Artificial sweeteners go by many names on ingredient labels. Here is every one you should know, plus how to catch them all with a single scan.
Scan Labels for Hidden SweetenersWalk through any grocery store and you will encounter artificial sweeteners in places you would never expect -- bread, cough drops, protein bars, flavored water, chewable vitamins, even pickles. The FDA has approved six artificial sweeteners for use in the United States, each with its own chemical profile, brand names, and typical applications. Knowing their names is the first step to controlling how much you consume.
The six FDA-approved artificial sweeteners are aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, Sunett, Sweet One), neotame (Newtame), and advantame. Beyond these, you will also encounter sugar alcohols like sorbitol, maltitol, erythritol, and xylitol, which occupy a gray area -- they are not technically artificial sweeteners but are often used in "sugar-free" products and can cause digestive issues in sensitive individuals.
The tricky part is that many products use blends. A single protein bar might contain both sucralose and acesulfame potassium, while a diet soda could combine aspartame with Ace-K. These combinations are designed to improve taste, but they also mean you are getting multiple sweeteners from a single product -- and that exposure compounds across everything you eat and drink in a day.
These marketing terms are reliable signals that at least one artificial sweetener is present. Open BerryPure, point your camera at the ingredient list, and let the app identify exactly which ones.
The app recognizes all six FDA-approved artificial sweeteners by both their chemical names and brand names, plus common sugar alcohols. No need to memorize the list yourself -- the scan does the work.
BerryPure provides a brief explanation for each flagged ingredient. You will see what type of sweetener it is, how it is made, and why it was called out, so you can make an informed decision rather than just seeing a red flag with no context.
The app suggests alternatives in the same category that are either unsweetened or use natural sweeteners like stevia leaf extract, monk fruit, or small amounts of real sugar. You choose what trade-off works for you.
Diet cola with aspartame and Ace-K
Olipop or Poppi prebiotic soda
Prebiotic sodas use stevia or small amounts of real sugar for sweetness while adding functional fiber. They satisfy the soda craving without any of the six artificial sweeteners.
Sugar-free coffee creamer with sucralose
Full-fat cream or oat milk with no added sweeteners
The natural fat in real cream or the mild sweetness of plain oat milk rounds out coffee flavor without synthetic sweeteners or the long additive lists found in flavored creamers.
Sugar-free gelatin dessert with aspartame
Homemade fruit gelatin (grass-fed gelatin + real fruit juice)
Making gelatin at home takes five minutes and lets you use actual fruit juice or pureed berries instead of artificial flavors and aspartame.
Sugar-free maple syrup with sucralose and Ace-K
Real maple syrup, used in smaller quantity
A tablespoon of real maple syrup has about 12 grams of sugar -- a reasonable amount if you use it sparingly. It also contains manganese and zinc, while the sugar-free version is essentially flavored water with synthetic sweeteners.
Children's chewable vitamins with aspartame or sucralose
Gummy vitamins sweetened with fruit juice or monk fruit (Llama Naturals, Hiya)
Kids' vitamins are consumed daily for years, making cumulative sweetener exposure a legitimate concern. Brands using fruit-based sweetening avoid this entirely.
Everything you need to know about ultra-processed food and sugar detox.
The six FDA-approved artificial sweeteners are: aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), acesulfame potassium (Ace-K, Sunett), neotame (Newtame), and advantame. Each is hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than sugar, which is why they are used in such small amounts.
No. Sugar alcohols -- erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, and mannitol -- are a separate category. They occur naturally in some fruits and are only partially absorbed by the body, which is why they have fewer calories than sugar. They are not produced through chemical synthesis like most artificial sweeteners. However, some (especially sorbitol and maltitol) can cause digestive discomfort in large amounts.
Sucralose and aspartame are the two most widely used artificial sweeteners globally. Sucralose dominates in baked goods, supplements, and protein products because it is heat-stable. Aspartame is most prevalent in diet beverages and tabletop sweetener packets. Acesulfame potassium is often combined with either one to improve the taste profile.
Check the ingredient list for aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (or Ace-K), saccharin, neotame, or advantame. Products must also carry a warning if they contain aspartame due to concerns for people with phenylketonuria (PKU). Scanning with BerryPure automates this check across all six sweeteners simultaneously.
No. Stevia is derived from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant native to South America. It is categorized as a natural non-nutritive sweetener. Highly purified stevia extracts like rebaudioside A (Reb A) do go through significant processing, but the starting material is a plant, not a chemical synthesis. The FDA classifies purified stevia leaf extracts as generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
There is no consensus on ranking artificial sweeteners by safety. All six approved by the FDA have met safety thresholds for their intended use levels. That said, if you prefer to minimize synthetic additive exposure, natural alternatives like stevia and monk fruit extract offer zero-calorie sweetness without the chemical synthesis process. The best approach is knowing what you are consuming -- and that starts with reading the label.
Ultra-processed food is linked to obesity, diabetes, and brain fog. Whether you just want to scan labels or you're ready to cut it out completely, BerryPure has you covered.
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