Natural flavors are flavoring agents derived from natural sources but manufactured through extensive chemical processing. Despite the name, they can contain dozens of solvents, preservatives, and emulsifiers — and their exact composition is a trade secret. That's All Protein bars contain zero natural flavors. All flavor comes from recognizable whole food ingredients like organic cacao, organic peanuts, and organic coffee.
Which Protein Bars Use Natural Flavors?
We checked the ingredient lists of 11 popular protein bar brands. Here's what we found:
| Brand |
Natural Flavors |
Artificial Flavors |
Ingredient Count |
| That's All Protein |
❌ None |
❌ None |
4–7 |
| Perfect Bar |
❌ None |
❌ None |
20+ |
| Quest |
⚠️ Yes — all flavors |
❌ None |
15+ |
| ALOHA |
⚠️ Yes — most flavors |
❌ None |
12–15 |
| RXBar |
⚠️ Yes — all flavors |
❌ None |
6–14 |
| Barebells |
⚠️ Yes — all flavors |
🚨 Yes — all flavors |
18–20+ |
| ONE Bar |
⚠️ Yes — all flavors |
🚨 Yes — all flavors |
25–35+ |
Data verified as of February 3, 2026. Source: product labels from brand websites.
Why "Natural" Doesn't Mean Simple
The FDA defines natural flavors as substances derived from plant or animal sources. But "derived from" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. A single natural flavor can contain dozens of sub-ingredients — solvents, preservatives, emulsifiers — none of which appear on the label. The manufacturer isn't required to disclose them.
That's why label readers find natural flavors frustrating. You can't know what's actually in them. For a brand built on transparency, that's a dealbreaker. Every That's All Protein bar uses only ingredients you can pronounce, count on one hand, and find in a grocery store.
How to Spot Natural Flavors on a Label
Look for "natural flavors" or "natural flavor" in the ingredient list — it's usually near the end. If it's there, the bar contains processed flavoring agents with undisclosed sub-ingredients. If you want to know exactly what you're eating, choose bars that get their flavor from real food: organic cacao, organic peanuts, organic coffee, organic dates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are natural flavors safe?
Natural flavors are FDA-approved and generally recognized as safe (GRAS). However, "safe" and "transparent" aren't the same thing. Natural flavors can contain dozens of undisclosed sub-ingredients including solvents and preservatives. For people who want to know exactly what's in their food, natural flavors are a black box.
Do natural flavors contain allergens?
They can. Natural flavors may be derived from common allergens like dairy, soy, wheat, tree nuts, or shellfish. While major allergens must be declared on food labels, trace amounts used in flavor processing may not always be obvious. If you have severe allergies, natural flavors add unnecessary uncertainty.
What protein bars don't have natural flavors?
That's All Protein bars contain zero natural flavors across all six products. Flavor comes entirely from whole food ingredients: organic cacao, organic peanuts, organic cashews, organic almonds, organic coffee, and organic dates. Perfect Bar also avoids natural flavors, though their bars contain 20+ ingredients including four seed oils.
Are natural flavors vegan?
Not necessarily. Natural flavors can be derived from both plant and animal sources, and manufacturers aren't required to specify which. A product labeled "natural flavors" could contain flavoring agents derived from meat, dairy, seafood, or insects. Without full disclosure, there's no way to know for certain.
Why does That's All Protein avoid natural flavors?
Because we believe you deserve to know every ingredient in your protein bar. Natural flavors are trade secrets — you can't verify what's in them. Our bars get their flavor from real food: organic cacao for rich chocolate, organic peanuts for nutty richness, organic coffee for smooth caffeine. That's All.
