FAQs

ROSE is an exposure health company. We measure what you're actually exposed to at home and guide you to treatments that reduce your exposure. The Water Test is our first product.

A comprehensive at-home water test developed with an ISO-certified lab. You collect two vials from one tap, mail them back in prepaid cold-storage packaging, and get a personalized report on 100+ contaminants and water-quality markers. Every finding comes with plain-language guidance on what it means and what to do about it.

100+ analytes across seven groups, with PFAS included in every kit. Including:

43 Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
13 Heavy metals
13 Disinfection byproducts
7 PFAS ("forever chemicals")
7 Petroleum 
6 Pesticides
12 Water chemistry + minerals

The city tests at the treatment plant, not your tap. Between the plant and your glass, water travels through city pipes and your home's plumbing, which can add metals like lead and copper. City reports also often skip PFAS. ROSE tests the water you actually drink and bathe in.

The biggest differences are PFAS and price. Other mail-in tests often sell a full panel and a PFAS panel as two separate kits, running hundreds more in cost. ROSE includes a full panel plus 7 PFAS in one kit for $399.

PFAS (also known as forever chemicals) are the contaminants people ask us about most, and they're widespread in U.S. tap water. We include the seven PFAS of greatest concern, including PFOA and PFOS, in every test at no extra cost.

No. ROSE measures what's in your water. It doesn't diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease, hasn't been evaluated by the FDA, and isn't a substitute for advice from your doctor.

Anyone who wants to test their drinking water, who's 18 or older and live in the United States.

The Water Test is designed for city (municipal) water. A dedicated well water test is in development. Sign up for updates to hear when it launches.

A filter tries to remove contaminants, but it can't tell you what's in your water or whether it's working. Testing shows what's there, and retesting after you install or change a filter shows whether it made a difference.

Follow the instruction card in the box: run the cold tap, fill the vial to the line, seal it and place it in the prepaid mailer.

Most results are ready within two weeks of the lab receiving your sample, hopefully sooner! We email you the moment your report is live.

Our partner lab, a nationally accredited ISO-certified water and environmental testing lab with 60+ years of experience.

We built three core methods on established EPA foundations and run them on the same ultra-sensitive instruments used in pharmaceutical and research labs.

• PFAS, pesticides, haloacetic acids, and emerging contaminants: isotope dilution LC-MS/MS. Older methods pass water through filters to "catch" chemicals first, a step that can lose compounds or introduce contamination. We inject your water directly into triple-quadrupole mass spectrometers and check each measurement against stable isotope tracers ("chemical twins") added to your sample.
• Volatile organic compounds: purge and trap GC-MS. Solvents and fuel byproducts evaporate easily. We bubble clean gas through your sample, trap the compounds that come out, and identify them at very low levels, roughly a single drop in an Olympic-sized pool.
• Heavy metals and trace elements: ICP-MS. Older metal methods can confuse harmless minerals with toxic metals. Our instruments use reaction-cell technology to filter out that background interference, reducing false positives for metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury.

They're built on EPA methods (524.2 for VOCs, 200.8 for metals, and EPA 533, 538, 557, 563, 1633, and 1694 for the LC-MS/MS work) and keep their chemistry and full quality-control framework. We've modernized the instruments and sample handling to reach lower detection limits. 

The lab runs every quality-control check required in regulated testing:

• Continuing and independent calibration verifications on every run
• Method blanks to confirm there's no contamination in the lab process
• Laboratory control samples and duplicates to track precision and accuracy
• Matrix spikes and duplicates, where relevant, to verify accuracy in your specific water

Results can still be affected by how a sample is collected, stored, and shipped, so they are delivered as-is with no warranty. Following the kit instructions closely matters.

No. ROSE results are for personal, informational, and educational use. They're not intended for regulatory, legal, or enforcement purposes and can't be used as evidence in a legal, administrative, or regulatory proceeding.

Samples are generally discarded once testing is complete. In some cases, the lab may keep a sample longer for quality assurance, validation, or research. Any  sample is inherently de-identified as the lab does not receive your personal information in the sample submission and testing process. 

Yes. Re-testing after you make updates to your water source, or periodically, is a good way to track changes over time.

About 2 weeks, ideally sooner! We'll email you when your report is ready.

In your ROSE account at app.getrose.com.

For each contaminant, we use the strictest qualifying health benchmark available, usually a California Public Health Goal or an EWG health guideline. These are set on health effects alone and are often 10 to 100 times stricter than the federal legal limit.

EPA Maximum Contaminant Levels are the legal maximums public water utilities must meet. They're a compliance floor, not a statement of what's protective of health, and many PFAS, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals have no federal limit at all. You'll still see the EPA limit on every result for reference. This also means a result can read High while your water is legally compliant.

For a few contaminants, including lead and certain PFAS, the strictest health benchmark sits below what today's best instruments can detect (typically in the parts per trillion). While the contaminant might be present at that extremely low level, rather than imply an absolute result, we mark it Clear*. Though it is extremely close to 0, we tell you exactly what the test can and can't rule out.

Separate from your measured levels, each contaminant carries a hazard profile across five health categories: Cancer and DNA Damage, Development and Hormones, Skin Allergy, Long-lasting or Builds Up, and Other Systemic Toxicity. Each rating shows its source and a confidence level (High, Moderate, or Low). Where the science isn't there yet, we label it a Data Gap rather than call it low concern. The framework was developed with our Science Advisory Board and an independent hazard-assessment firm, and reviewed by a board-certified toxicologist.

