or included in a best-value pick. The math decides.

Brands can pay for a Sponsored spotlight on Discover, the newsletter, or the Drop — always labeled, always separate from the ranking engine. That is the entire menu.

Zero pay-to-rank · zero exceptions

How we do make money.

Four ways — all walled off from rankings, best-value picks, and authenticity verdicts.

The Plug Studio makes content for brands.

Paid for the craft, never for a verdict or ranking. Our work is the video and the campaign — not the words on a comparison page.

Some links may be affiliate links.

A small commission at no cost to you. It never changes which product wins best value — the ranking is decided before any link is attached.

Labeled

Sponsored placements.

A small number of brands can pay for a Sponsored spotlight on Discover, the newsletter, or the monthly Drop. Every one is labeled “Sponsored.” Capped, editorially reviewed, and never mixed into rankings, best-value picks, or authenticity verdicts.

Reader-supported extras.

Optional paid tools and drops for people who want to go deeper. Free readers see the same rankings, the same picks, the same verdicts.

If a Studio client or a Sponsored brand also appears in the comparison tool, their ranking is unchanged — and we disclose the relationship on the product.

How we rank.

  1. 01

    Gather

    We pull prices, sizes, and stock from major U.S. retailers, small shops, and Korean pharmacies every week. Real listings, not brand-supplied numbers.

  2. 02

    Authenticate

    We check each seller against a running authenticity register. Gray-market listings, unverified sellers, and mismatched batches don't make the cut.

  3. 03

    Rank

    The remaining sellers are ranked on price-per-unit, authenticity, freshness, and shipping reality. No editorial thumb on the scale. No paid slots.

If we ever break this, tell us — publicly. The whole brand is worth nothing the day this stops being true.

Know where to buy. Never overpay.