How to Spot a Supplement Scam

Major red flags include: "miracle" cure claims, fake doctor endorsements, proprietary blends hiding dosages, auto-ship subscriptions in fine print, manufactured urgency ("only 3 bottles left!"), and before-and-after stock photos. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. The supplement industry generates billions in revenue, and scam products are extremely common. Here are the most reliable warning signs. ## Red Flag #1: Miracle Claims Any product claiming to cure, treat, or prevent a disease is making an illegal claim under FDA regulations. Supplements cannot make disease claims. If a sales page promises to "cure diabetes" or "reverse Alzheimer's," you are looking at either an illegal product or a scam. ## Red Flag #2: Fake Doctor Endorsements Many scams fe

How to Read a Supplement Label

Focus on three things: the Supplement Facts panel (check doses against clinical research), the "Other Ingredients" section (fillers and additives), and any certifications (USP, NSF, ConsumerLab). Avoid products with proprietary blends, and always check the serving size. Reading a supplement label is a skill that can save you hundreds of dollars and protect your health. Most consumers look at the front of the bottle. The real information is on the back. ## The Supplement Facts Panel The most important part of any supplement label. Key elements: **Serving size and servings per container:** Always check this first. Some products list impressive ingredient amounts per serving, but require 2-3 servings per day. A "30-day supply" might only last 15 days at the rec

Do Supplements Need FDA Approval?

No. Unlike prescription drugs, dietary supplements do not require FDA approval before being sold. The FDA can only take action after a product is on the market and proven unsafe. Supplements are essentially guilty until proven innocent -- the opposite of how pharmaceuticals work. This is one of the most important things every supplement consumer should understand. ## The DSHEA Framework The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) established the current regulatory framework. Under DSHEA, supplements are regulated as food, not drugs: - **No pre-market approval required:** A company can formulate and sell a supplement without proving safety or efficacy. - **Manufacturer responsibility:** The company is responsible for ensuring safety and label accura

Are ClickBank Supplements Legit?

ClickBank is an affiliate marketplace, not a quality guarantee. Many ClickBank supplements use aggressive marketing, proprietary blends, and inflated claims. Being sold on ClickBank does not automatically make a product a scam, but the affiliate model incentivizes hype over honesty. Extra scrutiny is warranted. ClickBank is one of the largest affiliate marketing platforms, and it has become the primary sales channel for dozens of popular supplement brands. ## How ClickBank Works ClickBank connects product vendors (supplement companies) with affiliates (marketers who promote for commission). When you buy through an affiliate link, the affiliate earns 50-75% of the sale price. This is an unusually high commission rate. ## Why This Model Creates Problems **Inflated pricing:** If a company pays affilia

General Supplement Questions

Are Proprietary Blends Bad?

March 7, 2026 | 2 min read

Quick Answer

Proprietary blends are not inherently dangerous, but they are a major red flag for quality. They legally allow manufacturers to hide individual ingredient dosages behind a single total weight, making it impossible to verify whether any ingredient is present at a clinically effective dose.

Proprietary blends are one of the supplement industry's most controversial practices.

What Is a Proprietary Blend?

A proprietary blend is a mixture of ingredients listed under a single name with only the total combined weight disclosed. For example: "ThermoBurn Blend (750 mg): Green Tea Extract, Caffeine, Cayenne, L-Carnitine, CLA." You know the total is 750 mg, but you have no idea how much of each ingredient is included.

Why Companies Use Them

Companies cite two reasons:

Competitive protection: They claim the exact formula is a trade secret. In reality, most supplement ingredients are well-known, and the real "secret" is usually the low dosages.
Marketing advantage: A long ingredient list looks impressive. By using a proprietary blend, a company can list 15 "researched" ingredients while potentially including most at dust-level doses.

The Real Problem

Proprietary blends prevent consumers from evaluating whether a product can actually work. Consider: a product claims to contain green tea extract and references studies showing 400 mg EGCG daily reduces body fat. The product uses a proprietary blend totaling 800 mg with 8 ingredients. Most likely, no single ingredient reaches its clinical dose.

FDA Regulations

Under DSHEA (1994), proprietary blends are perfectly legal. The FDA requires only that ingredients be listed in descending order by weight and that the total blend weight be disclosed. This is a significant regulatory gap.

How to Evaluate Products With Proprietary Blends

Divide the total blend weight by the number of ingredients. If the average per-ingredient amount is well below clinical doses for the key ingredients, the product is almost certainly underdosed. Better yet, choose products that fully disclose every ingredient dose.

Our Position

We consider proprietary blends a significant negative factor in our reviews. A product cannot score highly if we cannot verify whether its ingredients are present at researched doses. The best supplement companies are transparent about every ingredient amount.

Make Smarter Supplement Decisions

Our Buyer's Guide walks you through everything you need to know before purchasing any supplement — from reading labels to spotting scams.

Read the Buyer's Guide Browse All Questions

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.