Prime is a range of sports drinks, drink mixes and energy drinks created and marketed by Prime Hydration, LLC. The range is promoted and founded by internet personalities Logan Paul and Olajide "KSI" Olatunji. 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. Prime Hydration produces a variety of energy drinks, sports drinks and drink mixes containing varying levels of caffeine, electrolytes and added micronutrients. Prime Energy drinks have generated controversy due to their marketing campaign, which has been criticized for media hype associated with their high concentration of caffeine. Several countries, jurisdictions, and primary and secondary schools have banned or restricted the drink due to its caffeine content exceeding legal limits, or otherwise being deemed unsafe for children.

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 labeling is used on energy drinks, sports 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 contains no added sugar, is caffeine-free, and has around 20 calories per bottle. It is sweetened with acesulfame potassium and sucralose, like many other sugar-free drinks. Prime Hydration flavors include: Ice Pop, Tropical Punch, Orange, Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, Grape, Strawberry Watermelon, Meta Moon, Orange and Mango, Glowberry (Sour Apple), Goalberry (Berry), Cherry Freeze, Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Lemonade, Citrus Kiwiberry and Dragon Fruit Acai. Smaller bottles of the Ice Pop, Cherry Freeze, and Strawberry Banana flavors are included in boxes of Lunchly, a brand of snack kits also created by KSI and Logan Paul alongside MrBeast. The energy drink, which was launched in 2023, contains 200 mg of caffeine and shares several flavors with its sports drink counterpart. The company also produces Prime Hydration+ Sticks which have released special flavors in collaboration with the Dodgers baseball team, and with FC Bayern Munich. There are other limited-edition bottles such as the Ice Pop Prime Card Misfits bottles, Lemonade Venice Beach and Lemonade Piñata Colada.

Reception

On January 4, 2022, YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, with collectively 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". Mary McCarthy of The Independent, commenting on the way Prime was being marketed through social media, suggested that KSI and Logan Paul had undue influence on the product's main market—young boys—and that "cold, calculating big business" was working with individuals whose attitude towards women was questionable, and whose output was often misogynistic, aimed at boys "waiting to be told what to think". 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 Energy, which contains elevated levels of caffeine, has been banned or restricted from minors in multiple countries due to regulations limiting caffeine content. The drink has also been banned in schools in several countries.

= 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 Prime Energy. In April, several New South Wales schools followed. In April 2023, a store in Perth controversially allowed the sale of Prime Energy to minors.

= Bosnia and Herzegovina

= On November 30, 2023, the Federal Sanitary Inspection of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina prohibited the import of 1,596 bottles of Prime Ice Pop Hydration due to testing showing inaccuracies on the nutrition label.

= Canada

= On July 12, 2023, Health Canada issued a recall on various caffeinated and non-bilingual-labeled drinks, including Prime. This decision came after many complaints of the high volume of caffeine in the product, which exceeds the maximum 180 mg allowed in Canada. Furthermore, food products sold in Canada must have bilingual (English and French) packaging as both languages are official languages in Canada.

= Denmark

= In Denmark, some retailers had begun parallel importing Prime beverages before an official launch of the product in the country. This led to issues as Prime Energy was not compliant with Danish regulations, as the drink's caffeine concentration exceeded the approved limit. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration announced that it advised five retailers to pull the parallel imported product. In June 2023, Prime Hydration launched officially in the country, kicking off in Salling Group supermarkets and Circle K convenience stores. For the product to be compliant and distributed in the country, the Prime Hydration product had been modified to not contain vitamin A, and the Prime Energy drinks were not subject to sale, as they were above the regulatory limit for caffeine.

= Latvia

= In 2024, the Food and Veterinary Service of Latvia suspended imports of Prime Hydration into the country as a result of discrepancies between the Latvian-language label and the original English-language label. It ordered the company to immediately address its compliance with labelling regulations. The agency had already banned the sale of Prime Energy to minors due to its high caffeine content.

= Netherlands

= On August 8, 2023, the Netherlands blocked the sale of Prime Energy due to its high caffeine content.

= New Zealand

= In New Zealand, it is illegal to sell the Prime Energy drink as it contains 579 mg of caffeine per litre, which is above the legal limit of 320 mg. Police Minister Ginny Andersen warned that businesses selling the product can face fines up to NZ$100,000. The drink was previously available on retail website Trade Me, but listings were removed following enquiries by media company Stuff.

