How We Review Supplements at The Honest Shelf
The Honest Shelf is an independent supplement-review publication. We are not a manufacturer and not a store. Our job is to test products, gather real buyer feedback, and publish a plain verdict, including the parts a brand would rather we left out.
Who we are
The Honest Shelf is published by Honest Shelf Media LLC, based in Bozeman, Montana and founded in 2019. We cover dietary supplements across focus, gut health, metabolism, and general wellness. We do not accept payment from brands to write positive reviews, and no manufacturer sees our verdict before it goes live. Our lead reviewer, Talia Okonkwo, MS, has a background in Nutritional Sciences and oversees how each product is scored.
How we test
For a product like BrainLive, we buy it ourselves at full price through the normal customer path, then use it daily for a multi-week trial, typically eight to nine weeks, long enough for a gradual, gut-based formula to show whether it does anything. During the trial we keep a simple log of focus, energy, digestion, sleep, and any side effects. We do not run a clinical study and we do not claim to; this is structured first-hand experience, and we say so plainly.
How we score
Alongside our own trial, we read through verified buyer reviews to find the patterns, what most people praise, what the critics say, and how long results take. We then score the product from 1 to 5 on eight criteria: effectiveness, value for money, ease of use, onset speed, tolerability, taste and mixability, label transparency, and repurchase intent. The editorial score is our weighted judgment; the community score reflects the aggregate buyer rating. When they differ, we tell you.
Our independence and how we make money
The Honest Shelf is reader-supported. Some links on our reviews are affiliate links, meaning if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That commission never changes our score or our verdict, and we link only to the manufacturer's official website so you get the genuine product and its guarantee. You can read the full details on our affiliate disclosure page. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the makers of the products we review.
Corrections
Supplement formulas, prices, and guarantees change. If you spot something out of date, email us at [email protected] and we will check it against the official source and update the page.