Our ingredient evaluation process avoids pitting natural against synthetic, as though these represent a good vs. bad dichotomy.
Instead, it’s about carefully selecting each compound by prioritizing safety, and accounting for the optimal combination of bioavailability, efficacy, quality and sustainability.
Sometimes this means that we will choose a natural ingredient over alternatives, and in fact, we opt to use natural aromas over synthetic fragrances whenever possible. But while natural ingredients can be a good source of beneficial phytonutrients, they can include certain drawbacks.
For example, some are not as pure or sustainable as their synthetic counterparts. When the formula calls for it, we utilize nature-identical ingredients whose molecules are indistinguishable from their natural versions; the only difference is where they were made.
Plus, some science-based ingredients outperform naturally derived versions in bioavailability and stability, without the risk of heavy metal, pesticide and bacterial contamination.
As always, our rigorous evaluation process guides our product development, with the goal of choosing the best ingredient for people and the planet.