Proprietary Blend
A proprietary blend is a label trick that lists multiple ingredients under a single total weight, without disclosing how much of each is included. Proprietary blends let manufacturers hide cheap fillers and underdose expensive ingredients.
Why It Matters
Proprietary blends are the single biggest red flag on a protein label. If you cannot see how much of each ingredient you are getting, you cannot verify whether the product matches the marketing claims. Brands that fully disclose every ingredient amount (Legion, Transparent Labs, JYM) charge a small premium for that transparency.
How to Spot It on a Label
Look for an ingredient line that lists three or more compounds followed by a single total weight, often with the word 'blend,' 'matrix,' 'complex,' or 'proprietary.' If you see this, the manufacturer is hiding something. Fully disclosed labels show one weight per ingredient.
Examples from real products
Related Terms
Keep learning with these closely-linked entries: