Method

We score milligrams, not adjectives.

Standard Dose is an evidence desk. The unit of analysis is a facts panel next to a human trial. If the advertisement cites a paper, we ask whether the bottle contains the milligrams that paper used.

We do not award stars for packaging, unboxing, or “I felt something on day three”. Feeling something is compatible with caffeine.

Two grades on every formula

Transparency. A if milligrams are published for the actives that matter. F if the public label is a species list. Percent standardisation without weight is not a dose.
Dose-fit. How close the disclosed amount sits to the human-trial band we cite for that ingredient’s main claimed job. 80%+ is “in band”. Under 40% is “far below”. Hidden milligrams are scored F, not “unknown, probably fine”.

Evidence grades on ingredients

Outcome by outcome — not a single smear of “works”.

A — replicated human data, or a regulator-authorised claim with a stated dose.
B — several human trials, remaining caveats (diet context, small samples).
C — mixed or modest effects; often extract data rather than food-form data.
D — thin, unreplicated, or borrowed from a different molecule.
F — we only use F on formulas, for missing data or a safety documentation failure.

What we will not do

Invent milligrams when the label is silent.
Treat a cousin molecule as the studied one (matcha powder as EGCG extract; niacinamide as NR).
Repeat “lose weight fast”, “raise testosterone 20%”, or “reverse ageing” as product facts.
Let a commission change a grade. Affiliate links are marked rel="sponsored".

Limits

We are not a medical journal, a certified lab, or your clinician. Assays of matcha caffeine vary by harvest. Where we estimate (tea EGCG, tea theanine), the table says estimated. Send a full facts panel and we will rescore.