To put it simply, artificial is anything that is made by man rather than Mother Nature. Synthetic is also something man-made, but it refers more specifically to chemical (or intellectual) synthesis. Thus an item carved from wood would be artificial, while a new type of artificially produced fuel would be synthetic. check this :- http://www.proz.com/kudoz/English/textiles_clothing_fashion/166415-artificial_versus_synthetic.html. good luck .