what proprietary blends are hiding from you

when you see "proprietary blend" on a supplement label, it means the company is legally allowed to list ingredients without telling you how much of each one is included.

how it works

FDA regulations require supplement companies to list total blend weight and ingredients in order of predominance. but they do not have to tell you individual amounts. a "focus blend 500mg" could contain 495mg of the cheapest ingredient and 5mg of the expensive one you actually wanted.

why companies use them

the official reason is to protect trade secrets. the real reason is almost always cost. clinical doses of quality ingredients are expensive. proprietary blends let brands list impressive ingredients at ineffective amounts.

what to look for

every ingredient should have its dose listed individually. doses should match what was used in clinical studies. look for specific forms, like "magnesium glycinate" not just "magnesium." third-party testing certificates should be available.

the marty standard

we will never use a proprietary blend. every ingredient, every dose, fully visible on every label. if we cannot afford to include an ingredient at its clinical dose, we leave it out entirely.