How to Read a Proprietary Blend Label, Using BreathiZen as the Example

Pick up almost any supplement bottle and turn it around. You will find a boxed panel full of small print, units like mg and mL, and a list of names that may or may not be familiar. It is easy to glance at it and move on. But a minute spent understanding the panel pays off every time you shop, so let us go through one slowly, using BreathiZen™ as our example.

A proprietary blend is a group of ingredients listed together under one combined weight. On the BreathiZen label, that is a 154 mg blend of mullein leaf extract (10:1), ginger root extract and organic lemon extract, with the individual amounts of each extract not listed separately.

Start at the top: serving information

Every Supplement Facts panel opens with the same two lines, and they set the context for everything below.

• Serving size. For BreathiZen, one serving is four pumps, which equals 0.60 mL.
• Servings per container. A 2 oz (60 mL) bottle holds 100 servings.

These two figures turn a bottle into a plan. At one serving daily, a single bottle covers 100 days, which makes it easy to compare against other products on a cost-per-serving basis.

The middle: what a proprietary blend tells you

This is the part that sometimes puzzles first-time readers. Instead of a separate line for each ingredient, a proprietary blend shows one combined weight and then names what is inside.

On BreathiZen, the line reads as a 154 mg blend containing:

1. Mullein leaf extract (10:1)
2. Ginger root extract
3. Organic lemon extract

Ingredients in a blend are conventionally listed from the largest amount to the smallest, so the order itself carries information. You can see each ingredient described in plain language on the BreathiZen ingredients page.

Decoding the (10:1)

The small ratio after mullein leaf extract is worth understanding. It describes how the extract was made, with roughly ten parts of dried leaf concentrated into one part of extract. A bigger first number generally means a more concentrated starting point. It is a handy clue to how much plant material stands behind a small amount of extract.

If you enjoy reading more about botanicals as a category, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements botanicals list is a useful companion for browsing.

The bottom: Other Ingredients

Below the blend you will find a line labeled Other Ingredients. For BreathiZen it reads: purified water, glycerin, natural flavors, citric acid, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. Here is what each typically does in a liquid spray.

• Purified water: the base that carries the extracts.
• Glycerin: a smooth, mildly sweet liquid that helps with texture.
• Natural flavors: they round out the taste.
• Citric acid: the citrus-derived acid that adds brightness.
• Potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate: preservatives that help keep a water-based liquid fresh in the bottle.

Why brands use blends at all

A blend lets a company present a formula as one thoughtfully built unit rather than a set of isolated parts. For a spray, where three extracts are mixed into a single liquid, that framing is natural. The three plant extracts work as a team in the formula, and you take them together in one four-pump serving.

You can follow how the formula is intended to fit into your day on the how BreathiZen works page.

A quick checklist for any label

Once you have practiced on one panel, you can read nearly any panel in under a minute. Try this routine:

1. Check the serving size, then the servings per container.
2. Find the active ingredients or blends and their listed weights.
3. Read the botanical names and any extract ratios.
4. Skim the Other Ingredients for flavors, sweeteners and preservatives.
5. Look for facts like caffeine content, manufacturing standards and purchase terms.

For BreathiZen, that last step is straightforward: the formula is caffeine free, made in the USA with globally sourced ingredients in a GMP certified, FDA registered facility, and sold as a one-time purchase with no auto-renewal.

See the label for yourself

Every statement in this article comes down to what is printed on the bottle, because the complete Supplement Facts panel is on the label of each BreathiZen bottle. If you would like to know how we write about ingredients, the editorial policy explains our approach, and the NCCIH Herbs at a Glance series is a friendly place to keep learning about plant ingredients in general.

When you are ready to see the label in person, browse the BreathiZen pack options. Every order is covered by a 60-day money-back guarantee.