Standards and Tiers
ROOTED is not a list of recommended products, it's the trusted standard for evaluating them. Every category is judged against its own published standard before a single product in it is rated. Standards come first. Products come second.
Products sit in one of three tiers based on ROOTED's published standards. Every placement names its compromises.
Rooted Approved
Meets the published standard for its shelf, with no compromise we consider meaningful.
- Meets the published standard for its category
- Composition recorded as the brand publishes it. Anything the brand leaves undisclosed is named as a gap in the entry
- Every flag we found is written in the entry, and anything left undisclosed is named as a gap
- Certifications shown are the ones the brand holds. None is required
Good Option
Meets most of the standard, with one or two compromises, each named.
- Meets most ROOTED standards
- One or two compromises, each named on the entry in plain words
Budget/Transitional
One specific compromise that we name. Not a bargain bin: some Tier 3 products cost more than Tier 1 products on the same shelf.
- A tier is not a safety rating and not a health claim
- The compromise is named on the entry, in plain words
A tier attaches to one product as sold on the date we checked it.
Every category is evaluated against its own published standard before any product in it is assigned a tier. Tap a category to see exactly what ROOTED looks for, what raises or lowers confidence, and how Tier 1/2/3 is defined specifically for that category.