Verifying Your Ingredients: Matching, Confirming, and Flagging

When you add or edit a product in Portfolio, WISEcode matches each ingredient on your label against its canonical ingredient database. Some matches are confident enough that they’re handled automatically; others need you to confirm or pick from alternatives. Ingredient verification is the step that moves a product from In Progress to Claimed — and Claimed status is what earns the Brand Claimed badge and unlocks Non-UPF Shield Verification eligibility.

The three portfolio states

Every product in your portfolio sits in one of three states:

• Discovered — WISEcode found the product in its public database (retailer feeds, packaging scans, UPC catalogs), but your brand hasn’t taken ownership yet
• In Progress — you’ve claimed or added the product, but its data isn’t fully verified yet. Ingredient verification is pending, or an ingredient is waiting on Science Team review
• Claimed — the product is yours and its data is fully verified. It earns the Brand Claimed badge in the consumer app and appears in reports

Ingredient verification is the bridge between In Progress and Claimed.

When ingredient verification happens

You’ll see the ingredient verification step whenever:

• You add a new product through the data ingestion chat or batch upload
• You claim a discovered product
• You edit an existing product’s ingredient list
• WISEcode updates a canonical ingredient that affects an existing match (rare)

WISEcode runs each ingredient on the label against its canonical database and assigns a confidence score to every match. If confidence on any ingredient is below the threshold, you’ll be prompted to verify the matches.

The four match states

1. Green — confident match

WISEcode is confident the ingredient on your label matches a specific canonical ingredient in its database.

What you do: Confirm to accept the match. A single click moves the ingredient to verified status.

Most ingredients on most products fall into this state — WISEcode’s database covers tens of thousands of ingredients, so common items match cleanly.

2. Yellow — fuzzy match

WISEcode has a probable match but isn’t fully confident — typically because the label uses a non-standard name, an unusual spelling, or a vendor-specific variant.

What you do:

• If the proposed match looks right — confirm it to accept
• If it doesn’t look right — open the WISEcode AI assistant from inside the verification step. The AI surfaces alternative canonical matches you can pick from, with reasoning for each suggestion. Pick the one that fits your label and confirm

This is the most common state where brand input matters. Spending a minute on yellow matches at claim time saves a lot of re-work later.

3. Unmatched — no match found

WISEcode could not find a canonical match for the ingredient. This happens when an ingredient is new, vendor-specific, or named in a way the database hasn’t seen before.

What you do: Review the suggested new canonical entry WISEcode proposes. Accept it to create a new canonical record tied to your ingredient. The new entry becomes part of WISEcode’s database going forward.

4. Flagged for Science Team review

At any match state, you can flag an ingredient for WISEcode’s Science Team to review and resolve. Use this when:

• You’re unsure of the right canonical match and the AI suggestions don’t help
• The proposed canonical record looks wrong or out-of-date
• You need a sub-ingredient or proprietary blend verified by experts before accepting

What happens after you flag:

• The ingredient enters a pending review state
• The product stays In Progress until the flag is resolved
• WISEcode’s Science Team reviews and resolves the match
• You receive an email notification when the review is resolved, with the outcome and any follow-up needed

The pending review state is visible on the ingredient inside Portfolio so you always know which items are with the Science Team.

Kickbacks: when an ingredient needs to be broken down

Separately from the four match states, the Science Team may send you a kickback — an email telling you that one of your ingredients is a multi-component ingredient (a composite label like “Vegan Fish Sauce” or “Bread Crumbs”) that needs its underlying components declared before analysis can finish.

A kickback keeps the product In Progress until you update the ingredient list. See Ingredient Kickbacks — What They Mean and How to Fix Them for the full walkthrough.

After all ingredients are verified

Once every ingredient on a product resolves (confirmed automatically or after your input), and the product’s other data is complete — ingredients, nutrients, serving size, and servings per container — the product moves from In Progress to Claimed.

Claimed status means:

• All ingredient matches are verified
• The product earns the Brand Claimed badge in the WISEcode consumer app
• The product appears in reports
• The product is eligible for Non-UPF Shield Verification (if it also Pre-Qualifies on the Non-UPF standard)

Until a product reaches Claimed, downstream reports may be incomplete or directional. Verification is the gate.

Common questions

How long does verification take per product? Depends on how many ingredients are in yellow or unmatched states. A clean product with all-green matches takes seconds. A product with five yellow ingredients and one flagged for Science Team review can take a few minutes, plus the review window for the flagged item.

Can I skip verification? No. Products stay In Progress until all ingredients are verified. In Progress products show up in your portfolio but don’t earn the Brand Claimed badge, appear in reports, or become eligible for Non-UPF Shield Verification.

What’s the difference between In Progress and Claimed? In Progress = one or more ingredients aren’t yet verified, or an ingredient is pending Science Team review. Claimed = all ingredients verified and product data complete; the product earns the Brand Claimed badge and appears in reports.

Can I use WISEcode AI on green matches? Green matches are already confirmed, so the AI isn’t needed there. The AI is most useful on yellow matches where alternative canonical options exist.

How long does Science Team review take? The Science Team works through flagged items as they come in. You’ll receive an email when the review is resolved. If a flagged item is urgent (for example, you’re trying to reach Claimed status before a launch deadline), mention it when you submit support.

What happens if I disagree with the Science Team’s resolution? Reply to the resolution email with your concern. The Science Team will re-review and either confirm or revise the resolution.

I received a kickback email — is that the same as a flagged ingredient? Not quite. A flag is something you raise for review. A kickback is something the Science Team raises with you, asking you to break a composite ingredient into its underlying components. See “Ingredient Kickbacks — What They Mean and How to Fix Them.”

Next steps

• Ingredient Kickbacks — What They Mean and How to Fix Them — if you’ve received a kickback email
• Claiming Your Products in Portfolio — what happens before ingredient verification
• Adding Products to Your Portfolio — for products WISEcode hasn’t discovered
• Using the Data Ingestion Chat — adding and editing products that trigger verification
• From Portfolio to Shield: Earning the Non-UPF Verified Mark — what unlocks once a product is Claimed

Need help?

For toolkit access, asset specifications, or shield usage questions, submit a request and a member of the WISEcode team will get back to you.