What is a proprietary blend and why can it be a red flag?

What is a proprietary blend?

It is a label format where a group of ingredients is listed with a single total, for example "Energy Matrix 4 g: caffeine, taurine, green tea extract, guarana". The manufacturer claims the formula is a trade secret, so the individual amounts stay hidden. You cannot tell whether the active ingredient is present at an effective dose or sprinkled in for the label.

Why is it a red flag?

1. Under-dosing. Effective doses are known. Citrulline malate needs about 6-8 g, beta-alanine 4-6 g a day in doses of 2 g or less, and caffeine 3-6 mg/kg. A 15-20 g scoop that holds a dozen ingredients cannot carry all of them at effective amounts.
2. Hidden stimulant load. If caffeine is not disclosed, you cannot add up your daily intake, and internationally many pre-workouts contain 200-400 mg per serving.
3. Hard to avoid allergens or banned substances. Athletes cannot check what they cannot see.
4. No benchmark for value. You cannot compare cost per dose.

What does the South African market look like?

As of October 2026, retailer pages we reviewed published caffeine for only some products: 150 mg per serving for Biogen Premium Pre-Workout and USN XTS Hyperdrive, and 300 mg for USN Qhush Platinum Black on the USN global page. NPL Blackout, Hyper Pump and N.O Charge, Evox Alpha Surge and Biogen Rampage list caffeine anhydrous or "high in stimulants" without milligrams. Cellucor C4 Original is R25.10 per serving at Dis-Chem Living Fit.

SA labels must follow R146, which requires a nutrition table when a nutrition claim is made; we found nothing in it that forbids blends. Read what a proprietary blend means in a pre-workout for more detail.

What is the alternative?

Build the dose yourself from single ingredients. Here is an example, using October 2026 prices:

That is less than half the price of a branded pre-workout at R25-R30 a serving (Cellucor C4 at R25.10, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre-Workout at R30.00). ATP Fitness sells single-ingredient citrulline malate at R280 for 250 g (R6.72 per 6 g) and beta-alanine at R260 for 200 g (R4.16 per 3.2 g): fully disclosed and unsweetened, but dearer per dose than the My Whey options. Beta-alanine works through daily loading, so it does not need to be taken before training. Evidence for citrulline is emerging, not strong.

Never use bulk pure caffeine powder: small measuring errors can be dangerous. Standardised capsules are the safer form. See DIY pre-workout stack with single ingredients.

How do you spot a blend on a label?

Look for words such as "matrix", "complex", "formula" or "blend" followed by a single weight. If an active ingredient has no individual amount, assume you cannot verify the dose. Compare brands in our best pre-workout guide.

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