Oct 3, 2026
Changelog
Sep 26, 2026
Search now covers products we haven't tested
— Searching results now shows three things, in order: products we've tested, products people are already crowdfunding, and matching products nobody has tested yet. You can chip in on any of them in a couple of taps, or order a test yourself.Sep 26, 2026
Add a product from $10
— The minimum to put a new product on the crowdfunding list is now $10 (it was $25), and the Add a product page is quicker to fill in. If the product isn't fully funded within 365 days, you're refunded.Sep 26, 2026
Child or adult ratings, your choice
— Ratings can be shown for a 14 kg child or a 70 kg adult. The switch is now easier to spot, it's on the homepage too, and your choice follows you across the site.Sep 26, 2026
Better previews when you share a result
— Sharing a result now shows that product's photo and ratings in the link preview on social media and in messages.Sep 26, 2026
"Private testing" is now "On-demand testing"
— Same packages, clearer name: you pick the products and we test them now instead of waiting on crowdfunding. As before, results are published unless you opt out in writing before testing starts.Sep 25, 2026
Browse results by category
— Results are now grouped into ten categories, from beverages and baby food to pantry staples. Tap a category at the top of the results page, and each result page links to more products like it.Sep 25, 2026
A fresh, results-first look
— The homepage now leads with our published results, and most pages have a cleaner design that's easier to read on a phone.Sep 25, 2026
Newest results first
— The results page now lists the most recently tested products first.Sep 24, 2026
Result pages lead with the ratings
— Each result page now opens with the product's ratings in plain language, with the detailed lab data further down.Sep 23, 2026
Who we are, and how we're funded
— Our About page now explains who runs Laboratory.love, how we work with our lab (we're simply a paying customer of Light Labs), and how testing is paid for.Sep 23, 2026
Four new guides
— New plain-language guides to phthalates in food, BPA and other bisphenols in food, how to read a lab result, and how to get a food tested.Sep 22, 2026
What a test includes
— A new page lays out exactly what's in a test, what it costs, how long it takes, and what a result can and can't tell you. We also corrected a few details on the homepage and FAQ, and updated our terms to explain when a purchase becomes final and what happens if we can't test a product.Sep 22, 2026
Our 2026 research report
— We published our first research report: what we found across every product we've commissioned so far, with the data behind it and its limitations.Sep 22, 2026
Correction to some of our results
— We fixed two data errors in our own results. Five products (Nana Joes granola, Wildwood tofu, House Foods tofu, Algae Cooking Club oil, and 365 organic tempeh) had been loaded twice, which inflated their sample counts. On several results, chemicals the lab looked for and didn't find were shown as "not tested." Measured amounts changed only for 365 organic tempeh.Sep 12, 2026
Download and cite our data
— Every result can now be downloaded as a spreadsheet (CSV) or JSON, with clear terms for citing it, and our rating method is documented in full.Aug 31, 2026
Easier-to-find testing and results
— Made our testing and result pages easier for search engines and AI tools to find, understand, and link to directly.Jul 20, 2026
Restored Contribute nav link
— Re-added access to the monthly subscription / one-time donation page, relabeled "Contribute," after it was inadvertently dropped from navigation during the DTC pivot.Apr 21, 2026
Unified results page
— Merged PlasticList and crowdfunded test results into a single /results page, with a unified detail view showing both the Plastic Chemical Report and the full measurement table for every tested product. Added a Results link to the top nav, cleaned up the crowdfunding page to only show products still raising funds, and added a note on the methodology page about how to request raw Certificates of Analysis.Apr 16, 2026
Direct-to-consumer testing packages
— Launched direct-to-consumer testing packages for people who want specific products tested without waiting on crowdfunding. Same labs, same protocols, same published reports. Legacy crowdfunded testing is still available, and existing crowdfunded products remain unchanged.Jan 26, 2026
Automated refunds and rollover options
— Contributions to unfunded products now automatically refund after 365 days. Users receive a 7-day warning email with the option to roll their contribution into a shared funding pool instead of receiving a refund.Jan 25, 2026
Replaced blog with changelog
— Simplified the site by replacing the blog with a lightweight changelog for tracking updates.Dec 11, 2025
Email service upgrade
— Switched to Resend for improved email delivery.Nov 27, 2025
Black Friday promotion
— Launched Black Friday promotion with homepage banner and sticker giveaway.Nov 24, 2025
Contributor sorting fix
— Fixed sorting for the "most contributors" view.Nov 5, 2025
Affiliate links
— Added affiliate purchase links on tested product pages with disclosure.Oct 27, 2025
Sorting improvements
— Upgraded product sorting options.Oct 17, 2025
Intercom integration
— Added Intercom chat widget for customer support.Oct 13, 2025
Donation page & subscriptions
— Launched recurring donation/subscription support. Added TDI chemical to testing options.Oct 6, 2025
Image optimization
— Optimized image loading and updated data pipeline.Sep 5, 2025
Lab ingestion improvements
— More robust lab result matching. Default to ng/gram when no serving size specified.Jul 29, 2025
