Recently I wrote an article entitled "Terms, Terms, Terms, An Inside look
to buying supplements" which can be found on the Gurus and Guests section
of my private forum. The article covered many of the misleading marketing terms
buyers have to deal with in an attempt to make informed decisions on the supplements
they spend their hard earned money on. Some of the more potentially misleading
commonly used marketing terms I covered were:
"Clinically proven"
"Patented"
"Doctor recommended"
"All natural"
"Scientifically formulated"
"Research proven"
"Used for thousands of years"
Readers interested in understanding why the above terms can be so misleading,
can read my write-up on each of those terms.
In a nut shell, I went onto cover each of these common marketing terms that
are used to sell supplements to unwitting consumers and explained each in detail
as to what I view as their common misuse within the market place.
However, one term I didn't cover, was "proprietary blend" which in many cases
is the most potentially misleading term of them all, though not a term always
seen in ads per se, but the side of the bottle.
Thus, why I felt it was a separate topic to be covered at a later date as it
does not fit under the classic definition of a commonly used marketing term
found in ads. I also decided to cover this term in a separate article as it
requires much more space dedicated to it then the other terms needed for reasons
that will be apparent shortly.
Proprietary blends are not inherently a negative for the consumer, though they
are inherently confusing for the buyer in most cases.
A supplement that lists a "proprietary blend" on the bottle can be there for
one of two reasons:
(a) to prevent the competition from knowing exactly what ratios and amounts
of each ingredient present in the formula to prevent the competition from copying
their formula exactly (commonly referred to as a "knock off") or
(b) to hide the fact the formula contains very little of the active ingredients
listed on the bottle in an attempt to fool consumers.
Sadly, the latter use is far more common then the former. They see a long list
of seemingly impressive ingredients listed in the "proprietary blend" none of
which are there is amounts that will have any effects. This is commonly referred
to as "label decoration" by industry insiders. The former use of the term is
a legitimate way for a company of a quality formula from having the competition
copy or "knock off" their formula and the latter use of the term is to scam
people.
So how does the consumer tell the difference?
They can't, or at least they can't without some research and knowledge, which
the scam artists know few people have the time and energy to dedicate to finding
the answers. Although there are a few tips the consumer can use to decide if
a product with a "proprietary blend" is worth trying, no one, not even me, can
figure out exactly how much of each ingredient is in the blend or in what ratio
of each is contained within the formula, hence why the honest and not-so-honest
companies employ "proprietary blends" so often.
Thus, we have something of a conundrum here and conflict between a company making
a quality formula attempting to protect that formula from other companies vs.
the company simply looking to baffle buyers with BS.
There are at least some basic tips or food for thought here regarding this problem.
A formula that contains say 10 ingredients in a "proprietary blend" is by no
means defacto superior then one with three ingredients in it. It's the dose
that matters. Clearly, it's better to have higher amounts of ingredients that
will have some effects vs. a long list of ingredients in doses too low to have
any effects.
Some times it helps to look at both what's in the blend and how much of the
blend actually exists. As an example, if say the blend is 300mg total and contains
ten ingredients, that's only 30mg per ingredient, assuming (and you know what
they say about assuming!) that each is found in equal amounts. Clearly, for
most compounds out there, 30mg wont do jack sh*&.
On the
other hand, if say the blend is 3000mg (3 grams) and contains three or
four ingredients, there is at least a better chance that the formula
contains enough of each (and remember, we can't tell how much of each
is in there as that information is "proprietary") to have some effects
you are looking for such as an increase in strength, or a decrease in
bodyfat, etc.
Unfortunately, the above examples are so vague as to be close to
worthless as it's easy enough to formulate a 3000mg blend where all
the ingredients are worthless to begin with or a 300mg blend that
contains compounds that only require small doses to have an effect and
or can be toxic at higher doses.
For example, the mineral zinc tends to be no more then 30mg in most
formulas and no more is needed or recommended. Much of this comes down
to the consumer knowing what the various ingredients are and how they
work (to decide if they are even worth using in the first place) then
deciding if said blend appears to at least contain a dose that would
have the desired effects, which just brings us back to my prior
comment: most people have neither the time or inclination to research
all that info just to decide if they want to use a product and thus
the many "proprietary blends" on the market that are no more then a
long list of under-dosed ingredients.
Wish I could be of more help giving specific advice to readers of this
here article as to what makes a good blend and what constitutes a
poorly made blend, but the above advice is the best I can do under the
circumstances. Although a "proprietary blend" is not by default a
negative to the consumer, it is by all means the poster child for the
well-known Latin term Caveat emptor which translates into English as
"let the buyer beware".
About the Author - William D. Brink
Will Brink has over 15 years experience as a respected author, columnist and
consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry
and has been extensively published.Will graduated from Harvard University with
a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement,
dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets
Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine,
Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International,
Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
Will was a former high level trainer with a rep for getting Olympic athletes, bodybuilders and fitness stars into shape and has gained a reputation for being a no "BS" industry insider who's not afraid to reveal the lies and hype found in the fat loss , muscle building & supplement industry.
He has been co author of several studies relating to sports nutrition and health found in peer reviewed academic journals, as well as having commentary published in JAMA. William has been invited to lecture on the benefits of weight training and nutrition at conventions and symposiums around the U.S. and Canada, and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs and now runs seminars for tactical law enforcement (SWAT).
He is the author, of Bodybuilding Revealed which teaches you how to gain solid muscle mass drug free and Fat Loss Revealed. which reveals exactly how to get lean , ripped and healthy completely naturally. Both e-books come with access to his private forums and numerous tools to aid you in either endevour.
Find out more at Bodybuilding Revealed or Fat Loss Revealed.