What Is a "Proprietary Blend"? A Formulation Scientist Explains the Industry's Favorite Trick
Written by Dr. Leandro Cordova, Ph.D. — Co-Founder & Formulation Scientist at Proven Science Nutrition Science First. Results Always.
Pick up almost any pre-workout, fat burner, or "advanced" supplement, flip it over, and look at the Supplement Facts panel. There's a good chance you'll find two words that should make you pause: Proprietary Blend.
It sounds impressive. Exclusive, even — like there's a secret formula so effective the company has to protect it. But after fifteen years formulating supplements and reading these labels for a living, I can tell you what a proprietary blend usually protects: the company, from you finding out how little of the good stuff is actually in the tub.
Let me pull back the curtain on the single most common trick in the supplement industry — how it works, why it's legal, what the research reveals about it, and how to make sure you never pay for a dose that isn't really there.
What a proprietary blend actually is
A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed together under one umbrella name — "Energy Matrix," "Pump Complex," "Proprietary Blend 6,000 mg" — with a single total weight for the whole group, but no breakdown of how much of each individual ingredient is inside.
Here's the part most people don't realize: this is completely legal. Under U.S. labeling regulations (21 CFR 101.36), a company using a proprietary blend is required to list the total weight of the blend and to name every ingredient in it, in descending order by weight. But it is not required to disclose the specific amount of each individual ingredient.[1]
So a label might tell you a blend contains 6,000 mg total of citrulline, beta-alanine, and a dozen other things, listed biggest to smallest. What it will never tell you is whether that's 5,900 mg of one cheap ingredient and a token sprinkle of the rest. That information is hidden by design — and the rules allow it.
Why companies really use them
The industry will tell you proprietary blends exist to protect trade secrets — to stop competitors from copying a unique formula. And in rare cases, for a genuinely novel formulation, there may be a sliver of truth to that.
But let's be honest about what's actually happening most of the time. Ingredient amounts aren't hard to reverse-engineer, and the science on effective doses is public. In practice, proprietary blends tend to serve two much less flattering purposes.
The first is to hide underdosing. Clinically effective ingredients — the ones with real research behind them — are often expensive. Putting them in at the doses studies actually used costs money. A proprietary blend lets a company list an impressive-sounding ingredient on the label while including only a tiny fraction of the effective dose. The ingredient is technically "in there," so it can be marketed, but there's nowhere near enough to do anything. In the industry, this is called "fairy dusting" — a magic sprinkle of a premium ingredient, just enough to name-drop it.
The second is to hide cheap fillers. Ingredients are listed by weight, largest first. If the bulk of a "6,000 mg blend" is something inexpensive — like plain salt, a cheap amino acid, or even caffeine and a filler — a proprietary blend keeps you from seeing that the marquee ingredients are down at the bottom of the list in trace amounts.
Either way, the effect is the same: you're paying premium prices for doses that aren't there.
This isn't a conspiracy theory — it's documented
I want to be clear that this isn't me being cynical about my own industry. It's measurable, and it's been measured.
In one of the most telling analyses, researchers examined the top 100 best-selling pre-workout supplements and compared what was on the label to the doses actually shown to work in studies.[2] What they found should give every consumer pause.
The average product listed more than 18 ingredients — and roughly 8 of those, on average, were buried inside proprietary blends at undisclosed amounts. Nearly 44% of all ingredients across these products were hidden in proprietary blends, and 58 of the top 100 products used at least one.[2]
More damning was the dosing. When the researchers looked at the average amounts of the flagship ingredients, several of the most-hyped came in below the doses research says you need:[2]
Beta-alanine averaged about 2.0 g per serving — well under the ~4–6 g shown to build muscle carnosine and improve high-intensity performance.[2][3]
Citrulline averaged about 4.0 g — below the ~6–8 g used in studies that actually improved training performance.[2][6]
Creatine averaged about 2.1 g — under the 3–5 g daily dose established as effective.[2][4]
Caffeine sat near the low end of the effective range.[2][5]
The researchers' conclusion was blunt and worth repeating: consumers are better served by choosing products that disclose all ingredient amounts and contain appropriate, effective doses of each.[2] That is not a marketing slogan. That's the peer-reviewed literature.
What clinically effective doses actually look like
The frustrating irony is that we know, with real precision, what these ingredients need to do their job. The doses aren't a mystery — they're published in position stands from organizations like the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Here's what the science supports:
Creatine monohydrate: 3–5 g per day. It's the most studied sports supplement in existence, and creatine monohydrate is the most effective form for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean mass.[4]
Beta-alanine: roughly 4–6 g per day, sustained for several weeks, to meaningfully raise muscle carnosine and buffer the acidity that limits hard efforts lasting one to several minutes.[3]
L-citrulline / citrulline malate: about 6–8 g taken before training to support blood flow and improve reps-to-failure and endurance in resistance exercise.[6]
Caffeine: approximately 3–6 mg per kilogram of bodyweight — for a 70 kg person, that's roughly 210–420 mg — to reliably enhance performance and focus.[5]
Notice how far the commercial averages above fall from these evidence-based numbers. When a label hides its doses, this gap is exactly what's being hidden.
