Proprietary Blends Explained: Why Manufacturers Hide Milligrams
Why supplement brands use proprietary blends: trade secret protection vs consumer transparency, and how to evaluate them.
Key Takeaways & Clinical Summary
- Proprietary blends legally allow brands to conceal exact formula recipes to prevent competitors from copying them.
- The major drawback for consumers is the inability to verify whether individual herbs meet clinical research dosages.
- Brands can demonstrate integrity by utilizing standardized extract ratios (20:1, 10:1) and disclosing anchor minerals.
- The Authority Ledger model demands radical transparency: we openly flag bundled amounts rather than glossing over them.
Table of Contents
The Origins of the Proprietary Blend Loophole
When Congress passed DSHEA in 1994, supplement makers lobbied for provisions protecting proprietary recipes from immediate duplication by contract manufacturers. The result was the 'proprietary blend' rule, permitting companies to disclose only the total aggregate weight of a blend.
The Trade Secret Rationale
From a manufacturer's perspective, developing a high-performing liquid formula requires significant capital in stability testing, taste balancing, and extract sourcing. Without proprietary blend protection, overseas copycats could replicate the formula within weeks of market launch.
The Transparency Dilemma for Consumers
For the discerning buyer, proprietary blends present a challenge: if an herb is shown to be effective at 100 mg in clinical trials, but sits inside an undisclosed blend, how can you be certain you are receiving a therapeutic dose? This is why examining extract concentration ratios (20:1) is essential.
Our Commitment to Radical Honesty
On this reference desk for GlycoDefender, we do not pretend the proprietary blend is fully transparent. We explicitly inform buyers that while Chromium is fully disclosed (7 mcg, 20% DV), the 21 botanical actives are bundled within 15.47 mg — allowing you to make an informed, adult decision.
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