One-paragraph summary
As of May 2026, Naked Compound accepts brand sponsorships subject to the strict terms set out below. Every sponsorship relationship is disclosed by name, scope, and dates in the Active disclosures table on this page and on every piece of content the sponsor is associated with. Scores, rankings, and editorial conclusions remain independent — sponsored brands receive no score adjustment, no editorial veto, and no advance sight of conclusions. We also participate in the Amazon Associates affiliate programme. Our full list of outside relationships is in the Active disclosures section. Staff cannot hold equity in or consult for any supplement brand without filing a disclosure.
Sponsorships — how they work
We introduced brand sponsorships in May 2026 as a supplemental revenue stream that lets us sustain independent research at scale. The model is simple: brands can pay to be associated with specific content categories — guides, protocol pages, or the newsletter — but they cannot influence, review, or veto any editorial output.
What a sponsorship buys — and what it does not.
A sponsorship buys category association and a clearly labelled "Sponsored by" attribution in the content header or footer. It does not buy a score, a ranking position, a product review, an inclusion in a guide, or suppression of negative findings about the sponsor's products.
Sponsorship terms — non-negotiable conditions
- Every sponsorship is disclosed on every piece of associated content, immediately visible without scrolling, using the label "Sponsored by [Brand]."
- Sponsors have no editorial access. They do not see content before publication, cannot request changes, and have no veto over any editorial decision — including negative findings about their own products.
- Sponsored brands are not exempt from review. If a sponsored brand's product appears in a category guide or ranking, it is scored on the same rubric as every other product, by a reviewer who does not handle the commercial relationship.
- Score and ranking independence is absolute. Sponsored brands receive no score adjustment, no ranking boost, and no editorial benefit of any kind as a result of their commercial relationship.
- Sponsorships are category-level, not content-level. A brand may sponsor the "omega-3" guide category; they cannot sponsor a specific review, a specific ranking list, or a specific piece of editorial output.
- A minimum 30-day disclosure lag. A brand cannot begin sponsoring a category within 30 days of a published review of their product. This prevents the appearance of editorial-for-hire.
- All sponsorships are listed in the Active disclosures table below, with brand name, category scope, and contract period.
- We will not sponsor brands that have active label-honesty flags in our database.
If any of these conditions are violated — including if a brand attempts to use a sponsorship relationship to apply editorial pressure — the sponsorship is terminated immediately and the attempt is disclosed publicly in the database changelog.
What we don't accept
- Content-level sponsorships. A brand cannot sponsor a specific review, a specific "Best of" ranking, or a specific product recommendation. Sponsorships are category-level only.
- Score-adjacent deals. Anything that ties payment to a score outcome, a ranking position, or an editorial conclusion — explicitly or implicitly.
- Paid placements in review content. We do not run "promoted review" formats or insert a brand's product into a guide in exchange for payment.
- Direct affiliate deals with supplement brands. We do not earn per-sale commissions from brand websites or brand-operated affiliate programmes (only Amazon Associates, which is platform-level).
- Free product for review. Every product we score is purchased anonymously at the normal retail or D2C price. We do not accept samples, complimentary units, or discount codes offered in relation to a review.
- Equity, advisory roles, or paid consulting for staff with any supplement brand, retailer, or CMO active in India — without a filed disclosure.
- Embargoed press access tied to favourable coverage.
- Sponsorships from brands with active label-honesty flags in our database.
What we do accept
- Category sponsorships. Brands may sponsor ingredient categories, guide sections, or newsletter editions under the terms above. Every sponsorship is disclosed on every associated content page.
- Amazon Associates commissions. Some product links are Amazon affiliate links. When you click and buy, we earn a percentage of the sale at no cost to you. Every affiliate link is marked. Our scores are finalised before links are placed.
- Reader memberships. Currently ₹399/month or ₹3,990/year. Our largest revenue line and entirely non-commercial.
- Independent grants from non-industry science-communication funders. One active grant: 2024–2026 from the Wellcome-funded India Science Media Centre. Letter of agreement available on request.
- Speaking fees from non-industry conferences (academic, public health). Disclosed individually below.
- Book royalties for a forthcoming title by Aarav Subramanian on supplement labelling. The book is not promoted on Naked Compound.
The editorial firewall
Commercial relationships are managed by a separate team from editorial. The researcher who reviews a brand's products has no visibility into whether that brand has, or is in discussions to have, a commercial relationship with Naked Compound. Scores are submitted to the database before any commercial attribution is applied to the content. This sequence is logged and auditable.
Any breach of this firewall — including a commercial team member attempting to brief or influence an editorial team member about a sponsor — is treated as grounds for terminating the sponsorship and, if appropriate, public disclosure of the breach.
Active disclosures
The following are all outside relationships held by Naked Compound and its contributors as of the version date above. The sponsorship rows are marked New · v5.0.
| Person / Entity | Relationship | Scope | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naked Compound | Amazon Associates affiliate | Commission on qualifying purchases via tagged links; does not influence scores or recommendations | Apr 2026 |
| Naked Compound New · v5.0 | Category sponsorship programme | Brands may sponsor ingredient categories and guide sections under the strict terms above. No current active brand sponsors at policy launch — table will be updated as relationships commence. | May 2026 |
| Aarav Subramanian | Speaking fee, FSSAI annual conference | One-time, ₹40,000 | Feb 2026 |
| Aarav Subramanian | Book contract, Penguin India | Forthcoming title on supplement labelling, royalties only | Sep 2025 |
| Dr. Meera Nair | Hospital staff position | Clinical, unrelated to supplements | Ongoing |
| Rohit Venkatesh | None | — | — |
| Priya Kothari | Adjunct teaching, Bengaluru | Nutrition coursework, no industry tie | Ongoing |
| Sanjana Kapoor | Coaching practice | Does not review or sell supplements | Ongoing |
| Prof. Vikram Rao | Advisory board, ICMR | Public-sector advisory, unpaid | 2022– |
Enforcement
Every staff member, contributor, and advisor signs the same conflicts agreement annually. New disclosures must be filed within 14 days. The current version is reviewed every six months by the advisory board, and the changelog below records every material edit.
Readers who suspect we've fallen short of this policy can email [email protected] — every report is reviewed by the editor-in-chief and one advisor with no editorial role on the piece in question. Confirmed breaches are disclosed publicly in the database changelog.
Version history
- v5.0 — May 2026. Major update. Introduced category-level brand sponsorship programme with strict editorial firewall terms. Added "Sponsorships — how they work" and "The editorial firewall" sections. Added sponsorship programme to Active disclosures table. Updated prohibited list to reflect permitted vs prohibited sponsorship types.
- v4.3 — Apr 2026. Added Amazon Associates affiliate programme to permitted income; removed blanket affiliate prohibition.
- v4.2 — Apr 2026. Added explicit prohibition on supplement-adjacent services (e.g. blood-test marketplaces).
- v4.1 — Oct 2025. Tightened "free product" clause.
- v4.0 — Mar 2025. Major rewrite. Equity and consulting prohibition extended to contributors.
- v3.x and earlier archived in our database changelog.