Most "clean" labels are marketing — vague and unverified. A leaf emoji, a buzzword like "natural" or "organic," and you're supposed to trust it.
None of the Bad uses a 0–100 scoring system so consumers see EXACTLY why a product passes or fails. For food categories we scan the ingredient list. For attribute categories (cookware, textiles, appliances) we score from the materials and coatings the product is made of. Either way, what's IN or ON the product is all that matters — not brand reputation.
Every category uses the same verdict bands and the same badge. No hiding. No exceptions.
Scoring by Category
Never Allowed Anywhere
These substances are banned in every category — food, personal care, cookware, textiles, appliances, and beyond. Any product containing one of them auto-fails with score 0 / REJECTED, regardless of category.
Ingredient-Scan Category
Food & Pantry
Scored by scanning the ingredient list against the master banned and flagged lists, then adding credit for verified positives.
Every product STARTS at 85 points
A clean, ordinary product sits here. Banned and flagged ingredients pull it down; verified positives — organic certification, third-party testing, glass packaging, grass-finished sourcing — pull it up. 95+ has to be earned.
Any BANNED ingredient = not listed
Each banned ingredient costs 30 points (1.25× if it's in the first three ingredients) and forfeits every credit the product earned — so one banned ingredient keeps a product below 75. Certifications can't buy it back.
Deduct 15 points per FLAGGED ingredient, 2 per minor one
Flagged ingredients cost points but keep their credits. Minor flags cost 2 each, capped at 10 in total, so they can cost a badge but never a listing.
Minimum score is 0 (never negative)
No product can score below zero, even if heavily contaminated.
95–100 has to be earned
A product with nothing flagged lands at 85. Verified positives — organic certification, published lot testing, packaging, sourcing — take it to 95–100.
The Exact Formula
Start at 85. −30 per banned ingredient, −15 per moderate flag, −2 per minor flag (minor capped at −10 in total, so minor flags cost a badge and never a listing). Added sugar deducts up to −12. Undisclosed natural flavor or color caps the score at 75. Verified positives (organic, third-party testing, glass packaging, grass-finished, sprouted / ancient grain, non-GMO) add points, capped at 100. Cold-pressed / expeller-pressed / unrefined / virgin oils are exempt from the seed-oil ban.Banned Ingredients not listed
Any ingredient below means the product is not listed. (Inside the formula each one costs 30 points and forfeits every credit.) Auto-generated from the scoring engine.
Flagged Ingredients −15 pts each
Each ingredient below triggers a 15-point deduction. Auto-generated from the scoring engine.
Minor Flags −2 pts each, max −10
Each ingredient below costs 2 points, capped at 10 in total — enough to cost a badge, never a listing. Auto-generated from the scoring engine.
Verdict Bands (every category)
🏅
95–100
ELITE CLEAN
Earned, not assumed — requires verified positives such as organic certification, third-party testing or glass packaging.
✅
90–94
VERIFIED CLEAN
Clean formula with documented sourcing or certification.
🟢
85–89
CLEAN
The standard we coach every listed brand up to — nothing penalised, nothing hidden.
🟡
75–84
APPROVED
Listed, with a decal saying what held it back — usually sugar per serving or an undisclosed flavour. We work with the brand to reach 85.
🔴
0–74
REJECTED
Below threshold. Cannot list until reformulated.
Why we publish this: None of the Bad's scoring is fully public — every shopper and vendor can verify exactly how any score was computed. The rules and lists on this page are generated from the scoring engine's own lists, so the page and the engine can never drift.
These are plain-language notes on each banned and flagged food ingredient — what it is, and what listed products often use instead. "Banned" means we don't list it; it's our standard, not medical advice. (Supplements use these same lists; personal care, cleaning and pets have their own — pick them in the category selector above.)
Banned Ingredients
Automatic rejectionA food product containing ANY of these ingredients is not listed — whatever the quantity, and whatever else it earns. These are exactly the banned ingredients in the engine list above.
Refined seed and vegetable oils
Oils pressed from seeds and refined with heat and solvents, plus palm oil and oil labelled only as "vegetable oil". Cold-pressed or unrefined canola, rapeseed, sunflower and safflower oil are the exception.
On the list: canola oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, rice bran oil, palm oil, vegetable oil
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, ghee
Hydrogenated and restructured fats
Liquid oils that have been chemically hardened or rearranged so they stay solid at room temperature.
On the list: partially hydrogenated oil, trans fat, interesterified fat
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Butter, ghee, coconut oil
Maltodextrin
A powder made by breaking down corn, rice or potato starch, used as a filler, thickener and carrier.
On the list: maltodextrin
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Arrowroot, tapioca starch, or no filler at all
Modified food starch
Starch treated with heat, acids or enzymes to change how it thickens and holds up.
On the list: modified food starch
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Arrowroot, tapioca or potato starch
Corn syrups
Sweet syrups made by breaking down corn starch; in high fructose corn syrup part of the glucose is converted to fructose.
On the list: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Honey, maple syrup, dates
Refined wheat flour
Wheat milled to remove the bran and germ. "Wheat flour" with no qualifier counts as refined. Whole, sprouted and ancient-grain flours are the exception.
On the list: refined flour, bleached flour, enriched flour, wheat flour, white flour, all-purpose flour
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Whole-wheat, sprouted or ancient-grain flour
Synthetic dyes
Color additives made synthetically, plus anything labelled only as "artificial color".
On the list: artificial color, red 40, red 3, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, blue 2, green 3, orange b
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Beet, turmeric, spirulina, paprika
Titanium dioxide
A white mineral pigment used to make foods and coatings look brighter and more opaque.
On the list: titanium dioxide
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Nothing — most products don't need a whitener
Artificial flavors
Flavoring compounds made synthetically rather than taken from a food source.
