There has been much debate over whether synthetic nutrients provide the same benefits as natural nutrients.
Some sources even suggest that synthetic nutrients may be dangerous.
Most vitamin C supplements on the market use synthetic vitamin C or ascorbic acid. The majority of this synthetic vitamin C is originally derived from GMO corn and processed with chemicals like acetone (think: nail polish remover) that are not used in the production of natural, food-derived vitamin C.
To make matters worse, supplements containing synthetic vitamin C are often advertised as "natural" and are added to other organic foods as a preservative. To be worthy of the label “natural” a vitamin supplement need contain only 10% plant or fruit derived ingredients. The other 90% could very well be synthetic. This makes it very hard as a consumer, to determine the purity of the product you are considering. We always recommend looking closely at ingredients labels - any mention of ascorbic acid and you know you are looking at a synthetic supplement.
Synthetic vitamin C is simply a stripped down, isolated version of vitamin C; devoid of the micronutrients, dietary fiber and phytochemicals (eg. bioflavonoids) found in vitamin-rich wholefoods.
At Raw Beauty Lab, we only use pure wholefoods and plants, retaining up to 98% of the nutrients of the original fruit, vegetable or superfood. This provides the benefit of the natural vitamin along with the synergistic benefits of accompanying bioflavanoids.
Flavonoids, in and of themselves, provide a myriad of health benefits, so much so that although not technically a vitamin. They are collectively referred to as "vitamin P" in recognition of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antiviral, and anti-carcinogenic properties.