UX improvements
— Product tiles now clickable. Testing status visible on tiles. Improved email subscription flow.Jul 24, 2025
Funding visibility
— Homepage now shows funding progress more clearly. Removed funding buttons for fully-funded products.Jul 22, 2025
Paid product submissions
— Product submission now requires $25 minimum contribution to reduce spam and prioritize serious requests.Jul 22, 2025
Lab results popups
— Chemical names in lab results now show informational popups with details.Jul 21, 2025
Donation options expanded
— Added Stripe donation link and crypto addresses to Contact page.Jul 18, 2025
Chemical results table
— New detailed table view for plastic chemical test results.Apr 25, 2025
LinkedIn replaces Twitter
— Swapped Twitter links for LinkedIn in social sharing.Mar 11, 2025
Mobile sharing
— Added ability to share chemical report images on mobile devices.Mar 8, 2025
PlasticList integration
— Launched /plasticlist page with full product catalog from PlasticList.org. Added risk methodology page.Mar 8, 2025
Tooltips on reports
— Added explanatory tooltips to chemical report cards.Feb 27, 2025
Improved risk algorithms
— Updated bisphenols TDI to 0.2 and improved substitute chemical detection.Feb 21, 2025
Color-coded results
— Lab results now display with color-coded risk indicators. Toggle to switch between views.Feb 20, 2025
PlasticList product pages
— Individual product pages now available at /plasticlist/{id} with images from PlasticList.Feb 18, 2025
Analytics & mobile fixes
— Added checkout analytics tracking. Fixed display issues on mobile devices.Feb 17, 2025
Standardized funding display
— Consistent funding progress bars across all product views. Default sort now by contributors.Feb 15, 2025
Progressive testing levels
— Full checkout flow for progressive testing levels (initial, secondary, triplicate).Feb 9, 2025
Level indicator UI
— Visual progress bar showing testing level progression with colors.Feb 7, 2025
Search & social fixes
— Fixed spacebar search issue. Fixed social card double-posting on iMessage.Introducing laboratory.love
February 3, 2025
This week I introduced laboratory.love.
Think of it as a Kickstarter for plastic chemical testing. Crowdfund to reveal what's in your food and drinks. Each test uses the PlasticList methodology, but you choose what gets tested.
We've seeded the platform with several dozen top-selling products from major U.S. retailers. While we're starting with these high-volume products, anyone can suggest additional products for testing through our Add Product page.
Feedback So Far
How It Works
- Find (or add) a product you want tested
- Contribute to its testing fund
- Get notified when testing is complete
- Access detailed chemical analysis
- Automatic refund after 365 days if product doesn't reach its goal
Why This Matters
In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) lowered their "safe" limit for BPA by 20,000x based on new evidence of immune system impacts in mice. Most similar chemicals remain poorly studied and regulated. The FDA currently allows 100x higher levels of BPA than what the EFSA considers safe.
Recent work by PlasticList systematically tested hundreds of consumer food products and found plastic-derived chemicals in 86% of samples, including 100% of tested baby food, prenatal supplements, breast milk, yogurt, and ice cream products. In their testing, 22 products from major retailers exceeded EFSA safety limits for BPA by 450% to 32,500%.
This massive discrepancy between US and EU chemical safety thresholds, combined with the widespread presence of these chemicals in our food supply, creates an urgent need for better data. While these chemicals have been used in food packaging and production for decades, we still lack comprehensive data about what levels consumers are exposed to through everyday products.
Laboratory.love exists to bring radical transparency around chemical contamination in consumer products. By crowdfunding independent testing and publishing results openly, we aim to:
- Give consumers data to make informed choices about their exposure
- Create market pressure for companies to eliminate these chemicals
- Drive evidence-based regulatory decision-making
The status quo of proprietary testing and inconsistent regulation isn't working. We believe the solution starts with open data.
For Manufacturers
If you're a product manufacturer interested in having your product tested, we welcome your participation in funding. However, to maintain testing integrity, we'll acquire all test samples through standard retail channels. This ensures products tested are identical to what consumers receive.
U.S. Focus
We're currently focused on products available in the United States. All products must be purchasable by a U.S. resident through standard retail channels to ensure consistent sample acquisition and shipping logistics.
What's Next
We're just getting started. Our next feature will enable direct purchasing of individual product tests - no need to set up a relationship with a lab or acquire and ship samples, and the cost will be less than it would to buy your own one-off test. Just a couple of clicks to get the data. This will be perfect for researchers, journalists, and others who want specific product data quickly.
Support
We're operating on a bootstrap budget and actively exploring ways to expand our impact. If you're interested in supporting this project through financing or distribution partnerships, please get in touch.
Laboratory.love exists to create transparency around chemical contamination in consumer products. We believe this data should be public, and we're excited to build this resource together.
Have products you'd like to see tested? Add them here.