On the list: artificial flavor
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Named fruit, vanilla, herbs and spices
Synthetic sweeteners
High-intensity sweeteners made synthetically and used in place of sugar.
On the list: aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, neotame
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Less sweetness, or honey, maple syrup or fruit
MSG and added glutamates
Monosodium glutamate, and ingredients added mainly for their glutamate, such as autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed vegetable protein.
On the list: msg
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Salt, herbs, spices, real stock
Synthetic antioxidant preservatives
Synthetic antioxidants added to fats, oils and packaged foods to delay rancidity.
On the list: bha, bht, tbhq
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Rosemary extract, mixed tocopherols (vitamin E)
Nitrite and nitrate curing salts
Curing salts added to processed meats for color and shelf life.
On the list: sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Uncured, fresh or salt-cured meats
Potassium bromate
A flour improver added to strengthen dough and help bread rise.
On the list: potassium bromate
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Unbromated flour
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
Vegetable oil bonded with bromine, used to keep citrus flavoring suspended in drinks.
On the list: brominated vegetable oil
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Drinks that don't need it
Propylparaben
A synthetic preservative used in some foods and cosmetics.
On the list: propylparaben
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Products preserved by other means
Unnamed "artificial preservatives"
Any preservative a label describes only as "artificial" or "chemical" without naming it.
On the list: artificial preservative
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Labels that name every preservative
Carrageenan
A thickener extracted from red seaweed and processed with alkali, common in dairy and plant milks.
On the list: carrageenan
Not listed on None of the Bad.
Often used instead: Agar, gelatin, or no thickener
Flagged Ingredients
−15 pts each (minor −2)These ingredients don't disqualify a product on their own — they cost points: 15 each for flagged ingredients, 2 each for minor ones (10 at most in total). They match the engine's flagged and minor lists above.
Benzoate and sorbate preservatives (−15 each)
Common preservatives that slow mold and yeast in drinks, sauces and baked goods.
On the list: sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid
Other preservatives and stabilisers (−15 each)
Calcium propionate keeps baked goods from molding; EDTA binds trace metals to keep color and flavor stable.
On the list: calcium propionate, edta, calcium disodium edta
Synthetic emulsifiers and thickeners (−15 each)
Synthetic emulsifiers, thickeners and carriers that keep ingredients mixed and textures smooth.
On the list: polysorbate 80, polysorbate 60, carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose gum, propylene glycol
Sugar alcohols and unnamed sweeteners (−15 each)
Sweeteners made from sugars or starches, common in "sugar-free" products, plus anything labelled only as "artificial sweetener".
On the list: maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, isomalt, erythritol, sugar alcohol, artificial sweetener
Added colorings (−15 each)
Caramel color is made by heating sugars, sometimes with ammonia or sulfites; annatto extract is an orange colorant from achiote seeds.
On the list: caramel color, annatto extract
Dextrins (−15 each)
Starch broken into shorter chains, used as a binder, coating or added fiber.
On the list: dextrin, tapioca dextrin, resistant dextrin
Processed syrups (−15 each)
Sweeteners made by breaking sugars or starches down into simpler sugars.
On the list: invert sugar, agave syrup, brown rice syrup
Phosphate additives (−15 each)
Phosphate salts used as leavening, emulsifiers and moisture binders.
On the list: sodium phosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate
Gums and gelling agents (minor, −2 each)
Plant- or fermentation-derived thickeners and gelling agents.
On the list: xanthan gum, guar gum, carob bean gum, locust bean gum, gellan gum, gum arabic, pectin
Lecithins (minor, −2 each)
Emulsifiers extracted from soybeans or sunflower seeds.
On the list: soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin
Food acids and their salts (minor, −2 each)
Acids and salts used for tartness, pH balance and freshness, usually made by fermentation.
On the list: citric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, potassium citrate
Simple sugars (minor, −2 each)
Simple sugars usually made from corn or other starches. Added sugar is also scored separately, per gram.
On the list: dextrose, maltose
Processing aids (minor, −2 each)
Anti-caking agents, flow agents and glazes.
On the list: silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, carnauba wax
Unnamed flavour blends (minor, −2 each)
A "natural flavour blend" that doesn't name what's in it.
On the list: natural flavour blend
The Natural Flavors Rule (food)
"Natural flavors" isn't on our banned list, but it caps the score. An undisclosed natural flavor or color — including "organic flavor" and a bare "flavor" — holds the score at 75 at most. It takes no extra points off: a product already below 75 keeps its score. It can still list, but it can't earn a badge until the formula is named.
Rapeseed & Canola Oil — Processing Matters (food)
When canola or rapeseed oil is cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, or left unrefined or virgin, it is made without solvents or high-heat refining, so our standard treats it differently.
- ✓ Cold-pressed / expeller-pressed / unrefined / virgin canola or rapeseed oil — treated as CLEAN (no penalty).
- ✗ Refined or unspecified canola or rapeseed oil — banned. Unspecified = refined.
- ℹ️ The same exception covers sunflower and safflower oil. Soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, palm and unspecified vegetable oil are banned however they're made.
Our scoring is ingredient- and attribute-focused. We intentionally do NOT penalize products for:
- ✓Calorie count or macronutrient ratios
- ✓Fat content (saturated or unsaturated)
- ✓Sodium level or mineral content
- ✓Sugar naturally present in whole fruit, dairy or grain (added sugar is scored)
- ✓Carbohydrate structure or glycemic load
- ✓Protein source or amino acid profile
- ✓Serving size or portion recommendations
A high-calorie, high-fat whole food is scored the same as a low-calorie processed product — if the ingredients / materials are clean, the score reflects that.
Ready to scan?
Try the scoring demo on a real product label — then confirm on the pack.