ROSE hazard ratings describe the potential health effects a substance is known or suspected to cause. They are not an assessment of the risk from your water, which depends on how much is present and how much you are exposed to over time. A "not detected" result means the substance was below the laboratory's reporting limit, which for some substances is above the health-based guideline. ROSE results are not a determination that water is safe or unsafe or that it complies with any regulation, and they are not medical advice.

No. A hazard rating describes what a substance is capable of doing, not what your water is doing to you. Whether something causes harm depends on how much is present and how much you're exposed to over time. That's why every rating appears next to the amount we measured, and why a Very High rating can sit beside a not-detected result for the same contaminant.

ROSE results don't determine whether water is safe or unsafe, or whether it complies with any regulation. A High result means the measured level is at or above the strictest health benchmark we use, and we recommend taking action. Your report explains what to do.

Not necessarily. Modern instruments can measure some contaminants at parts per trillion, often far below levels linked to health effects. For some substances, such as lead, arsenic, and benzene, no safe level has been identified, which is why every result is shown against its health-based limit.

Every finding comes with how to Treat: clear steps you can take, and where relevant, vetted product recommendations to reduce your exposure. We also share free everyday habits in your portal. 

If you have health concerns or questions about exposure, yes. ROSE doesn't provide medical advice, and you shouldn't delay or skip professional care based on your results.

Yes. We recommend retesting after you make an update to your water source, to confirm any treatment is working, and periodically to track changes over time. 

We currently ship within the United States. Your kit includes 1-day return shipping to our lab with UPS Healthcare.

Shipping options and prices are shown at checkout, including faster delivery options.

Unused, unopened kits can be returned within 30 days of delivery for a full refund.

Email support with a photo of the damage and we will send a replacement right away.

Some contaminants can change or escape from a warm sample. Keeping it cold and shipping it the same day protects your results.

Every kit includes a prepaid return label and insulated packaging with an ice pack. Seal your sample in the mailer and drop it off with the carrier the same day you collect it. There's no extra cost.

Usually. If you order more than one kit, we may ship them separately at no extra cost to you.

No. Delivery dates are carrier estimates. We'll do everything we can to get your kit to you on time, but we can't guarantee a specific date.

Email support@getrose.com with your order number and, if it's damaged, a photo. We'll help sort it out.

We'll email you tracking information as soon as your order ships. You can follow it on the carrier's website.

Credit and debit cards, plus any other options shown at checkout. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

At purchase. Your total includes the test price, shipping, and applicable taxes.

Yes, where applicable. Tax is calculated from your billing information and shown at checkout.

Your confirmation means we've received your order. In rare cases, such as a pricing error, we may cancel an order. If we cancel after you've been charged, we'll refund you in full.

Yes, enter it at checkout. Codes are subject to their own terms, may expire, can't be exchanged for cash, and can't be shared publicly unless we say so.

ROSE gift cards never expire and carry no fees. They can't be redeemed for cash, reloaded, or used to buy other gift cards, except where the law requires.

Yes, to any U.S. address. Every kit is activated online before the sample is mailed back, so the recipient can create their own ROSE account when they get the test.

You can get a full refund on any unused test within 30 days of purchase. After 30 days, or once a test has been opened, used, or activated, all sales are final, except where the law requires otherwise.

Email support@getrose.com with your order number.

No. Our kits contain single-use, pre-cleaned collection materials that can't be restocked, so we don't accept physical returns.

Yes. Email support@getrose.com with your order number as soon as possible. Unused tests are fully refundable within 30 days of purchase.

Yes, if the unused kits are unopened and not activated, and you ask within 30 days of purchase.

No. You can cancel before your next renewal, and you'll keep access through the period you've paid for. See Subscriptions above.

No. Gift cards can't be returned or redeemed for cash, except where the law requires.

Subscriptions renew automatically at the frequency and price shown on your subscription page. Your saved payment method is charged at the start of each new period.

Cancel any time before your renewal date in your online account, or email support@getrose.com. You'll keep access through the end of the period you've already paid for.

No. Subscription payments are non-refundable, and we don't give credits for partial periods.

Yes. If we change subscription pricing or plans, we'll give you reasonable notice before the change applies to you, so you can cancel first if you prefer.

If a renewal payment can't be processed, access to your subscription ends. Update your payment method in your account to keep it active.

Only you. Results are tied to your account and are never shared or sold.

Yes, to activate your kit and see your results. You can create one at app.getrose.com or sign in with an existing account such as Apple, Google, or Facebook.

Email support@getrose.com right away.

Your contact and account details, payment information (collected by our payment processor), and anything you choose to tell us about your water test, such as concerns, symptoms, your filtration setup, or who lives in your home. We also collect device and usage information through cookies and similar technologies. Full details are in our Privacy Notice.

We may combine de-identified results from many tests to study water quality trends, improve our services, and publish public  reports. De-identified data can't reasonably be linked back to you.

We may publish anonymized results on public maps and reports on our website. These may include a general location such as your zip code, but never your name, address, or other directly identifying information.

ROSE accounts are for adults 18 and older, and we don't knowingly collect information from children. Parents can, of course, use ROSE to test the water their family uses.

If you give us your phone number, we may contact you by phone or text, including for marketing. You can opt out of marketing messages at any time.

Our Privacy Notice is at getrose.com/policies/privacy-policy. Privacy questions go to privacy@getrose.com.

Orders, kits, refunds, subscriptions support@getrose.com
Phone (802) 505-ROSE

Privacy questions privacy@getrose.com