How evidence works

popkr pages mix several kinds of evidence. We name the class on the page so a brand listing, a Reddit thread, a direct Field Note, and our own analysis never get collapsed into one vague “review.”

Evidence classes

• Official facts. Identity, market, price, images, and INCI taken from a dated brand or retailer source. These are product facts, not experience claims.
• Public discussion. Attributed threads and comments from places like Reddit, X, or YouTube. Every claim that leans on this class links to a canonical URL. Public discussion is never relabeled as a POPKR Field Note.
• Direct Field Notes. Structured first-person accounts submitted to popkr by someone who used a named product/version, with disclosure, context, duration, and consent. Gifted notes show that they were provided free for testing.
• POPKR analysis. Our synthesis: formula comparisons, decision tables, uncertainty, and fit/skip framing. Analysis can connect sources; it does not invent experience or consensus.

What a verdict needs

• Early stays early. Until enough comparable Field Notes exist for a scoped product version, pages stay honest about limited evidence. Two public threads are not a verdict.
• Scoped non-early labels need at least three independent eligible Field Notes on a resolved version, with owned or purchased notes in the mix. Thresholds are version-specific.
• Consensus is reserved for a named attribute with at least five independent eligible Field Notes. We do not use “verified,” “tested,” or consensus language without meeting that bar.
• Cite or omit. Experience claims carry a source. Empty states beat invented certainty.

What we don't claim

• We don't invent hands-on testing. A Field Note is someone else's first-person account under our intake rules. Official instructions are not community behavior.
• We don't give medical advice. Reactions and irritation reports stay anecdotal. If you have a skin condition, ask someone with a medical degree.
• No brand control or paid placement. Brands may correct factual identity or version errors. They do not preview, veto, suppress, or rank notes. Affiliate links pay the same on a “skip” as on a “buy.”

Freshness

Product pages show when official facts and any synthesis were last checked. Formula snapshots carry a capture date. Pages refresh when a listing or discussion moves, when a Field Note lands, or on a regular review — whichever comes first.