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 A lemon lime flavoured Prime bottle
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| Type | Sports drink, drink mix, energy drink |
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| Distributor | Congo Brands |
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| Introduced | January 4, 2022 |
| Website |
US Website UK Website |
Prime (stylized in all caps) is a range of sports drinks, drink mixes, and energy drinks created and marketed by Prime Hydration, LLC. The range is promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI. The announcement and the release of the product in 2022 was followed by a social media hype associated with these social media personalities, who have tens of millions of followers combined. It was also promoted through mainstream sports sponsorship deals.
Products
Prime Hydration, LLC is affiliated with Congo Brands, co-owned by American businessmen Max Clemons and Trey Steiger. In the United Kingdom, where the product was launched in June 2022, it was originally shipped from the United States, and is now manufactured by Refresco.
The Prime labelling is used on sports drinks, energy drinks, and drink mixes. The sports drinks, described by the manufacturer as "hydration drinks", are made up of 10 percent coconut water and contain electrolytes, B vitamins and BCAAs. The manufacturers state that this version of the product has zero added sugar or caffeine and has around 20 calories per bottle. It is sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, like many other sugar-free drinks. Sports drink flavors are blue raspberry, grape, ice pop, lemon lime, "Meta Moon", orange, strawberry watermelon, and tropical punch. The energy drink, which was launched in 2023, contains 200 mg of caffeine. Energy drink flavors are blue raspberry, lemon lime, orange mango, strawberry watermelon, and tropical punch.
Advertising
Social media promotion
On January 4, 2022, YouTubersLogan Paul, who is American, and KSI, who is British—with more than 40 million YouTube subscribers and millions of followers on other platforms—announced on a live Instagram feed that they had founded a new drinks company known as Prime Hydration. Their involvement led to a social media hype around the product, which was followed by demand from school-age children, particularly teenage boys. According to the Evening Standard, the surge in demand caused high prices among online resellers, including an eBay listing offering twelve bottles for £400.Sky News reported that the release of the drink sparked "chaotic scenes" at Asda and Aldi supermarkets in the United Kingdom. A Financial Times article conveyed a London teacher's account of how children who only possessed used Prime bottles, filled with water, were "catapulted to higher status among their peers".
Sponsorships
Prime was the sponsor for Timmy Hill's number 13 car for the NASCAR circuit. In July 2022, Premier League club Arsenal announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the club. In their official statement they said it meant they have "access to talent and footballers which they do leverage in some of their marketing".
In January 2023, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the mixed martial arts promotion company. In February 2023, Prime was promoted in a Super Bowl LVII commercial. In April 2023, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a joint marketing agreement with the company, with Prime becoming the official sports drink supplier for the baseball team.
Reception
Mary McCarthy of The Independent said that KSI and Logan Paul were "monetising misogyny" and criticized them for the amount of influence they had on young boys.
Gordon Ramsay reviewed the drink on Heart radio, describing it as "like swallowing perfume", and giving it 0/10. Boxer Chris Eubank Jr also tried the drink saying "It's very sweet, I mean it says it's naturally flavoured. It doesn't taste bad, but it's not a natural flavour of drink".
Regulatory approval and legal status
Prime has been banned in schools in many countries, including some in Australia, Canada,South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Australia
Several Australian schools have instituted bans on Prime energy drinks, as a health risk to students due to its high caffeine levels. ABC News noted that the Food Standards Australia New Zealand legal limit for caffeine was 32 mg per 100 ml, while Prime contains around 56 mg per 100 ml. A sports dietician, who described the drink as an "addictive substance" went on to state that "giving a dose of caffeine to young children who've got … developing cognitive function is not a wise idea". ABC noted that the drink, on sale in Woolworths stores, carried a disclaimer stating that the drink "is not suitable for children under the age of 15, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision".
In March 2023, several schools in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia banned the drink. In April, several New South Wales schools followed.
In April 2023, a store in Perth controversially allowed the sale of the drink to minors.
Denmark
In Denmark, which also has a legal limit for caffeine at 32 mg per 100 ml, the energy drinks have not been approved for sale, and the trading of the product that has been occurring has been "illegal", according to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. In April 2023, the agency announced that it advised five retailers to pull the product.