Evidence & sourcing
Source Standards
We don't source everything the same way. A claim about puberty needs different backing than a fabric spec, which needs different backing than a note about whether something's in stock.
1. Health and development claims
Anything about puberty, normal development, skin, or other health topics comes from real authorities: pediatric medical organizations, government health agencies, major pediatric institutions, or peer-reviewed research. A brand can describe its own product, but we don't treat it as an authority on development or health.
2. Product specs
For facts about a specific product, the strongest source is usually the brand itself: current product pages, official size charts, care instructions, spec sheets, or labels. When we can't get that directly, we'll cautiously use a retailer reproducing clearly identified brand information. We note where a fact came from rather than hiding it.
3. Sizing information
Sizing gets extra care. We keep a brand's own published chart, our own reformatting of that chart, and any later fit observations clearly separate from each other. We never treat two labels as the same just because they're both called "Small." Comparing sizes across brands always starts from real measurements, wherever we have the data to support it.
4. Price and availability
Price, stock, availability, and return policies change fast. When we mention these, we tie them to a current source and treat them as things that can go stale — not permanent facts.
5. Our own observations
If we ever do our own hands-on inspection or testing, we'll label it clearly as ours — including our method, any limitations, and the date. We won't retroactively call a brand-sourced profile a hands-on review.
How we label our sources
| Label | What it means |
|---|---|
| Straight from the brand | Official brand page, chart, spec, or label. |
| Brand info via a retailer | Brand-provided info reproduced by a retailer — useful, but less certain than the direct source. |
| Real health source | A pediatric, government, institutional, or peer-reviewed source appropriate to the claim. |
| Our own observation | Direct inspection or testing we did ourselves, under a method we've published. |
Sources we rely on for development topics
- American Academy of Pediatrics / HealthyChildren.org — for puberty-related guidance.
- Nemours KidsHealth — for age-appropriate context on breasts and bras.
What we avoid
- Treating retailer marketing as medical evidence
- Citing a search snippet instead of the actual source, when we can get the actual source
- Assuming one brand's sizing logic applies to another brand
- Presenting an old chart as current once we know a newer one exists
- Hiding it when our data is incomplete
See also the Editorial Policy, Review Methodology and Brand & Sizing Data Methodology.