What is a proprietary blend? How to read one on a gummy label
Disclosure: Gummy Verdict is reader-supported. If you buy through a link on this page we may earn a commission. How that works.
You are comparing two sleep gummies. One lists lemon balm 90 mg, chamomile 50 mg and passion flower 30 mg. The other lists a “Sleep Blend 170 mg” containing lemon balm, chamomile and passion flower. They might be identical. Or the second might be 168 mg of the cheapest herb with a pinch of the other two. The label does not let you tell.
That second format is a proprietary blend. It is legal, common and worth understanding, because it removes the one piece of information you most need.
What a proprietary blend is
A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed together on a Supplement Facts panel under a single name, with one total weight for the whole group. The name is invented by the manufacturer: “Calm Complex”, “Superfruit Blend”, “Energy Matrix”, “Herbal Blend”.
The individual ingredients are named beneath it. Their individual amounts are not given.
What the rules require
US labeling regulations set specific requirements for blends.
- The blend must be identified, by the word “proprietary blend” or a descriptive name.
- The total weight of the blend per serving must be stated.
- Every ingredient in it must be listed, in descending order by weight.
- The amount of each individual ingredient does not have to be disclosed.
One exception protects you. Any ingredient that has an official Daily Value, meaning the vitamins and minerals, must be listed separately with its own amount. A manufacturer cannot hide the vitamin D or zinc content inside a blend. Blends are for ingredients without a Daily Value: herbs, extracts, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics and the like.
Why manufacturers use them
There are two explanations, and both are true in different cases.
The stated reason is to protect a formula. A company that has developed a particular combination does not want competitors to copy the exact ratios. Listing a blend keeps the recipe confidential.
The other reason is cost. A blend lets a label feature an expensive, well-known ingredient while including very little of it. The ingredient’s name appears on the bottle and in the marketing. The amount stays out of sight. Because ingredients are listed by weight, a costly extract at the end of a list may be present in a trace.
You usually cannot tell which reason applies to a given product. That uncertainty is the problem.
What you can work out
A blend is not a total black box. The total weight and the order give you limits.
The average
Divide the total weight by the number of ingredients. A 40 mg blend of three herbs averages about 13 mg each. A 127 mg blend of twelve ingredients averages about 11 mg each. The average tells you the scale you are dealing with.
The maximum for each position
Because ingredients are in descending order, there are mathematical ceilings:
- The first ingredient could be nearly the whole blend.
- The second can be at most half the total.
- The third can be at most a third.
- The fourth can be at most a quarter, and so on.
In a 600 mg blend, the fifth ingredient cannot exceed 120 mg, and it may be far less.
The minimum
There is none, apart from zero. An ingredient only has to be present.
| Position in a 300 mg blend of six ingredients | Most it could be | Least it could be |
|---|---|---|
| First | Nearly 300 mg | 50 mg |
| Second | 150 mg | A trace |
| Third | 100 mg | A trace |
| Sixth | 50 mg | A trace |
Comparing a blend with research
The purpose of knowing an amount is to compare it with what studies used. Here are typical research amounts for herbs that often appear in gummy blends.
| Ingredient | Amount used in human studies |
|---|---|
| Ashwagandha extract (KSM-66) | 600 mg a day |
| Lemon balm extract | 300 to 600 mg |
| Valerian extract | 300 to 600 mg |
| L-theanine | 100 to 200 mg |
| Elderberry extract | Several hundred mg, in syrups and lozenges |
Now apply the ceiling. If lemon balm is the third ingredient in a 40 mg blend, it cannot exceed about 13 mg. The studies used 300 mg or more. Whatever the exact figure, it is a small fraction.
That is the practical use of the arithmetic. You often cannot find out the real amount, but you can frequently show that it must be far below what was studied.
Blends in gummies specifically
Gummies make the limits tighter. A gummy weighs 3 g to 5 g and is mostly gel and sweetener, so the space for active ingredients is a few hundred milligrams at most. Blends in gummies tend to be small: 15 mg, 40 mg, 100 mg.
Some real patterns from labels we have reviewed:
- A sleep gummy listing a 20 mg blend of tart cherry, chamomile and passion flower per gummy. Average under 7 mg each.
- An immune gummy listing a 15 mg blend of turmeric, ginger and echinacea per gummy. Average 5 mg each.
- A greens gummy listing a 127.5 mg blend of twelve ingredients per gummy, from artichoke leaf to celery, with a probiotic included. Average under 11 mg each.
- A beauty gummy listing a 100 mg blend of eight fruits per gummy. Average 12.5 mg each.
