Methodology

ChemCX ranks automotive detailing products by what's actually in them, not what brands say about them. Every score, badge, and ranking on this site is derived from publicly available chemical data. This page explains how.

Data Sources

Our primary data source is the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), a standardized document that manufacturers are legally required to provide. We focus on Section 3 (Composition/Information on Ingredients), which lists the chemical components of a product along with their CAS numbers and concentration ranges.

Not all SDS documents are created equal. A European or UK REACH SDS typically only discloses hazardous components. Ingredients that don't meet hazard classification thresholds can be omitted entirely. A product with 15 ingredients might only show 4 on its SDS. We note this limitation in the product's transparency rating.

Where available, we supplement SDS data with California SB258 Cleaning Product Ingredient Disclosures, which require more comprehensive ingredient listing regardless of hazard classification. Some brands also publish voluntary ingredient disclosures on their websites. When a California disclosure and an SDS conflict on a CAS number, the California disclosure takes precedence.

We do not infer ingredients. If a chemical is not disclosed in any available source, it is not listed on ChemCX.

Transparency Tiers

Every product on ChemCX receives a transparency rating based on how completely the manufacturer discloses its ingredients. This is not a quality judgment. A product with low transparency may be excellent, but we simply can't verify what's in it.

Excellent:

Full ingredient list with CAS numbers and concentration ranges for all or nearly all key ingredients.

Good:

Full ingredient list provided, but three or more key ingredients lack CAS numbers. We know what's in it, but can't always verify exact compounds.

Moderate:

Partial ingredient list without trade secrets. The manufacturer discloses some ingredients but not the complete formulation.

Limited:

Partial ingredient list with trade secrets or undisclosed key ingredients. Significant gaps in what we can analyze.

Transparency ratings are calculated automatically from the ingredient data we have. Products with excellent or good transparency qualify for our ranked pages. Products below that threshold are listed but not ranked, because we don't have enough data to score them fairly.

How We Score Products

Every ranked page on ChemCX uses a transparent, component-based scoring formula specific to that category and ranking dimension. There is no single universal score. A wheel cleaner's "deepest clean" score measures completely different chemistry than a tire dressing's "longest lasting" score, because the products do fundamentally different things.

Each formula breaks down into weighted components drawn from the product's ingredient data, pH, safety profile, and formulation characteristics. For example, a wheel cleaner's cleaning power score weighs pH distance from neutral, surfactant count, cleaning agent count, and chelating chemistry. A tire dressing's durability score weighs silicone concentration, advanced silicone types, solvent carriers, and polymer reinforcement.

Scores are calculated at build time from the same data displayed on each product's page. The specific formula and component weights for each ranking are explained on the ranked page itself. We update and refine scoring formulas as we learn more about each category's chemistry. When a formula changes, all products are rescored simultaneously so rankings stay fair.

Only products with excellent or good transparency qualify for ranking. We can't score what we can't see.

Badges

Badges are shortcuts to decision-making. They highlight what a product is notable for at a glance, whether that's ranking first for cleaning power, having the lowest price per ounce, or carrying a biodegradable formulation.

There are three types of badges on ChemCX:

Scoring badges are awarded to the top-ranked products on each ranked page. If a product ranks #1 for gentleness among wheel cleaners, it earns the Safest badge. These badges are derived from the same scoring formulas described above.

Ranking badges are awarded based on a single measurable field. The most acidic product in a category, the one with the most surfactants, or the best value per ounce. These are straightforward, objective measurements with no composite formula.

Attribute badges flag a notable characteristic that isn't ranked. A product is either biodegradable or it isn't. It either produces a visible color change or it doesn't. There's no ranking involved, just a factual label.

All badges are computed automatically at build time from product data. They are never manually assigned and never influenced by brands.

What We Can't Tell You

ChemCX analysis is based entirely on publicly available documents. That means there are real limits to what we can determine.

We cannot tell you exact ingredient concentrations. SDS documents report concentration ranges (e.g., "5-10%"), not precise percentages. When we calculate scores that depend on concentration, we use the midpoint of the disclosed range.

We cannot tell you about proprietary processing methods. Two products with identical ingredient lists can perform differently depending on how they were manufactured, the order of addition, or the particle size of dispersions. SDS data doesn't capture this.

We cannot tell you about ingredients that aren't disclosed. A product listing 5 ingredients on its SDS may contain 20, with the undisclosed components falling below hazard reporting thresholds. This is why transparency ratings matter.

We cannot tell you how a product actually performs on your car. Chemistry predicts capability, not real-world results. Application technique, surface condition, temperature, and water quality all affect outcomes. Our rankings tell you what the chemistry is capable of, not what your experience will be.

What we can tell you is substantial. Ingredient identity, pH, surfactant systems, active chemistry types, safety classifications, and pricing are all verifiable from public data. That's enough to compare products on an objective, level playing field, and it's far more than any marketing page will give you. The chemistry won't tell you everything, but it tells you what matters.

Independence

ChemCX has no sponsorships, no paid placements, and no affiliate relationships that influence rankings. No brand has paid to be listed, scored higher, or featured on this site. Every ranking is generated from the same scoring formula applied equally to every product in the category.