Raising the floor.
Redefining the ceiling.
"My mom always asked which products were actually safe. I'd spend hours researching, countless tabs, no real definition of clean. niiche cuts the noise so you can know."
Founder, niiche
Across all four pillars, we look for independent verification.
Certifications decoded →Fragrance is one of the most consequential, and least transparent, decisions a brand makes. We apply one consistent standard, and tell you exactly where each product lands.
Four pillars. Every brand.
Tap any pillar to see the standard.
Performance grounded in evidence, not claims. Published, independent, reproducible.
Independent clinical trials on the finished product, with published results. The benchmark for skincare.
Medical body endorsements from organizations like the National Eczema Association, rigorous and hard to earn.
Peer-reviewed evidence at the ingredient level for makeup and bodycare, where finished-product trials are not the norm.
Third-party lab testing with quantified claims, the professional standard for haircare.
Editorial and dermatological recognition, a signal of sustained performance.
What's in the formula, at what concentration, and how honestly it's communicated.
EU Cosmetics Regulation as the floor, banning 1,300+ ingredients still allowed elsewhere.
MADE SAFE screening against 6,500+ substances, including endocrine disruptors and reproductive toxins.
Full INCI transparency with fragrance disclosed. Undisclosed parfum disqualifies a product.
Pregnancy guidance on every product, based on published clinical sources.
Sustainability verified by data and third-party confirmation, specifics, not aspirations.
Packaging, recycled, recyclable, or refillable. FSC certified for paper.
Supply chain transparency, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certifications carry real weight.
Carbon commitments verified by Carbon Trust, South Pole, or equivalent, never self-reported.
B Corp certification, the most comprehensive governance standard available.
Who's behind the brand, what they stand for, and whether it holds from supply chain to boardroom.
Ownership and governance, clean ingredients matter less if the parent entity contradicts the label.
Cruelty-free supply chain, Leaping Bunny is our gold standard. Independent. Audited. Renewed.
Independence, founder-led and woman-founded brands are always called out specifically.
Every product earns its
place separately.
A brand's rating doesn't automatically qualify every product it makes. Each formula is assessed on its own, and the standard adapts by category.
A foundation, and how far beyond it a brand goes.
Every brand here has cleared a meaningful bar. Stars reflect how much further the evidence and commitment go.
Informed is empowered.
The standard is the same for every brand. No brand has paid to appear.