Part of our mission at Byrdie is to provide you with thorough and unbiased information on beauty and wellness products and services that make you feel your best. We do the heavy lifting by tapping into our wide network of experts to help recommend the best products and subscription services on the market—and, in many cases, we test and review these products ourselves. The goal? To provide you with as much information as possible about each product so you can decide if it might work for your needs and budget.
If you visit links within our content, we may receive affiliate commissions from your purchases. However, our product recommendations are purely editorial, meaning we never receive any compensation for the content of our recommendations. Occasionally, beauty brands and PR agencies will send us products for coverage consideration, but our thoughts and opinions are our own.
Our Testing Process
We believe in using the products we recommend just like you would—which is why we also make it a priority to test products in real-life settings, from hot, summer days (will that long-wear lipstick come off when you eat lunch?) to the right undergarments for your outfit (will that backless bra stay up?). We send products straight to our writers and editors so they can test them at home, and we also test products in The Lab, our full-service New York City testing facility, where we can compare them side by side.
Before we recommend any product, our team of writers and editors exhaustively research the marketplace and interview industry experts—including board-certified physicians and dermatologists, stylists, and registered dietitians—to get guidance on what to look for and how to evaluate it. In The Lab, we test everything from makeup products to blow dryers and beyond. We test products both individually and side by side to see how they stack up against each other. We make sure to get creative, too.
Byrdie / Tamara Staples
During the testing process, our editors take detailed notes while our photographers and videographers capture it all so we can share with you what products are really like. TL;DR: Our lab testing is a true hands-on approach to helping you decide which product will be the best for your needs.
Testing products and subscription services at home is also an important part of our process. With this real-world testing, we’re able to vet things in a more personal setting, as well as see how each one holds up over time. Our at-home testers revisit products over months and years, measuring how durable they really are. Similar to our testing in The Lab, we create methodologies for our at-home testing and we grade products on a variety of attributes designed to replicate how our readers will actually use them.
Byrdie / Jessica Juliao
When we’re unable to personally test a product or service, our in-house research team collects extensive data and, in some cases, conducts consumer surveys to gather as much information as possible on each company being considered for inclusion in a buying guide. Together with the editorial team, our researchers compile a specific set of criteria to work off of for every category we cover, from personal styling to acne scar treatments. We also consult subject matter experts over what factors to examine. Any recommendations concerning readers’ health and wellness, such as multivitamins for women, are analyzed by Byrdie’s review board before publication.
It’s important to us to include a wide range of products for our diverse audience. We want you to see yourself and your needs met in our recommendations, and we will continue to widen the net we cast in curating our shopping guides to be inclusive of all ages, body types, skin tones, abilities, and household incomes. We are also committed to covering brands and services that are BIPOC-owned (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), as well as hiring a diverse group of writers, staff members, and experts—and not only to cover topics relating to the identities they represent. Read our full commitment to diversity and anti-racism.
Byrdie Verified
If you notice the Byrdie Verified seal of approval on one of our stories, it means that our team has researched and tested every product on this list, either in The Lab or at home, to deliver insights you can’t find anywhere else. In short, the Byrdie Verified seal stands for product recommendations you can trust—all day, every day.
- What We Test: Before testing begins, our team conducts extensive research on products by interviewing experts (from dermatologists and trichologists to dentists and personal trainers) for insights, as well as evaluating user reviews and manufacturer data. We marry this information with current search trends to understand what kinds of questions people are really asking about these products, and to get insights into how they’re using them.
- Testing Methodologies: Based on that research, we develop comprehensive testing plans that are unique to each product category. These methodologies are designed to focus on what our readers really want to know (think: design, formula, application, and price) and also replicate the kind of tests that replicate real-world use (like using a dry shampoos on greasy hair or wearing self-tanner for two weeks).
- How We Test: The Lab is our 10,000-square-foot product testing facility in Manhattan. Here, we test everything from makeup products to hair tools and beyond. We test products both individually and side by side to see how they stack up against each other. Testing products in the home is also an important part of our process. With this real world testing, we’re able to vet things in a more personal setting, as well as see how each one holds up over time. Our at-home testers revisit products over months and years, measuring how durable they really are.
- Delivering Results: From there, after testing in the lab or at home, we editorialize our testers’ experience and combine their insights with the hard data from our tests to provide you with easy-to-understand reasons we think these products are great (and just as importantly, what flaws you could expect). Those results are used to guide our product selections.
- Long-Term Testing: All of our product guides are works in progress—as new products launch we test or interview experts to understand if they are worthy of making it into our best of lists. Even after the initial trial period is done, we often test products for weeks, or even months (our at-home laser hair removal devices have been tested for nearly 10 months) to ensure they live up to our high expectations over time, too.
Byrdie / Jessica Juliao
How We Make Money
We receive an affiliate commission on some, but not all, of the products we recommend—but only if you decide to click through to the retailer's site and make a purchase. We only recommend trusted retailers with a proven track record for service and dependability.
