Proprietary Blends Explained: What's in My Herbal Supplement?

You’re being a smart consumer and reading labels to learn more, and being selective about which supplements you choose. But what does it mean when you see “proprietary blend” on the back of an herbal supplement?

What’s in it? How much? Why isn’t that information clear?

Proprietary blends may sometimes seem like incomplete information, but often they’re protecting carefully crafted formulas, a major investment, and valuable intellectual property.

Wondering when that language is a red flag or how you can evaluate an herbal supplement confidently? Part of that means understanding what formulations mean and why a manufacturer might choose a proprietary blend.

Quick Links:

• What Is a Proprietary Blend?
• Why Do Companies Use Proprietary Blends?
• What Information Is Missing on Herbal Supplement Labels?
• How to Evaluate a Proprietary Blend
• Proprietary Blends vs. Single-Ingredient Supplements
• Which Herbal Supplement Approach Is Right for You?

What Is a Proprietary Blend?

In the simplest terms, a proprietary blend is a combination of ingredients listed collectively on a supplement label. Typically, those ingredients work together for a specific purpose, and while the individual ingredients must be listed on the label, the exact amount of each ingredient need not be listed.

For many companies, proprietary blends protect the formulation as intellectual property. Many companies spend considerable time on research and development, and in some cases on clinical testing or trials. It’s a significant investment and, when the product produces the desired outcomes, it’s invaluable on the market as well.

However, consumers may find it a bit more challenging to determine how much of each herb they’re taking. This makes researching companies, building trust, and seeking out transparency even more important.

Why Do Companies Use Proprietary Blends?

As mentioned briefly above, proprietary blends were intended to help protect intellectual property, which reflects a considerable investment in clinical expertise, research, ingredient sourcing, and formula refinement. Keeping ingredient ratios confidential works to prevent others from replicating a formulation.

While a label may look simple and may have limited ingredients, developing a custom herbal supplement is not just selecting herbs with a well-documented history. The process is much more in-depth and often includes:

• Intensive review of both traditional use and modern research
• Expertise and insights from herbalists, naturopathic doctors, chemists, or other professionals
• Determining which complementary ingredients and how much of each to include
• Evaluating botanical sourcing, extraction methods, ingredient stability, and shelf life
• Conducting production and clinical trials as well as quality testing
• Ensuring final product meets manufacturing, labeling, and documentation requirements

There is no reliable figure in the industry for what all of this costs, but some estimates suggest that dietary supplements, which include herbal supplements, may take 3-4 months to manufacture after the formula is developed.

While the FDA does not regulate herbal supplements for safety or efficacy, manufacturers are still responsible for federal manufacturing requirements, which include specifications regarding what a supplement is as well as its purity, strength, composition, and potential contaminants. As a result, there are additional costs and time associated with testing and documentation to verify that specifications are met.

In other words, proprietary blends are protecting not just a formulation, but an investment in a resource-intensive process. It doesn’t necessarily directly translate into a “better” product, as some might use it to avoid full disclosure around the quantities of active ingredients. For other companies, it’s a commitment to their process and to the integrity of their formula, the value they place in their intellectual property.

For this reason, consumers need to be mindful of looking beyond the phrase “proprietary blend” and, instead, look at the company, its standards, transparency, and commitment to quality. 

What Information Is Missing on Herbal Supplement Labels?

Let’s be clear: ‘proprietary blend’ is information, and the ingredients must still be on the label as well as the total weight of the blend. However, you may not know the exact quantity of individual ingredients.

Because you do not know how much of an herb is included, you may not know whether the active ingredients are included in a meaningful way, meaning a truly therapeutic dose. You also cannot compare the formula to current research on the ingredient or determine whether a dose is appropriate for you and your goals.

Similarly, if you are taking other herbal supplements, you may not know how the ingredients and their amounts, will stack or combine with your other supplements.

Again, for that reason, working with trusted brands, monitoring your response, and working with healthcare oversight, is essential.