At these sizes, the blend is contributing character, color and a name. That is not dishonest. It is simply how to read it.
When a blend matters more
For most gummy blends the amounts are too small to worry about. A few cases deserve attention.
- Caffeine sources. Green tea extract, guarana, yerba mate and kola nut inside an “energy blend” contribute caffeine that may not be totaled anywhere. See our caffeine guide.
- Stimulants and weight-loss ingredients. This is the category where hidden amounts carry real risk. We do not review these products.
- Herbs that interact with medication. St. John’s wort, for example, interacts with many drugs. If you take medication, an unknown amount of an interacting herb is a reason to ask a pharmacist.
- Allergens. Echinacea and chamomile can trigger reactions in people allergic to ragweed and related plants, even in small amounts.
- Pregnancy. Many herbs are not recommended in pregnancy. A blend makes it harder to check.
Blends, complexes and standardized extracts
Similar-sounding terms mean different things.
- Proprietary blend: several ingredients, one total weight, individual amounts hidden.
- Complex or matrix: marketing words. Check whether individual amounts are given.
- Branded ingredient: a single ingredient with a trade name, such as KSM-66 or Cognizin. This is the opposite of a blend. It tells you exactly what the material is, and its amount is stated.
- Standardized extract: an extract guaranteed to contain a set percentage of a named compound. Again, more information, not less.
A label can mix these. A product might state a branded extract clearly on its own line and then add a small blend of supporting herbs beneath it. Judge it by the line that has a number.
What a transparent label looks like
Many brands now list every active ingredient with its own amount and advertise the fact as “full disclosure” or “no proprietary blends”. On such a label you can do everything this site recommends: multiply by servings per day and compare each amount with research.
Transparency is not the same as a good formula. A fully disclosed label can still show amounts that are far below what was studied. The difference is that you can see it.
How to read a label that contains a blend
- Find the blend’s total weight and the serving size it applies to.
- Count the ingredients and divide for the average.
- Note the position of the ingredient you care about, and work out its ceiling.
- Compare that ceiling with the amount used in research.
- Identify the ingredients listed outside the blend with their own amounts. Those are what you can evaluate.
- Scan the blend for caffeine sources, allergens and herbs that interact with your medication.
- Decide based on what you can verify.
Should you avoid products with blends?
Not automatically. In a gummy, a small herbal blend next to a clearly stated main ingredient is common and mostly harmless. A sleep gummy with 5 mg of melatonin stated plainly, plus a 40 mg botanical blend, can be judged on the melatonin.
Be more cautious when the blend is the whole product, when the headline ingredient sits inside it, or when the product is a stimulant, weight-loss or pre-workout formula. If you cannot find a number for the thing you are buying the product for, you are buying on trust.
How we handle blends in reviews
Our reviews report the blend’s total, name the ingredients, and say plainly that individual amounts are not given. We do not credit a product for a blended ingredient as though it were present at a studied dose. You can see this in our reviews of Goli Dreamy Sleep, Goli Triple Action Immune and Goli Supergreens.
For the rest of the panel, see how to read a Supplement Facts panel.
The short version
- A proprietary blend gives one total weight for several ingredients. Individual amounts are hidden.
- Ingredients are listed from most to least. Vitamins and minerals cannot be hidden in a blend.
- Divide the total by the number of ingredients for an average, and use the order to find each one’s ceiling.
- In gummies, blends are usually tens of milligrams, far below research amounts for herbs.
- Judge a product by the ingredients that have their own stated amount.
Common questions
Are proprietary blends legal?
Yes. US rules allow them as long as the total weight is stated and ingredients are listed in descending order by weight.
Why do companies use proprietary blends?
To keep a formula confidential, and sometimes to feature an ingredient’s name while including little of it.
How can I tell how much of each ingredient is in a blend?
You cannot know exactly. Dividing the total by the number of ingredients gives an average, and the order sets a ceiling for each.
Can vitamins be hidden in a proprietary blend?
No. Any ingredient with a Daily Value must be listed separately with its own amount.
Are proprietary blends bad?
Not necessarily. They prevent you from checking doses. In gummies they are usually small and secondary to a main ingredient with a stated amount.
What is the difference between a blend and a branded ingredient?
A blend hides amounts. A branded ingredient such as KSM-66 identifies a specific material and states how much is present.
Sources
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.36: Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplement labeling guide.
- US Food and Drug Administration. Questions and answers on dietary supplements.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary supplements: what you need to know.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This page is not medical advice.