Editorial policy
The rules we work to: what we cover, who decides, how commercial relationships are kept apart from editorial judgement, and what we will never do.
Independence
Editors alone decide what FashionScarlet covers and what it says. We choose brands to review because readers are likely to be considering them, not because a brand has an affiliate program or offers a higher commission. We review brands we don't earn from, and we publish unfavourable conclusions about brands we do.
Brands, retailers and affiliate networks:
- cannot pay for a review, for a better conclusion, or for placement on our homepage or in a section;
- do not see reviews, verdicts or drafts before publication;
- may contact us to point out a factual error, which we'll check like any other correction.
Sponsored content
We do not currently publish sponsored articles. If that ever changes, sponsored content will be labeled at the top of the page in plain words, will never be presented as a review, and will not use our evidence ratings or "Our take".
Samples and gifts
We don't request free products in exchange for coverage. If a brand sends us something unsolicited and we refer to it in an article, we'll say so in that article.
Sourcing
We prefer primary sources: a brand's own policy pages, product specifications and corporate filings, and reporting by established trade and news publications. Third-party summaries (policy aggregators, coupon sites, AI answers) are treated as leads to check, not as sources. Where they disagree with the brand's current page, the brand's page wins and we say so.
Buyer reviews are evidence of experience, not of fact. We report patterns across many reviews, note the size and age of the sample, and say when a platform's reviews are hosted or moderated by the brand itself.
Reviews written to our current standard end with a list of the sources we relied on, so you can check them.
What we will not do
- Claim to have tested, worn or owned a product when we haven't.
- Invent quotes, customer experiences, ratings or testimonials.
- Print prices or "best price" claims we can't keep current.
- Use urgency tricks such as countdowns, "only 2 left" or "deal ends tonight".
- Disguise commercial links as anything other than links to a retailer.
Tools
Like most publications, we use software in our work, including research and drafting tools that use AI. They don't make editorial decisions. Every article is checked against its sources and edited before it's published, and the conclusions are the desk's.
Health and beauty claims
Beauty coverage reports what brands claim and what the evidence supports, and keeps the two apart. Nothing on FashionScarlet is medical advice. Where a topic touches on a skin condition, we suggest seeing a qualified professional.
Updates and older articles
Reviews are updated when something material changes: a returns policy, an ownership change, or a new pattern in buyer reports. The "checked" date on a review shows when its key facts were last verified. Articles published before our October 2026 relaunch are being re-edited to these standards. Until then they don't carry an evidence rating or "Our take".
Some older articles fall outside our current coverage. They stay online in a clearly marked archive for reference, but they aren't updated or promoted.
Corrections
See our corrections policy.
Last updated 3 October 2026.