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Proprietary Blends: The One Thing to Check First

Why a hidden dose changes how a product should be judged.

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What Is a Proprietary Blend?

Ingredients listed together under one combined weight, with no amount disclosed for any single one of them.

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Why Brands Use Them

Officially, to protect a formula. Unofficially, it's also a way to hide an ingredient that's present in a tiny, sub-effective amount.

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A Real Example

Green tea EGCG studies use roughly 100–400mg a day. Hidden inside an 800mg blend with 8 other ingredients, the real dose could be a fraction of that.

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How to Spot One

Look for a full Supplement Facts panel with a milligram amount listed next to every single active ingredient, not just a blend total.

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Why It Caps Our Score

Our Trust Score can't confirm a dose that isn't disclosed, so a hidden-dose formula is capped at Conditional, never a full recommendation.

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The Full Breakdown

How to read a label like a pro, and how we score proprietary-blend products.

Read the Full Guide