How we pick products
Shopping apps usually keep this part secret. We think the secrecy is the problem —
so here is our entire methodology, in plain language.
Every product must pass four checks
1. Plastic-free, with any exception named. Natural or durable materials (organic cotton,
linen, wool, glass, stainless steel, bamboo, paper). Where no plastic-free option exists, a
certified compostable one can qualify. If a plastic part can't be avoided yet, we name it:
toothbrush bristles are the main example — no plastic-free bristle meets our bar yet, so we list
bamboo brushes and name the bristles. Small parts like a cap or pump are named on the listing too. For appliances like kettles and blenders, the
standard is that no plastic touches your food or water — a plastic switch on the outside doesn't
disqualify, a plastic jar does. Dissolvable PVA/PVOH films don't count as plastic-free. We verify
packaging claims on the actual product, not the marketing.
2. Real reviews. At least 20 customer reviews with a visible star average,
read from the retailer's or brand's own page — and we record exactly where we read them.
3. An independent voice. At least one editorial mention from a source the
brand doesn't pay for its coverage — The Good Trade, Wirecutter, Consumer Reports, Treehugger,
dedicated zero-waste reviewers, and similar. Brand marketing never counts.
4. A verified photo and price. Every image is checked live, and every
price is the one we actually observed on the recorded retailer at sourcing time.
Recently rejected: a lotion in a "bio-resin" tube — the fine print revealed
sugarcane polyethylene, which is still plastic. Also every glass facial toner we checked (all ship
with plastic sprayers). When a category has no genuine option, we leave the gap open and say so.
Where we stand on silicone
Silicone is not a plastic — but it isn't a natural material either, and we
won't call it one. It's a synthetic rubber made mostly from silica, the main ingredient of
sand, and it isn't known to shed microplastics the way polyethylene or polypropylene do. Food-grade
silicone is widely considered stable and safe, which is why we accept it in small sealing parts —
gaskets, O-rings, lid seals — where nearly every leak-proof design needs it. We name it in the
materials line every time it appears, so you never have to guess.
How ranking works
- Products are scored on quality signals only: how many independent sources
recommend them, review volume and average, and whether we've personally vetted them
(marked "Purra Pick").
- When you search, recommendations are matched to your answers — budget, size,
preferences — and every recommendation shows the reason it surfaced, in plain words.
- The app never invents products. Every result comes from this hand-checked catalog.
How money works
- Some buy links are affiliate links: the retailer pays us a small commission at no extra cost
to you. Together with Purra Pro subscriptions, that's how Purra is funded.
- Commission never affects ranking. The ranking inputs listed above don't
include it — structurally, not just as a promise.
- Products that pay us nothing are recommended right alongside the ones that do, whenever
they're the better fit.
What "Purra Pick" means
A small number of products carry a ⭐ Purra Pick badge. It means we've gone beyond the four
checks and are personally standing behind the product — and the badge is never for sale.