Additionally, synthetic CBD is considered an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), which is made to be chemically identical to hemp-derived CBD, which is natural. It takes on a crystalline powder form, similar to many CBD isolates sold in the market, and sometimes they are added to carrier oils. Other API products are pharmaceutical drugs, which are regulated and designed to be stable for human consumption. However, there really is no way to tell if the synthetic CBD you are consuming is safe; it will likely have some side effects just like other pharmaceutical drugs.