How to protect yourself: reading a label like a scientist
You don't need a Ph.D. to avoid getting fairy-dusted. A few simple habits will protect you:
First, look for the words "blend," "matrix," "complex," or "proprietary." If the individual ingredient amounts aren't printed next to each ingredient, you're being asked to trust a company that has chosen not to tell you what you're buying. That's your first red flag.
Second, check the doses against the evidence. If a product proudly lists beta-alanine or citrulline but doesn't state the amount — or states an amount below the effective ranges above — assume it's underdosed until proven otherwise.
Third, be skeptical of long ingredient lists. A label boasting 25 ingredients in a single small scoop is almost mathematically guaranteed to be underdosing most of them. There simply isn't room in a 6–10 g serving to include effective doses of everything. Fewer ingredients at full, disclosed doses beats a kitchen sink of trace amounts every time.
Fourth, favor full transparency and third-party testing. A company confident in its formula has no reason to hide the numbers.
Why we refuse to use proprietary blends
This is personal for me, because avoiding exactly this problem is the reason Proven Science Nutrition exists.
When we founded PSN, we made a decision that we would never use a proprietary blend. Not once. Every ingredient in every product we make is listed with its exact amount, right there on the label, so you can check our doses against the published research yourself. Our creatine is a straightforward 5 g of pure creatine monohydrate per serving — the clinically effective dose, fully disclosed, nothing hidden.[4] Our electrolytes list every mineral and its precise amount. And the pre-workout we're developing is being formulated to hit clinically effective doses of every active ingredient, all openly labeled.
We third-party test, we don't hide behind blends, and we don't fairy-dust. Not because it's a clever marketing angle, but because I believe you have an absolute right to know exactly what you're putting into your body — and in what amount. That's what "Science First. Results Always." actually means in practice. Transparency isn't a feature we added. It's the foundation the whole company was built on.
When you want expert help choosing
Navigating supplement labels is one thing; building a complete nutrition and training plan around your goals is another. If you want personalized guidance from people who share this evidence-based, no-nonsense philosophy, I recommend the coaching team at Fit by Mi (fitbymi.net). They'll help you cut through the noise, focus on what actually moves the needle, and stop wasting money on products that don't deliver.
The bottom line
A "proprietary blend" is not a mark of quality or exclusivity. In the overwhelming majority of cases, it's a legal way to hide how little of the effective ingredients you're actually getting. The science is clear on what works and at what dose — so any company committed to your results has every reason to show you the numbers, and no honest reason to hide them.
The next time you shop, flip the tub over. If the doses are hidden, put it back. You deserve to know exactly what you're paying for.
Science first. Results always.
Written by Dr. Leandro Cordova, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Formulation Scientist at Proven Science Nutrition. With a Ph.D. and 15+ years in product development (7 as a formulation scientist), Leo leads the development of every PSN formula — built on peer-reviewed science, with no proprietary blends.
Questions about our formulas or the research behind them? Reach us at contact@psnutrition.com.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new supplement regimen.
References
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 21 CFR 101.36 — Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). Accessed 2026.
Jagim AR, Harty PS, Camic CL. Common ingredient profiles of multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements. Nutrients. 2019;11(2):254. doi:10.3390/nu11020254
Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Stout JR, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: beta-alanine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2015;12:30. doi:10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2021;18(1):1. doi:10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
Pérez-Guisado J, Jakeman PM. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2010;24(5):1215–1222. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cb28e0
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a proprietary blend? A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed on a supplement label under one name with a single total weight, but without disclosing how much of each individual ingredient is included. It's legal, but it prevents you from knowing whether the effective ingredients are properly dosed.
Are proprietary blends bad? Not always, but they're a red flag. Because individual doses are hidden, companies can include tiny, ineffective amounts of premium ingredients ("fairy dusting") while filling the blend with cheap ones. Research on top pre-workouts found many key ingredients dosed below effective levels inside blends.
What is "fairy dusting" in supplements? Fairy dusting is adding a tiny, sub-effective amount of a well-known ingredient just so it can be listed on the label for marketing, without including enough to actually work. Proprietary blends make fairy dusting easy because the real amounts stay hidden.
How do I know if a supplement is underdosed? Check whether each ingredient's exact amount is listed, then compare it to research-backed doses (e.g., creatine 3–5 g, beta-alanine 4–6 g, citrulline 6–8 g). If the label only shows a blend total, or lists amounts below these ranges, assume it's underdosed.
Why doesn't Proven Science Nutrition use proprietary blends? Because you have a right to know exactly what you're taking. PSN discloses every ingredient and its exact dose, formulates to clinically effective amounts, and third-party tests every product. Transparency is the foundation the brand was built on.
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