Safer Solutions: Natural vs. Synthetic Substances Part I—Are Synthetic Substances Inherently Bad?

“Natural” is so hot right now. From food to personal care to wellness, “natural” products and substances are marketed as better, healthier, or less harmful than lab-derived or synthetic ones. But that isn’t universally true. The potential harm or benefit associated with consuming a substance has little to do with whether it’s natural—factors like dose and interaction with the body are more important when predicting potential impacts. Misperceptions about synthetic versus natural substances can lead to differences in regulation that create unintended consequences, including safety issues and barriers to accessing harm reduction tools. We’ll get into regulation in our next installment; first, let’s talk about what it means for a substance to be either “natural” or “synthetic,” along with why (and whether) that distinction matters.

Natural vs. Synthetic Substances

It’s difficult to define natural substances compared to synthetic ones, and definitions vary slightly depending on the field. For our purposes, naturally derived substances are exactly what they sound like: substances that occur in nature without significant molecular structure modification by humans. We define synthetic substances as those that do not occur in nature, including human-manufactured versions with the same molecular structure as naturally occurring substances.  

“Semi-synthetic” substances originate from a natural product but are modified to enhance or change their properties. Penicillin is a good example: Naturally occurring penicillin breaks down rapidly, so it is modified to be more stable and effective in treating infections and saving lives.

Natural and Synthetic Substances Can Be Nearly Identical

Some naturally occurring substances can be recreated in a lab through a series of chemical reactions. For example, naturally derived nicotine is extracted from the tobacco plant but can be synthesized in the lab without using any tobacco at all. (It’s possible to tell the difference between synthesized and naturally derived nicotine, but only if you’re a chemist.)

But because synthesized nicotine is costly to produce and may have slight chemical differences, it has not been widely used in pharmaceutical and consumer products. Most pharmaceutical smoking cessation products and reduced-risk consumer products (e.g., e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches) still use naturally derived nicotine; however, some claim to use the synthetic version.

“The Dose Makes the Poison”

It’s the amount, not the “natural” versus “synthetic” aspects of a substance, that determines its potential harm to humans. Consume enough of any substance—including water—and it will become toxic. But toxicologists say the opposite is also true: In small enough quantities, nearly every substance, synthetic or natural, can be consumed safely. For example, botulinum toxin—one of the most lethal known substances—is purified and used in extremely small amounts both medically and cosmetically as Botox. Even dioxin, the most toxic synthetic substance currently known, is about 100,000 times less toxic than botulinum toxin.

Synthetic substances can also have beneficial effects. We often hear that synthetic opioids like fentanyl are inherently more dangerous than opioids like heroin and morphine, which are derived from the poppy plant. This is because synthetic opioids are often (though not always) more potent than naturally occurring opioids. The risks associated with these potent substances is an issue of dose, not of synthetic versus natural. Despite its high potency, small amounts of fentanyl can be used medically—and some are able to safely use it recreationally.

The Bottom Line

Everything is a chemical at its most basic level. Water, vitamins, fats, proteins, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products, and everything else under the sun are composed of chemicals. Each chemical affects the body differently based on its shape or structure; however, the same chemical—whether natural or synthetic—will affect the body the same way because they are structurally the same. Using nicotine as an example again, synthetic and naturally derived nicotine both have stimulating effects on the body and can cause dependence if used regularly.

The line between “natural” and “synthetic” is blurry. Nature gave us many of the substances we use medically and recreationally, but human ingenuity has made many naturally occurring substances more effective or usable. Dose, route of administration, and individual biology are more indicative of potential benefit or harm than whether a substance is natural or synthetic. Although “natural” is a great marketing term, we can’t use it as a shorthand for “healthier”—nor should we assume that “synthetic” means “dangerous.”  

In our next edition, we’ll talk about how regulation, regardless of a substance’s origins, is key to ensuring consumer safety.