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The Filter celebrates two years with 31 contributors’ favourite products

The Guardian ·

The Filter marks its second anniversary with contributors’ favourite products from the past year, drawing on items they tested or discovered through colleagues’ recommendations. The selections span home, beauty, outdoor gear and technology, showing how products reviewed for the site have found a place in writers’ everyday lives.

Examples include a cordless Revamp hot brush for travel, Illiyoon moisturiser for dry skin, a Brick device to curb screen time and a Gozney pizza oven. Other picks include stackable tubs for storage, Barbour wellies, a compact Davek umbrella and a quiet Urevo walking pad; the article says the roundup features 31 products.

  • The Filter celebrates two years with 31 favourite products.
  • Picks range from beauty and homeware to outdoor gear.
  • Contributors share how tested products fit into daily life.

New here? Start with this

The Filter is a publication that reviews and recommends products across various categories. To mark its second anniversary, the site is publishing a roundup of 31 favourites selected by its contributors from the past year.

The selections include products that contributors have tested through their work at The Filter as well as items recommended by colleagues. The roundup reflects what the site's writers actually use in their everyday lives.

The favourites span multiple categories, from beauty products like moisturisers to practical items such as wellies and umbrellas. The selection also includes outdoor equipment, home storage solutions and technology for managing screen time.

Both sides, in good faith

The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.

The case for

This is legitimate editorial content that transparently showcases products contributors have genuinely tested and integrated into their lives. Anniversary roundups are established editorial practice, and the piece serves readers by curating trusted recommendations from reviewers with demonstrated expertise across multiple product categories. The approach demonstrates the practical value of the publication's reviewing work and rewards reader interest in how professionals actually use the products they evaluate.

The case against

Without clear disclosure of commercial relationships, affiliate arrangements or selection criteria, this piece risks appearing promotional rather than editorial. The format—listing products without comparative analysis, critical discussion of drawbacks, or context about why these items were chosen over alternatives—reads more as product cataloguing than rigorous journalism. Publishing such content without explicit transparency about any commercial interests may undermine the publication's credibility and blur important lines between editorial recommendation and marketing.

Technology

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Originally published by The Guardian as “The Filter is two! 31 things we loved this year, from cloud-like duvets to the perfect running shoe”.