The studied dose is 6–8 g of L-CITRULLINE
Not 6 g of 'citrulline malate.' The research literature dosed the free amino acid. Any product marketing '6g citrulline malate' is not delivering the studied dose unless it's pure L-citrulline.
How the ratio works
'Citrulline malate 2:1' means 2 parts citrulline to 1 part malic acid. So 6 g of 2:1 CM contains 4 g of L-citrulline and 2 g of malate. At 1:1 (some brands), 6 g contains only 3 g of L-citrulline. Some manufacturers flip the ratio labeling entirely — always do the math.
The cheap solution
Pure L-citrulline is often cheaper per effective gram than the 'malate' blend. Buy the amino acid, not the marketing.
When it's hiding in a pre-workout
If the pre-workout label says 'proprietary blend 8g' with citrulline listed, you don't know how much you're getting. Prop blends are opaque by design. Skip them.