News & Deals
In today's world, it can be difficult to know what the best deals are—and how to find them. Our team of shopping experts stays up-to-date on the latest beauty, wellness, and fashion trends, scouring the internet and to cover the latest and greatest product launches, sales, and restocks. We also work around the clock on shopping holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day to ensure you get the best bang for your buck on the biggest sale days of the year. Additionally, our writers live and breathe products, working with our testers and The Lab to share their honest experiences firsthand.
Safety
While we thoroughly research everything we review, test, and recommend, occasionally, certain products may be subject to recalls or revised use recommendations. We do our best to regularly update our content to reflect any official announcements from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). We urge you to monitor information related to items you purchase.
Why Trust Byrdie
The product and service recommendations on Byrdie are completely unbiased. Occasionally, beauty brands and PR agencies will send us products for editorial consideration, but our thoughts and opinions are our own. In some cases, we purchase products to test ourselves. While we do receive an affiliate commission on a portion of the products we recommend, our recommendations are based on our personal first-hand experience—each product we recommend must earn the Byrdie Verified seal fair and square.
Every article is fact-checked for accuracy before it is published. However, you should consult your health and wellness care providers to determine if a specific product—especially a food, supplement, or device—is right for you. Read more about our editorial guidelines.
After we publish an article, we don't just forget about it. The Byrdie team is constantly working to keep our recommendations fresh, accurate, and helpful. We also know how frustrating it can be to do your research on a product only to add it to your cart and see that it's out of stock. We try to mitigate this by having dedicated editors check availability daily to provide you with the best user experience possible.
Meet Us
Bronwyn joined the Byrdie team in 2021. She is a professional storyteller and digital pioneer with 20 years of experience in print, digital and social media. She has experience in writing and editing for various publications, including People, Travel + Leisure, CNN Underscored, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly.
Bronwyn Barnes
Jessica joined the Byrdie team in May 2019. She is a seasoned writer and editor, with a career in digital media that spans over seven years. The bulk of her experience lies in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle content.
Before joining Dotdash Meredith, she was the senior editor of L’Oréal’s Skincare.com where she covered all things beauty. Prior to that, she worked on the digital team at DuJour writing beauty, fashion, culture, and lifestyle content.
Jessica received her B.A. in Journalism and Sociology from New York University.
Jessica Mahgerefteh
Shannon Bauer joined Byrdie commerce team in April 2022. She has previously been on the print magazine teams at Shape, Parents, and Parents Latina.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Creative Apparel Design and minors in Journalism and Business from Iowa State University. She also completed her Professional Makeup Artist Certification from Chic Studios in New York City.
She has tested hundreds of beauty, fashion, and wellness products and is passionate about being your in-the-know product resource.
Shannon Bauer
Lauren joined the Byrdie team in 2023. She has written for brands like PopSugar, Martha Stewart Weddings, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Nylon, Parents, Apartment Therapy, and more. She received a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in English from Hofstra University.
Lauren Pardee
Ally is a senior beauty editor for the Byrdie commerce team. She has considerable experience testing and writing about skincare, haircare, and health-related products and services.
Ally Hirschlag
Dominique joined the Byrdie team in 2022.
Before joining Dotdash Meredith, Dominique worked as a fashion editor for ESSENCE magazine, a producer for WWD, and a senior commerce editor for both ESSENCE and PureWow. She also runs a website dedicated to Black-owned brands called SACRD.
Dominique received a B.A. in Print/Online Journalism from Howard University. You can find her on Instagram @d_hobdy.
Dominique Hobdy
Alyssa joined the Byrdie team in 2022 as a commerce writer covering shopping and product content in the beauty and lifestyle categories. She consistently surveys the market and spends hours testing products to find tailored recommendations for Byrdie readers
Alyssa holds a B.S. in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing from The Fashion Institute of Technology.
Alyssa Kaplan
Caitlyn joined the Byrdie team in 2022. She writes product reviews and shares recommendations based on personal experience, rigorous research, and Byrdie's Lab testing. She has years of experience covering beauty, fashion, and lifestyle topics. Before joining the Byrdie team, Caitlyn worked for Vox Media as an associate beauty editor. Caitlyn earned a B.A. in Journalism from Lehigh University.
Caitlyn Martyn
Shannon is a commerce writer at Byrdie, where she covers skincare, haircare, makeup, and more. She joined the team in 2022. In her role, she conducts research on beauty products and trends—consulting with expert sources to find and recommend the best beauty products on the market. She also contributes to testing for articles in all categories, trying out multiple products in order to provide accurate first-person insight to readers. Shannon has a B.S. in Magazine Journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
Shannon Stubbs
Contact Us
If you have questions, comments, or opinions you’d like to share with our team of editors, please feel free to email us at commercefeedback@dotdash.com