How to Evaluate a Proprietary Blend

So when you don’t have an exact amount to analyze, how can you decide whether a supplement including a proprietary blend is right for you?

While the information on the Supplement Facts panel may be limited, you can still look at:

• Ingredient order: typically, ingredients are listed in descending order, by weight. One can then assume that those listed at the top are present in greater amounts than the ones at the bottom.
• Total amounts: this one involves a little bit of math and some research. As an example, let’s consider a 500 mg proprietary blend with five different herbs. Collectively, they all must fit into that serving size (500mg). That could mean each ingredient is 100mg, but that’s unlikely. If you look at the research, and the numbers in the blend do not align with what has been identified as a therapeutically valuable dose, then something is off. While this isn’t necessarily a red flag- that the numbers just don’t add up- it is reason to ask some questions.
• Detailed botanical information: labels should include both the common and botanical names of the plant, which parts are used, and the extraction and concentration ratios.
• Formulation strategy: look for information that discusses why these ingredients are used and whether there is oversight on that formulation.
• Testing and quality strategy: third-party testing? Certificates of analysis? Sourcing information? All of these suggest a company that pays attention to quality and consistency.
• Honest language: it’s easy to fall for marketing hype, but big promises in the herbal supplement space are prolific and often unrealistic. Be careful of claims regarding treatment or cures for specific conditions.
• Safety information: you should be able to easily find directions, warnings, and information regarding potential interactions and allergens.

When you’re considering what herbal supplements to take, choosing which brand matters. If there’s not enough information on the label and you can’t contact the company to get more information, it may be worth seeking out a different brand, one that’s more transparent. There are few things more essential than knowing whether an herbal supplement is right for you. 

Proprietary Blends vs. Single-Ingredient Supplements

These are, essentially, two different approaches to supplement formulation. As noted, proprietary blends include multiple ingredients to help meet or work toward a health goal or outcome.

In contrast, single-ingredient supplements are about as transparent as one can get. They include one herb and the label typically states the amount and the form the herb is in. This makes it really easy to understand what you’re getting, and whether or not it’s a therapeutically valuable dose.

Neither formulation is inherently better than the other, but the choice a manufacturer makes largely depends on the goals of the herbal supplement. Which choice you make depends on your individual health goals and should be made in coordination with your healthcare provider.

Which Herbal Supplement Approach Is Right for You?

Every person is different, and so is every herbal supplement. They come in different forms with different formulations, so learning to read a supplement label is a skill.

Single-ingredient formulas make it easiest. Limited-ingredient supplements make it easier, as there are typically fewer than a handful of complementary herbs. Bigger blends may include several complementary plants all working towards a similar goal. Proprietary blends aim to do the same, but as a consumer, you may not have all the information, specifically the ratio of the blend and the exact amount of ingredients.

While setting your health goals is the first step in determining which herbal supplements you should take, choosing the brand is an equally important decision. Understanding what’s in an herbal supplement, or anything you’re taking for wellness, is important.

In some cases, doses may not be enough to help you see benefits, but it’s also important to remember that plant-based doesn’t necessarily mean safe. Even supplements, depending on their ingredients and dosage, can cause side effects, interact with medications or other supplements, or not be suited for you and your individual needs or health status.

We always recommend talking with a healthcare professional about your supplementation choices, not just the herbs, but the brands. A naturopathic doctor or pharmacist can typically help you compare products and avoid ingredient overlap. The most important part of understanding herbal supplements is knowing that it’s all about your individual needs, so choices should be made based on that, not what’s trendy.

As a small, family business focused on quality, at SuperTrees Botanicals, every herbal supplement we produce is intentionally formulated with guidance and oversight from a naturopathic doctor. Sometimes we choose single-or limited ingredients, but we do have some proprietary blends. Regardless of the formulation, we pride ourselves on transparency, mindful development and formulation, and high-quality ingredients for a superior product. 

Ready to explore our botanicals shop? Have additional questions? Our (small) team is here to help, so contact us today (you’ll get a human)!