Vanilla flavoring is the fake friend. It’s also called “vanillin” or “imitation vanilla.”
Here’s the wild part: Vanillin is a real compound. It’s the main molecule that makes vanilla smell like vanilla. But in flavoring, it’s made in a lab.
Most of it comes from wood pulp. Or, believe it or not, from cow poop. Seriously. A bacterial process turns a byproduct of cow waste into vanillin. It’s science, but ew.
Imitation vanilla is simple. It has one note, played very loudly. It’s sweet, it’s punchy, and it doesn’t have any of that rich depth. It’s the pop song vs. the orchestra.
