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Methodology

How we evaluate electrolyte products

Most "best electrolyte" pages imply a testing process that never happened. This page says plainly what we do, what we do not, and where the line is.

What we actually do

  1. Transcribe the label. Every sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, sugar and calorie figure on this site is read off a manufacturer's own supplement facts panel or their published support documentation. Nothing is estimated, and nothing is copied from another review site.
  2. Record the source and the date. Each review lists the URLs the figures came from and the date they were checked. If a figure has no source we can point to, it does not go on the site — the field reads "Not stated" instead.
  3. Normalise the serving size. This category is genuinely misleading on this point. DripDrop mixes into 8 oz while most sticks mix into 16, so an identical-looking figure can mean twice the concentration. We show the serving basis in every table so the numbers are not compared unfairly.
  4. Check third-party certification. We look up each brand in the Informed Sport, Informed Choice and NSF Certified for Sport databases rather than trusting a badge on a product page, and we record which specific product line is certified — brands frequently certify one range and market the halo across all of them.
  5. Judge the marketing against the panel. A product that sells itself as an athletic rehydration drink while containing 55 mg of sodium gets marked down for that, regardless of how good the formula is for other purposes.

What we do not do, and will not claim

  • We do not run laboratory analysis. We have not independently verified that the contents match the label. No affiliate site can credibly claim this, and many imply it.
  • We do not measure anyone's sweat. Claims about sweat sodium concentration on this site are drawn from published research and described as ranges, never as a personalised recommendation.
  • We do not publish star ratings. A numeric score implies a scoring rubric applied by a tester. Until we have one we can publish and defend, products are ranked ordinally with the reasoning written out.
  • We do not list prices on-page. Prices move constantly and a stale price is a misleading one. Every link goes to a live retailer listing instead.
  • We do not give medical advice. Where a product carries genuine risk for a group of people, we say so and point them to a clinician.

How ranking positions are decided

The ordering weighs four things, in this order of importance:

  • Fitness for the stated purpose. Does the mineral profile match the job the product is sold to do?
  • What comes along with it. Sugar, sweeteners and additives, judged against whether they serve a function in that product.
  • Verifiability. Published, current label data and independent certification both count in a product's favour.
  • Honesty of the marketing. Overselling costs a product position here.

Commission rates are not an input. We do not know the rate on most of these products, and the link structure is configured in one file separate from the ranking data specifically so the two cannot influence each other.

How often this is updated

We re-check every label at least twice a year and whenever a brand announces a reformulation. The 10 products currently covered were last verified on the dates shown on their individual reviews.

Corrections

If a figure here is wrong, we want to know and we will fix it and note the change. Manufacturers reformulate quietly and we will not always catch it first. Contact details are on the about page.