No Proprietary Blends, No Hidden Doses: How to Read a Supplement Label
By Reese Hanneman · U.S. Olympian · 10-Year U.S. Ski Team Member · Co-Founder of Antidote
Written from firsthand experience as a drug-tested Olympic athlete who formulated Antidote in partnership with sports nutritionists.
Originally published: April 2026 · Updated: July 8, 2026 · 8 min read
When a label says “proprietary blend,” it means: trust us. We don’t ask anyone to trust us — every ingredient and every dose is printed on the panel. Here’s how to read any label like a buyer who wants to know.
Key takeaways
- A proprietary blend discloses what’s in a product but not how much of each thing — satisfying the legal requirement while hiding what matters.
- It enables “fairy dusting”: a marketable ingredient included far below its effective dose so the under-dose stays invisible.
- Sports nutrition doses are specific — creatine 3–5 g, beta-alanine 1.6–6.4 g, leucine 1.7–3 g, beet root 400–600 mg. A hidden dose can’t be verified against them.
- Antidote prints every active at its exact milligram dose; even the EAA and probiotic blends list each component.
- You can read any label in ~30 seconds with a five-step check.
Pick up a popular pre-workout and read the supplement facts panel. About halfway down you’ll usually find a line like “Performance Energy Matrix — 4,250 mg” with ingredients listed underneath. The names are given. The total weight is given. The amount of each individual ingredient is not. That is a proprietary blend — one of the most common and least-questioned practices in the industry, and one of the simplest ways to look transparent while hiding the information that matters most.
What is a proprietary blend?
A grouping of ingredients that lists the total weight of the group but not the per-ingredient amounts. The legal basis is 21 CFR §101.36, which requires brands to declare what’s in a product but allows per-ingredient amounts to be hidden under the proprietary-blend framework if the brand claims a trade secret. So a brand can list eight ingredients under one banner with one combined weight — and you have no way to know whether the formula is weighted toward the cheapest ingredient (most likely) or evenly balanced (very rare).
Why do brands use them?
Two reasons, one more honest than the other. The honest one: protecting a genuinely innovative ratio from being copied — a small fraction of cases. The less honest one: underdosing the expensive, well-researched ingredients while heavily dosing the cheap, marketing-friendly ones, and making it impossible for you to tell. Suppose the clinical doses of a brand’s advertised ingredients add up to 15–20 g per scoop. Instead the brand groups them under a 5 g blend — 4.8 g of the cheapest ingredient and a sprinkle of everything else. The label shows the names, not the fact that the rest is trace. That’s fairy dusting.
What’s the problem with proprietary blends?
You can’t verify whether the formula is dosed effectively. Sports nutrition research is precise:
Research-supported dose ranges you can’t verify inside a proprietary blend
| Ingredient | Effective range | Antidote dose |
|---|---|---|
| Creatine monohydrate | 3–5 g/day | 3 g ✓ |
| Beta-alanine | 1.6–6.4 g/day | 2 g ✓ |
| L-Leucine (single dose) | 1.7–3 g | 2.79 g ✓ |
| Beet root extract | 400–600 mg | 500 mg ✓ |
| Caffeine | ~100–200 mg (moderate) | 150 mg ✓ |
When a label hides doses, the brand still gets to print “Contains creatine” whether it’s 3 grams (effective) or 300 milligrams (not). The proprietary blend is a transparency dodge dressed up as a trade secret — and the trade secret is usually that the formula isn’t dosed well enough to do what the marketing says.
How Antidote’s label works instead
Every active is declared at its exact dose, in milligrams, on the same panel — no grouped totals, no hidden quantities. The 9-EAA and probiotic blends are grouped only for readability, with every component individually listed, so they aren’t proprietary blends in the technical or practical sense. See the full EAA breakdown here.
How to read a supplement label in 30 seconds
- Is there a proprietary blend? If yes, treat every dose claim inside it as unverified.
- Are the active doses listed individually in mg/g? If yes, you can verify them against research.
- Are the actives dosed at clinically relevant levels? Creatine near 3–5 g, beta-alanine ≥~1.6 g, beet root 400–600 mg, caffeine moderate. Far below means fairy-dusted.
- What sweeteners are used? Look for sucralose, stevia, erythritol, ace-K, aspartame by name; some brands hide sweeteners under “natural flavors.”
- Is the brand transparent about third-party testing? Publishing lab reports signals a different relationship with the buyer than a badge or no testing at all.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Does Antidote contain any proprietary blends?
No. Every active ingredient is individually disclosed at its exact dose on the supplement facts panel.
Why is the 9-EAA blend grouped on the label?
For readability. Every amino acid within it is listed with its specific milligram dose, so it is not a proprietary blend in either the technical or practical sense.
What is fairy dusting in supplements?
Including a marketable ingredient at a dose far below the level that produces a measurable effect — most common when the ingredient is hidden inside a proprietary blend so the under-dose isn’t visible.
Are proprietary blends illegal?
No — they’re legal under U.S. labeling regulations. They are also misleading by design, which is why a number of brands (Transparent Labs, Legion, Pre JYM) have moved away from them voluntarily.
Where can I see Antidote’s full ingredient list and doses?
On the tub, on every product page at antidote-life.com, and in the published test reports.
Bottom line
If you’re ready to stop guessing what’s actually in the tub, read the label — then read ours. Every ingredient, every dose, on the panel, and independently tested for 250+ contaminants. See the full formula.
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR §101.36 (supplement labeling; proprietary blends).
- Independent sports-nutrition dose-response literature for creatine, beta-alanine, leucine, and dietary nitrate.
Educational content only; not medical advice. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult a physician before use if pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a health condition.
