Spotting Artificial Sweeteners on the Label

Some products sweeten with compounds other than sugar. Three appear most often.

Sweetness intensity differs by orders of magnitude

Sweetener	Relative to sugar	Character
Aspartame	about 200×	Sugar-like profile; also enhances other flavors
Acesulfame K	about 200×	Fast onset, little lingering aftertaste
Sucralose	about 600×	Sugar-like profile; masks off-notes

At several hundred times the sweetness of sugar, the quantity used is tiny — which is why they add almost no energy.

Why powdered drinks use them

They are heat-stable and dissolve readily. Both properties suit powders and beverages.

Products marketed as reduced-sugar rely on them, often alongside sugar rather than replacing it entirely. Each has a slightly different sweetness curve, so blending produces a more natural result than any one alone.

Reading the label

They appear with a function name and the specific substance: "sweetener (aspartame, L-phenylalanine compound)".

Products containing aspartame must carry a statement that it contains a phenylalanine compound. This exists so people with phenylketonuria can avoid it. If that applies to you, this is the line to check.

Sugar alcohols are a separate category

Erythritol, maltitol, and xylitol are classified apart from artificial sweeteners.

Sweetness runs comparable to or slightly below sugar, with less energy. Consumed in quantity they can cause digestive discomfort, and some products carry a note to that effect.

Products that use neither

Some sweeten with sugar alone. Ingredient lists reading simply "matcha, sugar" indicate that.

Energy content is higher, but the number of things you are consuming is smaller. Which matters more depends on what you are optimizing for.