= Norway

= In Norway, sales of both the Energy and Hydration variants were initially banned in 2023, but were both sold by import shops online or purchased from Sweden and then resold by consumers until authorities halted such sales in May 2023. Prime Hydration was initially barred from sales due to levels of vitamin A being above national regulations. In July 2023, a European variant was launched that adhered to European and Norwegian consumer standards and regulations. Prime Energy remained banned from sales as it contains 579 mg of caffeine per litre, which is above the Norwegian legal limit of 320 mg, but in 2024 a variant with reduced caffeine content became available in Norwegian stores. The brand and drink sparked controversy in June 2023, when creators Logan Paul and KSI visited Oslo as part of their European tour promoting the upcoming launch of the drink. The promotional event, which gathered more than 2,000 fans and was heavily advertised in social media, was criticized for the lack of security and organization, which led to 70 people needing medical attention due to heat and crowding.

= Slovenia

= On November 13, 2023, the Inspection by the Administration of Food Safety, Veterinary Medicine and Plant Protection of the Republic of Slovenia banned the sale of Prime Energy drinks in Slovenia as they contain L-theanine, which is not allowed in non-alcoholic beverages. Prime Hydration may be freely sold.

= United States

= On July 9, 2023, Senator Chuck Schumer urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate Prime Energy due to its high caffeine content, and because of unclear marketing which could lead to parents purchasing a "cauldron of caffeine" for children.

PFAS lawsuit

In August 2023, the Milberg law firm filed a lawsuit against Prime Hydration in the Northern District of California. Independent chemical analyses revealed harmful PFAS levels in several Prime flavors, notably the grape variant. Elizabeth Castillo, a California resident and plaintiff in the lawsuit, stated that the undisclosed presence of PFAS would have influenced her decision not to purchase Prime, seeking US$5 million in damages. Paul challenged Castillo's claims, arguing that Prime contained only 0.06 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFAS, citing the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) standards, which deem measurements below 1.1 ppt unreliable due to detection limitations. Castillo and the Milberg law firm countered, asserting adherence to industry standards for PFAS detection in their independent testing, while also noting that Prime's PFAS levels exceeded the EPA's recommended lifetime health advisory.

Advertising and publicity

Prime was the sponsor for Timmy Hill's number 13 MBM Motorsports car for one race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 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 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 2023, KSI had plans to make an Arsenal-flavored bottle if they were to win the Premier League. However, after a loss to Nottingham Forest, which led to rivals Manchester City winning the Premier League, the flavor was shelved and plans were cancelled. 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. Prime signed several athletes to sponsorships, including Alex Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya, Patrick Mahomes, Alisha Lehmann and Erling Haaland. In February, Prime was promoted in a Super Bowl LVII commercial. In the summer of the same year, FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich signed a sponsorship agreement with Prime. In November, Toronto Maple Leafs player Auston Matthews signed a sponsorship agreement. In February 2024, NASCAR champion and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson signed a sponsorship agreement with Prime. In February 2024, Borussia Dortmund signed a sponsorship agreement with Prime. For April Fools' Day in 2024, Paul announced a partnership with KFC to introduce a Kentucky Fried Chicken flavor. In April 2024, Prime became the first center-ring mat sponsor of WWE, for which Paul performs, when it was revealed during the March 8, 2024, episode of SmackDown. Since WrestleMania XL, it sponsors all of WWE's premium live events. Since WrestleMania XL, a stand with a Prime bottle prop at ringside (dubbed the "Hydration Station") has been used during episodes of Raw and SmackDown (in addition to the livestreaming events). On July 19, 2024, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee filed a legal case against the brand for infringing the Olympics copyrights while the drink was being advertised. The lawsuit, filed in Colorado, accuses Prime of using trademarked Olympic phrases and symbols on a special edition of its drink featuring basketball star and three-time Olympic gold medallist Kevin Durant. On August 14, 2024, Juventus signed a sponsorship agreement with Prime.

In popular culture

In the 2023 South Park television special "Not Suitable for Children," the energy drink Cred becomes a popular trend among children. The drink is a parody of Prime, mimicking its bottle design. In 2024 Más+, sponsored by Lionel Messi, launched and was criticized for its similarity to Prime.

References