Are Natural Flavors Actually Natural?

Natural flavors have been under a lot of scrutiny in the wellness world over the last few years. For a long time, the conversation was very clear. Avoid artificial flavors. We knew they were made from synthetic compounds and linked to things like immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and potential organ stress. That part felt straightforward.

What’s become more complicated is the realization that “natural flavors” aren’t always as clean or transparent as they sound.

Because natural flavors are considered proprietary, the companies that manufacture them are not required to disclose the exact ingredients used to create them. That protection exists to safeguard intellectual property, but it also creates a loophole. It allows a wide range of ingredients to be used under the umbrella of “natural,” as long as they are derived from something natural at some point in the process.

That means a label can say natural flavors, and the consumer has no way of knowing what’s actually inside.

A common example is MSG. There’s ongoing debate about its safety, but we do know it’s naturally derived, and we also know it can stimulate excitatory pathways in the brain. For individuals with gut permeability, neurological sensitivity, or anxiety, that stimulation can be problematic. People who intentionally avoid MSG may still be consuming it unknowingly through natural flavors.

Another layer most people don’t realize is that natural flavors need carriers. Just like herbal tinctures need alcohol or glycerin, flavor compounds need something to bind to. For powdered flavors, that carrier is often a powder like maltodextrin or dextrose. This became very public last year when a popular electrolyte brand was called out for containing maltodextrin they hadn’t listed. The reason they didn’t have to list it was because it was part of their natural flavor system.

Liquid natural flavors come with their own set of concerns. These can be carried in propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, acetone, ethyl acetate, or highly refined vegetable oils. None of these are required to be disclosed on the label. Many people intentionally avoid propylene glycol in foods and supplements, without realizing it can easily be present under the natural flavor label.

There are also naturally derived flavor compounds like diacetyl, which has been studied for its potential to cause lung toxicity in high amounts when inhaled. While ingestion is a different exposure route, it’s another example of how “natural” does not automatically mean benign.

So why do wellness companies still use natural flavors?

Sometimes it’s because they’re considered industry standard. Electrolytes are a good example.  We don’t use natural flavors in our electrolyte mixes, and because of that, our electrolyte mixes taste very different than industry standard, and we often receive feedback that they don’t taste as strong or sweet as other brands. That’s because we rely solely on powdered fruit juice that isn’t bound to maltodextrin or other sweet carriers, so the flavor is very subtle.

Now, our gummies are a different story, and that’s because gummies are incredibly challenging to formulate, especially because there is limited space in a gummy mold. Most brands dedicate that space to sweeteners, stabilizers, and flavoring. The active ingredients come last.

With our SubLuna kids gummies, we sent against that status quo and wanted the majority of the space to go toward the herbs and active ingredients, which meant that flavor had to take up as little room as possible.

So for that reason, we did decide to consider natural flavors, but were adamant that we would not do so if it meant lowering our standards.

In the process, we learned a lot about the natural flavor industry, and were honestly relieved to discover that there are companies doing truly clean, thoughtful work, even within a system that lacks transparency.

Our natural flavors are real foods, herbs, and spices carried in organic cane alcohol. That’s why, if you look closely at our ingredient lists, you’ll see them labeled as natural flavor extracts, not just a vague “natural flavor.” They’re clean, clear extracts, essentially ultra-concentrated flavored tinctures. They don’t contain MSG, diacetyl, propylene glycol, vegetable oils, or synthetic solvents. 

Because of that, you’ll still notice the undertones of the herbs in our gummies. The flavors aren’t synthetic enough to completely cover them up. Part of that is the potency of the herbs themselves, and part of it is that truly natural flavor extracts don’t aggressively mask taste. 

Because of that, we have to get creative with flavor combinations, choosing extracts that naturally blend well with the herbs rather than trying to overpower them.

A perfect example is our Shroom Stack gummies. Each serving contains 3,000 milligrams of mushrooms, which are intensely bitter at that concentration. Instead of fighting that bitterness, we leaned into it. Coffee is one of the most universally loved bitter flavors, so we built a caramel cappuccino profile. The sweetness and creaminess balance the bitterness in the same way a latte does, without disguising what’s actually in the gummy.

So, are natural flavors toxic?

Some of them, yes.

And this is where nuance matters.

The proprietary nature of natural flavors creates room for misuse, but it doesn’t mean blanket avoidance is the only option. It makes sense not to casually consume products with natural flavors or buy everything off the shelf just because one brand does it well.

That said, with small businesses and founder-led brands, there’s often more transparency than people realize. Even if a company can’t disclose exactly what’s in their natural flavors, they can usually tell you what’s not in them.

Ask what the base is.

Ask what powdered flavors are bound to.

Ask about liquid carriers.

Ask whether they contain MSG, diacetyl, propylene glycol, or refined vegetable oils.

Diacetyl is a good example of why context matters. It occurs naturally in foods like butter and cheese, and we consume small amounts regularly. The real concern comes from high-concentration exposure, especially in occupational settings where people inhale large amounts. That’s why industrial quantities carry warning labels.

Trace amounts used in flavoring are a very different exposure scenario, and whether that feels acceptable comes down to individual risk tolerance. For us, our standards are strict, so we choose not to use diacetyl at all.   But understanding the distinction helps you ask better questions and make informed choices rather than reacting out of fear.

That’s really the goal here. Not to add another scary ingredient to the list of things you feel like you have to avoid, but to give you the tools to navigate labels with confidence.

The best thing you can do is build relationships with the companies you support. Founder-led brands love these conversations. We do. Education and transparency are core tenets of SubLuna because we understand why this matters. These are the same conversations we are having with friends and other moms behind the scenes, and we want to bring that same honesty to you.

So, are natural flavors bad?

Some of them, yes.

Some of them, maybe not.

As for ours, we can say without hesitation that the standards we hold are higher than what we would accept for our own families.

So while we will still continue to produce 90% of our products without natural flavors, you can rest assured that when you *do* see them on our label, that they’ve been thoroughly vetted.