The benefits of dietary supplements, concentrated sources of nutrients, plants, or other substances, no longer need to be proven today. They are increasingly consumed in France for their health benefits: vitality, immunity, stress, sleep, beauty, etc.
Wishing to adopt a more sustainable and environmentally friendly consumption pattern, French people are increasingly turning to natural products. The question today is therefore whether the composition of supplements affects the effectiveness of the formulas. Made with natural or synthetic active ingredients, are dietary supplements equally effective?
Through this article, we would like to help you understand the differences between a natural and synthetic active ingredient so that you can choose your products wisely.
Active Ingredients & Formulas
What is an active ingredient?
To better understand the differences between a natural dietary supplement and a chemical dietary supplement, it is important to begin by defining the concept of an “active ingredient.” Whether natural or synthetic, supplements are very rich in active ingredients. These are the active substances with therapeutic properties and therefore benefits for human health, which give products all their benefits. This is why the concentration of active ingredients is very important in determining a product’s quality and effectiveness. You can find this information on product labels or packaging in the nutritional information section. It tells you the dosage of each active ingredient and the percentage of recommended nutritional intake (or reference intake) it represents. Most supplements are dosed in milligrams or micrograms.
What are the main ingredients found in dietary supplements?
Dietary supplements are products that help improve people’s nutritional intake, whether to make up for a deficiency or shortfall, alleviate everyday discomfort, or maintain good health. Sold in dose forms such as capsules, tablets, and gummies, they contain numerous ingredients, each with a role in the product’s texture, preservation, and above all, its action. At the heart of their formulas are active ingredients selected according to the desired effect, derived from:
- Vitamins & minerals: vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B12, calcium, ... Due to soil overuse, food processing, and our lifestyles, vitamin and mineral deficiencies and shortfalls can occur.
- Plants & algae: valerian, hibiscus, echinacea, spirulina, etc. The use of plants for health purposes in France stems from a long-standing French tradition. It represents a return to our roots and traditional medicine.
- Fruits & vegetables: artichoke, goji berry, blueberry, black radish, … Rich in active substances, vitamins, and antioxidants, certain fruits and vegetables are particularly useful when combined synergistically with other ingredients.
- Ferments & yeasts: probiotics, brewer’s yeast, … These beneficial bacteria can promote the development of microorganisms in our microbiota and thus contribute to better health.
- Other substances for nutritional or physiological purposes: enzymes, amino acids, essential fatty acids, caffeine, propolis, royal jelly, etc.
It is also possible to find excipients in dietary supplements. These are inactive ingredients chosen to make a supplement easier to take, preserve, or manufacture. Magnesium stearate, a natural anti-caking agent, is found in 90% of dietary supplements, along with animal or plant-based gelatins, maltodextrin, a bulking agent derived from a natural but highly refined sugar that can sometimes increase our carbohydrate intake, potassium sorbate, an artificial preservative, and acacia gum, a natural thickener obtained directly from acacia sap.
Natural vs Synthetic
French people are increasingly attentive to their health and eating habits. They are looking for more natural and authentic products and are changing their daily practices. According to Synadiet, naturalness is in fact the primary reason people consume dietary supplements. Nutraceutical market players are increasingly turning to natural active ingredients and limiting the presence of chemicals in their products. Dietary supplements made with synthetic active ingredients raise certain questions about the effects they may have on health.
An active ingredient is considered natural when it comes from minerals or the plant or animal world and is based on green chemistry. Processing must be very limited and should simply involve techniques that preserve the selected extract’s properties intact.
Dietary supplements can also derive their active ingredients from chemical processes. Chemistry is indeed very practical because it makes it possible to synthesize synthetic molecules similar to natural molecules. These synthetic alternatives are highly controlled from a quality standpoint. They have the advantage of being free from any traces of pesticides and of keeping very well.
However, synthetic molecules are not always exact reproductions of their natural counterparts. Even minor differences can affect their biological activity. Indeed, a molecule’s structure determines its absorption, storage, or breakdown and therefore its therapeutic effects.
In nature, vitamins & minerals are present in the form of complexes, combined with the other natural compounds in their original matrix. This is why natural dietary supplements are often more versatile than synthetic dietary supplements. In addition to having a more comprehensive action, because they are closer to the food matrix, they are more compatible with human physiology and are therefore better assimilated by the body.
For these reasons, some brands choose a natural composition that respects people, animals, and the environment alike.
What about Epycure?
As you know, at Epycure, we develop vegan, eco-responsible programs and formulas based on plants, vitamins, and minerals and, above all, Made in France. The Epycure team works every day to offer you products adapted to your needs, effective and natural, in recycled or recyclable packaging that you can use with complete confidence. Hélène, our Head of Research & Development, aims to develop a range of natural products without artificial flavors or colors to help you naturally soothe your everyday aches and pains. The average naturalness of our products is 95%. You may be wondering why our formulas are not all 100% natural.
Hélène always begins by contacting our partner laboratories and presenting them with our project, along with a complete product brief listing our requirements. Beforehand, she has of course selected these subcontractors based on their expertise, the desired dosage form, and their commitment to natural products. When effectiveness and concentration are equal, we automatically use natural ingredients. But for you, as for us, effectiveness comes first, so we always prioritize the safety and effectiveness of our formulas.
That is why we see a slight decrease in the percentage of naturalness, which is most often due to vitamins and minerals. This choice regarding effectiveness is linked to the concentration of the active ingredients, since we want to offer an effective product with an acceptable dosage: 2 capsules per day, not 10. Choosing a natural vitamin sometimes means using a higher concentration of active ingredients to achieve the same effectiveness as a synthetic vitamin. However, space in our 2 capsules is limited, so if we choose a natural vitamin that is as effective as a synthetic vitamin but requires a higher concentration, there will no longer be enough room for all the other active ingredients selected for their benefits, and the effectiveness will therefore be reduced. There are no perfect solutions, just the search for the best compromise between natural active ingredients, synthetic active ingredients, and an effective formula. We are, of course, on the lookout for an innovation that would allow us to obtain vitamins and minerals that are 100% natural, just as effective and concentrated as synthetic ones!
Beyond the naturalness of the ingredients, it is important to check the origin of the dietary supplements you buy. Be vigilant with dietary supplements from abroad, as they are not subject to the same regulations and quality controls as those in France. Some substances are also prohibited under French legislation, which is fairly strict. You should know that the use of medicinal plants in France stems from a long-standing local tradition. The French dietary supplement ecosystem benefits from expertise recognized around the world. Therefore, choosing Made in France is the best way to support French expertise and obtain high-quality, safe products approved under French regulations. At Epycure, we prefer to work with French laboratories for their expertise and also to ensure that finished products are transported without using air freight. This proximity allows us to guarantee the quality and traceability of every product while remaining eco-friendly.
