Methodology
How we score manufacturers
Our rankings are written for one reader: someone about to pay a factory to make their first product. Everything below follows from that.
1. Start from official data
For Malaysian cosmetics we download every active product notification on NPRA’s Quest3+ register and group it by manufacturer. That tells us how many products each factory really makes, and for how many outside brands. We cross-check against NPRA’s list of GMP-compliant cosmetic manufacturers, the JAKIM halal directory, company registrations and public regulatory actions (NPRA cancellations, US FDA warning letters).
2. Screen for real contract manufacturers
We remove traders, brand agents and factories that mostly make their own or group brands. For the Malaysian skincare ranking, a factory needed at least 150 products made for outside brands, more than 100 of them skincare. 26 of 355 manufacturers passed.
3. Verify, then score
Each claim is tagged by evidence level:
- Verified — we saw it on an official or issuer-run register.
- Stated — the company says so, with or without a document, but we could not confirm it publicly.
- Expired / not found — the claim is out of date or contradicted by the record.
We then score five criteria from 0 to 10:
| Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of starting | 25% | Published MOQ, sample speed, ready formulas, help for first-time brands |
| Certifications | 20% | GMP, ISO 22716 and halal coverage that can be checked on a public register |
| Service range | 20% | Formulation, packaging, notification filing, client types served |
| Transparency | 15% | How well the company’s own claims match official records |
| Track record | 20% | Years in business, Google reviews, regulatory history |
The overall score is the weighted average. Factories with a recent serious regulatory event (for example a product cancelled for mercury or hydroquinone) are not ranked; we list them with the reason.
4. Look at the factory
We measure each licensed plant on satellite imagery, check it on Street View and read its public reviews. We do not accept payment for visits, listings or positions.
5. Keep it current
Registry data changes every week. Each page shows when its data was captured, and we re-check rankings at least every six months.
Conflict of interest
Run by people who work with one of the manufacturers listed. No listing is paid for, and every score is built from public registry data that you can check yourself. Because of this, every score is tied to public evidence, and the evidence is shown on each review page so readers can check it.