The Difference Between Real and Synthetic Urine

Synthetic urine is a product that is used in labs for many purposes. It’s created in laboratories instead of our bodies naturally creating it. Synthetic urine is used in many ways. One is wanting to pass a drug test. People who want to pass a drug test must provide their urine to get through it. To pass the drug test, the urine must be free of all the drug-related toxicants. However, some people’s urine might not be free of such toxicants, so they consider buying a fake sample made in labs.

Moreover, producers of products like diapers also use synthetic urine. They test the product using fake urine to see if it is ready to be sold and works properly.

The difference between real and synthetic urine is that real urine is created naturally by our bodies and synthetic urine is made in labs. Synthetic urine changes in color and has a different smell compared to real urine. Moreover, there can be a variation in teperature in synthetic urine, while natural urine has the same temperature as the average body temperature ranging between 32° Celsius to 38°Celsius.

Here is a table for the difference between real and synthetic urine.

Real UrineSynthetic Urine
Real urine is produced by a living bodySynthetic urine is made from chemicals
Real urine has a different smell and colorSynthetic urine may change in color or smell
Real urine is only used when there has to be a drug testSynthetic urine is used for products and can be used for drug tests
Real urine temperature will be the same as the average body temperatureSynthetic urine temperature varies
The difference between real urine and synthetic urine

Keep reading to know more.

What is synthetic urine made of?

A syringe filled with urine
Synthetic urine was made by accident.

In 1828, a chemist named Friedrich Wöhler created synthetic urea, a chemical compound in real urine. However, it was by accident he was trying to synthesize ammonium cyanate. It was the first discovery to contradict vitalism, a scientific theory stating that organic compounds can’t be created in a lab, only isolated in their natural form.

All vitalists believed at the time, only kidneys could produce urea. However, Wöhler’s accidental discovery disproved this theory by creating urea inorganically.

Fast forward to now, there’re hundreds of companies that make synthetic urine, Quick Fix Synthetic is one of them. Quick Fix Synthetic or other urine companies create it with water, urea, pH balance, creatine, and/or uric acid.

Traditionally, fake urine is used to test urine’s impact on products like diapers, cleaning agents, mattresses, or medical devices.

Here is a helpful video for you.

A Video on Drug Test.

How do you tell the difference between real and synthetic urine?

Synthetic urine changes while real urine’s color stays the same, moreover the smell is also quite different.

Everything made organically differs in many ways from the organically created product. When we talk about real urine and synthetic urine, there is some difference that you can clearly see.

Real urine is made organically, and synthetic urine is created inorganically in a lab by many companies.

The average body temperature ranges from 32° Celsius to 38°Celsius. Thus, the temperature of real urine will be around that temperature. Synthetic urine, on the other hand, varies in temperature.

Can a lab tell if it’s synthetic urine?

A person looking through a microscope
Labs can detect when urine is synthetic.

Synthetic urine is detectable as any other thing that is made organically. Although labs try to make it similar to the real urine, still you can tell if it’s fake or real urine.

Synthetic urine comprises urea, sodium, chloride, potassium, creatinine, and other dissolved ions. All these components are also found in real urine. However, the mentioned components may be the same. The values might not be the same. This is how labs can detect fake urine.

More than 95% of real urine is water, which isn’t the case in synthetic urine.

There are many ways to detect if the urine is real or fake, and here is a list:

  • Uric acid is majorly found in real urine and in synthetic urine as well. However, synthetic urine may not have other components found in real urine, like creatine, Amino acids, metabolites of hormones, and Urea. If labs decide to investigate the urine, they can easily tell by checking whether it contains all these components.
  • The temperature of real urine is the same as the normal body temperature; thus, if the urine’s temperature isn’t the same as the temperature of the person whose urine it is, it means the urine is fake.
  • Labs can also detect synthetic urine by the odor of the urine. The odor of fake urine isn’t the same as real urine, as fake urine isn’t concentrated with components that real urine usually is.
  • Creatinine is present in real urine as it’s used to check the performance of the kidneys. Creatinine levels will be below normal if the kidneys aren’t okay. Moreover, many urine companies don’t bother to include this chemical in their urine. Thus, if you are using the urine of such incompetent companies, labs can surely detect the fake urine.
  • When they want to detect fake urine, many labs check for urobilinogen. It’s a mixture of urea and the by-product of bilirubin.
  • Labs can detect fake urine by checking the gravity of the urine. The gravity of fake and real urine is different because the values of components are different in both.

What is synthetic urine for?

vials full of synthetic urine
Synthetic urine serves many purposes.

Synthetic urine was created accidentally; however, it’s being used more than it should be. It’s said that synthetic urine has increased the rate of drug abuse.

When a person needs to get tested for a drug test, they find a way to sneak in synthetic urine. As a result, they get a clean and drug-free result. This enables them to continue abusing drugs, risking their health and decreasing their total life span with long-term use.

However, synthetic urine is mainly used for the purposes of testing the effect of urine on products, for instance, diapers, cleaning, agents, mattresses, or medical devices.

To Conclude

  • Synthetic urine is created in laboratories and differs from real urine. It is distinct in various aspects, including color, smell, and temperature.
  • Synthetic urine serves multiple purposes. It includes passing drug tests and testing products like diapers and cleaning agents.
  • The accidental discovery of synthetic urea in 1828 challenged the scientific theory of vitalism. It claimed organic compounds could only exist naturally. 
  • Synthetic urine typically contains water, urea, pH balance, creatine, and uric acid. However, its composition may vary among brands.
  • Labs can detect synthetic urine. They analyze its chemical composition, temperature, smell, and gravity.
  • Using synthetic urine for drug tests has raised concerns about enabling drug abuse.
  • Synthetic urine has legitimate applications in product testing. And its misuse in drug testing has led to increased scrutiny.
  • Labs employ various methods to identify synthetic urine, ensuring the accuracy of drug test results.
  • Synthetic urine emphasizes the gap between lab-made products and natural bodily functions. It underscores the need for precise testing methods. 

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