The New Bloom Toxicity Score

The New Bloom Toxicity Score tells the part of a garment's story that most labels leave quiet. We wear clothes for more hours than almost anything else we own. They sit against skin while we sleep, work, run, and hold children. Most of us choose them by colour, cut, and feel. Far fewer of us know what was used to grow, spin, dye, and finish them, and that part of the story is often the one that matters most to the body.

Every product on newbloom.shop carries a score built on the ToxicFashionDetector method. It starts with what the garment is made of, takes into account what the brand can show about how it was finished and dyed, and is anchored in published chemical safety limits that industry and regulators already use.

We have tried to make the score honest before making it flattering. A claim we cannot check does not move the number. A certification is shown proudly, and it is not counted twice. The very top of the scale is reserved for products tested in an accredited lab that came back clean.

What the score is, and is not

• It is a guide to chemical risk in a garment, based on its materials, its verifiable finishing and dyeing, and any lab testing we have reviewed.
• It rewards evidence. Specific, checkable facts and lab reports can move a score up or down. Marketing language does not.
• It is not a review of style, fit, durability, price, or a brand's wider sustainability record.
• It is not medical advice. It is informational only, and never a substitute for advice from a doctor or other health professional.

The standards behind the score

We did not invent our own idea of what is safe. The score is built from published chemical safety limits already used by the apparel industry and by regulators. Our limits are based on recognised regulatory and industry restricted-substance lists, and where we judged it warranted for skin-contact wear, we chose the stricter option.

The score watches a few broad families of chemicals. They are named here as categories, so a reader can see what the score is looking at. The specific substances and the limits inside each family follow the references above.

• PFAS. Often called forever chemicals. Associated with water, stain, and oil repellent finishes, and slow to break down in the body and the environment.
• Bisphenols. A group of industrial chemicals that includes BPA. They can be associated with some synthetic materials, prints, and coatings.
• Formaldehyde. Associated with some easy care, wrinkle resistant, and crease resistant finishes.
• Allergenic and azo dyes. Some dyes are known skin sensitisers, and some azo dyes can break down into restricted substances.
• Heavy metals. Can be associated with certain dyes, pigments, trims, and treatments.

How a score is built

Every score has two layers. The first comes from the garment itself. The second comes from what the brand can show about how that garment was made.

The base score comes from the product's materials, as stated on its label and product information. Different fibres and blends carry different chemical profiles from the start, so materials set the foundation for every score.

Much of the chemistry arrives after the fibre is made, during finishing and dyeing. The base score is then adjusted, up or down, for specific, verifiable claims the brand makes about those steps. A claim counts when it names something concrete that can be checked, such as no superwash treatment on a wool garment, or a named dye process.

Vague marketing claims do not count. Words like natural, clean, eco, or gentle may be sincere, but on their own they tell us nothing we can verify, so they do not move the score.

These examples show how claims are treated. They are not a complete list.

A claim we cannot check does not move the number.

What each kind of evidence does

Each kind of information has one fixed role. That keeps the number consistent from one product to the next, and it tells a brand what will and will not change a score.

The layers can be seen on four wool sweaters with the same fibre content. They begin from the same base, because they are made of the same material. Sweater A adds only the words “eco-friendly” and “natural”, so the score stays at the base from materials. Sweater B adds a clear statement of no superwash treatment and a named dye process, so the base is adjusted for those claims. Sweater C adds a GOTS certificate on top of that. It is scored like Sweater B, and the badge appears on the product page without changing the number. Sweater D adds a complete, clean, recent test panel from an accredited lab. That report is reviewed, and it is the only one of the four that can score above 95. This is an illustration of how evidence is treated. It does not show actual scores.

Want to see how a product you own is read? Check a product.

Certifications and the above 95 rule

Certifications such as GOTS and OEKO-TEX are meaningful, and shoppers should be able to see them. That is why they appear as badges. They do not change the number itself. Clear, specific claims about finishes and dyes can move the score up or down. General marketing language does not. The score stays focused on the specific product in front of you: its materials, its finishing and dyeing, and its own test results.

A lab report is the strongest evidence a product can have, because it measures what is actually in the garment rather than what is described. Results above our limits lower the score. Only a complete, clean, recent panel from an accredited lab can take a score above 95. Partial reports are shown as a badge only.

Since October 2026, a score above 95 requires a lab report that meets all four conditions below. If any one is missing, the score stays at 95 or below, however strong the rest of the product information is.

Brands can send their own lab reports, for example from Hohenstein or Eurofins. Every report is reviewed against the four conditions before it is reflected in a score. If your brand has testing you would like considered, write to romina@newbloom.world.

How we read a product

The same steps are followed for every product, so two products with the same evidence receive the same score.

1. Read the materials. Fibre content on the label and the product information sets the base score.
2. Collect the brand's claims. Keep only what is said about finishing and dyeing when it is specific and verifiable. These claims can move the score up or down.
3. Set aside vague language. General marketing terms are noted and do not affect the score.
4. Record certifications. GOTS and OEKO-TEX are shown as badges. They do not change the number.
5. Review any lab report. Results above our limits lower the score. Only a complete, clean, recent panel from an accredited lab can take a score above 95. A partial report is shown as a badge only.
6. Publish the score. The score and any badges appear on the product page at newbloom.shop.

A score reflects the information available when it was set. When a brand shares a new lab report, changes a finishing or dyeing process, or updates its materials, the product can be reviewed again, including new lab reports and corrected product labels, so the score keeps up with the garment.

For brands, the clearest ways to strengthen a score are the ones this method is built to reward: state materials clearly, describe finishing and dyeing in specific terms that can be checked, and share accredited lab testing.

What comes next

A good method keeps growing. We are building independent testing that we commission ourselves, alongside the reports brands supply. We are calibrating the score against real skin exposure, including sweat, friction, and heat, so it sits closer to how garments are actually worn. We are checking how accurately product labels are read. And we are setting a consistent approach for products whose labels leave information out, so scores stay fairer when something is missing. Updates will be shared as those areas develop, and the document is versioned so every change is visible.

Limits, and a note on advice

The score is based on the data available when it is set: product labels, brand information, and any lab reports we have reviewed. Labels and product pages can be incomplete, or they can change. Without a lab report, the score reflects what a garment is made of and how it is described, not a direct measurement of what it contains. Individual sensitivities vary, and a garment that suits one person may not suit another.

The New Bloom Toxicity Score is provided for information only. It is not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. If you have concerns about skin reactions, allergies, or other health matters, please speak with a qualified health professional.

Questions, corrections, or a lab report to share: Romina Rodas Román, founder of New Bloom, at romina@newbloom.world.