What a proprietary blend actually means
Read the supplement facts panel on this bottle and you will find two rows that behave differently from the rest.
The vitamins and minerals are itemised: Vitamin C, 100 mg. Zinc, 20 mg. Selenium, 200 mcg. Each has its own line and its own number.
Then come two rows that give a name, a total, and a list underneath:
- Synergen Complex® Plus — 1.96 g. Organic maca powder, saw palmetto extract, Sensoril® ashwagandha extract, hydrolyzed marine collagen, turmeric extract, palm extract and Haematococcus pluvialis.
- Nutrafol® Blend — 480 mg. L-lysine, L-methionine, L-cysteine, horsetail extract, Japanese knotweed extract, black pepper extract and cayenne extract.
What the number does tell you
The total is real. Everything listed under Synergen Complex® Plus adds up to 1.96 grams per four-capsule serving, and everything under the Nutrafol® Blend adds up to 480 milligrams.
US labelling rules also require the ingredients inside a blend to be listed in descending order by weight. So on this label there is more organic maca than saw palmetto, and more L-lysine than cayenne.
What it does not tell you
How much of each. A blend of seven ingredients totalling 1.96 g could be almost all maca, or it could be seven roughly equal parts. The label does not say, and neither can we — we transcribed the panel, we did not make the product.
Why manufacturers do it
A proprietary blend keeps a formula's exact ratios off the pack and away from competitors. It is entirely legal and extremely common in this category. It also means that if you want to know a specific amount, the honest answer is that it is not published.
We publish the panel exactly as printed, including the two blend rows, so you can see what is disclosed and what is not before you decide.