Are Natural Flavors Safe? Separating Fact from Fiction

Consumers are (rightfully) becoming more wary of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and food dyes found in many modern food and beverage products, and dietary supplements. However, the ongoing impetus for food and supplement companies to switch to natural counterparts of these ingredients has been met with its own set of criticism and controversy. In fact, inquiries about the safety of natural flavors in Transparent Labs (TL) formulas are among the most common for the TL customer service team.

Given that Transparent Labs is committed to using safe, high-quality ingredients, this article will set the record straight with an overview of what natural flavors are on a molecular level, where they come from, how they are processed in the body, and clarification of the myths surrounding these flavoring agents.

What Are Natural Flavors?

The term "natural flavors" might seem ambiguous, but its definition is explicitly outlined by regulatory authorities. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), natural flavors are chemical compounds derived from various natural sources, including plants, fruits, vegetables, and even animal products [1]. Specifically, these flavors may originate from parts of plants such as spices, herbs, bark, leaf, or root, as well as animal products (e.g., dairy, meat, and seafood).

For instance, eugenol, a compound derived from cloves, exhibits a distinctive, spicy aroma often associated with the holiday season. Another notable example is menthol, extracted from peppermint leaves, renowned for its cooling sensation and found in numerous oral hygiene products. Thymol and carvacrol, predominant in thyme and oregano respectively, contribute to their potent, savory flavors, widely utilized in culinary applications to enhance taste and preserve food.

Here are some more examples of natural chemicals that impart flavor to foods:

The FDA also states that, since the main function of these flavors is for taste rather than nutrition, they must be used in "...the minimum quantity required to produce their intended physical or technical effect and in accordance with all the principles of good manufacturing practice" [2]. In most cases, such as in Transparent Labs Protein Powders, this amounts to less than 3% of the ingredient composition by mass.

How Are Natural Flavors Made?

Unlike their artificial counterparts, which are synthetically made flavors produced in laboratories, natural flavors are extracted directly from naturally occurring sources (hence, the term "natural flavor"). This ensures that these flavors retain a closer resemblance to the compounds found in nature, mimicking the authentic taste profile of the source material.

Natural flavors, as defined by the FDA, are derived from various plant and animal sources, including spices, fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat, and dairy products. The process of extracting these flavors involves several controlled methods such as distillation, fermentation, and solvent extraction. Distillation utilizes steam or water to isolate flavor compounds, while fermentation employs microorganisms to transform raw materials into flavorful substances. Solvent extraction, meanwhile, uses food-grade solvents to separate desired flavor compounds from a mixture.

Lastly, the production and use of natural flavors in food/supplements is regulated to ensure consumer safety. The FDA mandates that natural flavor production must meet rigorous safety standards and adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to prevent contamination.

FEMA and GRAS Status: Assessing the Safety of Natural Flavors

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) initiated its Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) program in 1960, under the purview of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. FEMA focuses specifically on the safety assessment of flavor ingredients. Since then, it has evolved to include rigorous toxicology evaluations of over 2,200 flavoring substances, which can be found here.

The process involves a detailed appraisal by an expert panel—comprising toxicologists, pharmacologists, and other scientific authorities—who review toxicological data and exposure levels to substantiate safety claims. It is noteworthy that the GRAS status not only entails compliance with legal requisites but also aligns with advanced scientific methodologies to assure consumer safety.

In addition to compliance with FDA regulations, the FEMA GRAS initiative mandates specific criteria: the expertise of the GRAS panel, explicit food categories, and designated use levels of flavor substances. This ensures that the natural flavors used in our supplements (and throughout the food supply) are vetted with the highest level of scrutiny.

Debunking Common Myths about Natural Flavoring

There are a handful of pervasive myths surrounding natural flavors that we will address in this section.

Myth: Natural flavors are derived from harmful chemicals, like gasoline.

Reality: This claim is unequivocally false and probably stems from the fact that isoparaffinic hydrocarbons from petroleum are permitted for use as a solvent for food processing, but not for extracting natural flavor compounds [1]. While there is such a thing as "natural gasoline," the compounds in it are a mixture of highly flammable hydrocarbons not used for flavoring purposes, nor are these compounds pleasant tasting. The notion that gasoline is used to produce natural flavors is simply unfounded and misleading.

Myth: Natural flavor consumption has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism-spectrum disorders.

Reality: There is no data suggesting that ADHD and autism-spectrum disorders are associated with natural flavor intake. This myth likely arises from people confusing the alleged connection between artificial additives and these conditions with natural flavoring [2].

Myth: Natural flavors are toxic when added to foods/drinks/supplements.

Reality: This is another baseless myth. The compounds used in natural flavor complexes are a mixture of discrete chemicals (e.g., polyphenols, peptides, and amino acids) found in nature and are individually subjected to comprehensive toxicology evaluations by FEMA and the FDA to confirm they pose neither acute nor chronic toxicity in humans [3]. The margin of safety used in these evaluations is extremely high, often on the order of magnitude of being at least 100 times greater than what humans ingest daily.

Moreover, the consumption ratios of flavoring compounds from whole foods/liquids and from added flavor complexes almost always greatly exceed 1. For instance, trans-2-hexenal, one of the most common flavoring chemicals added to foods, has an annual consumption ratio of 40:1 [4]. In other words, people typically ingest 40 times more trans-2-hexenal from bananas than from added flavoring.

Myth: Natural flavors are often chemically synthesized in a lab.

Reality: A common myth is that the use of synthetic solvents in the flavor compound extraction process implies the flavor itself is not natural. This is not accurate and warrants clarification. As we discussed earlier, solvents, which can occasionally be synthetic (not to be confused with harmful or toxic), serve as a medium to isolate the natural essence from the raw material. However, these solvents are all but entirely removed after the extraction process.

According to guidelines from FEMA and the FDA, a handful of organic and synthetic solvents are allowed for use when extracting flavors and spices from natural sources as long as the residual solvents are below the permissible limits (generally no more than 20 parts per million, equal to 2 mg/L) or completely removed from the final product. The rigorous processes and multiple purification steps involved ensure that no/negligible synthetic remnants are present and the natural flavors remain intact.

Why Transparent Labs Uses Natural Flavors

Artificial flavors, although widely used, may pose health risks in certain subpopulations [5]. On the other hand, natural flavors align with a cleaner ingredient profile that more closely replicates the tastes of natural food sources, which is precisely why Transparent Labs supplements contain only natural flavoring and no artificial additives.

Transparent Labs encourages readers to contact our customer support team with any questions or concerns about our products—whether it's about natural flavors or other ingredients, we'll be happy to help!