In 2013, a Senate panel held a similar hearing with top energy drinks. If it does advance to a Senate hearing, it wouldn’t be the first time. The FDA says 400 milligrams of caffeine a day for healthy adults is “not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.” The agency didn’t respond to CNN’s question if they will formally examine the drink. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no caffeinated sports drinks or other products for children under the age of 12, while adolescents between the ages of age 12 and 18 should limit their intake to less than 100 milligrams per day.

Prime’s account on Instagram for the same age bracket accounts for 66% of its following. On Instagram, 61% of Paul’s followers are 24 years old or younger (KSI’s is 63%) and on TikTok nearly 80% of Paul’s followers are 24 years old or younger, according to Fohr, an influencer marketing tech company. “As a brand, our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organization regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers.”īoth Paul’s and KSI’s followers on social media skew young. Prime Energy has “complied with all FDA guidelines before hitting the market and states clearly on packaging, as well as in marketing materials, that it is an energy drink and is not made for anyone under the age of 18,” the company said. In response, Prime said that its energy drink contains a “comparable amount of caffeine to other top selling energy drinks, all falling within the legal limit of the countries it’s sold in.” “Kids see it on their phones as they scroll, and then they actually have a need for it.” “Prime is born from the reels of social media and the enigmatic world of influencers,” Schumer said. Schumer alleged that Prime Energy “has an eye-popping level of caffeine, and that’s giving parents and doctors the jitters for the kids that are targets” and said that another issue is that “most parents haven’t even heard of this stuff that their kids are begging for.” “It’s been surreal to see our growth and now that we’re taking on the energy space, I’m excited to see where we can go.”īut this week Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the US Food and Drug Administration should investigate the high caffeine content in the canned energy drink as well as its marketing efforts. “We launched Prime with one product line exactly one year ago and we’ve already grown to surpass some of the biggest players in the industry,” Paul said in a press release announcing Energy’s launch. A 12-pack costs $29.99 and is sold at several retailers including Walmart, CVS and Target.įive flavors were introduced, including tropical punch, orange mango and strawberry watermelon. A 12-ounce can contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, which contains six times more caffeine than a can of Coca-Cola. The hype surrounding the drink also carried over to the US, where it has garnered a strong following with school-aged kids.Ī year later, Prime expanded its lineup to launch an ultra-caffeinated (and controversial) version called Energy. Pandemonium, like long lines and fans furiously grabbing for the drink, forced grocery store chain Aldi in the UK to limit purchases to one bottle per person at one point.

The drinks quickly sold out following their launch.

Prime is billed as a “better for you lifestyle beverage that people could enjoy on any occasion.” It also hoped to eschew the “sports drink” label despite being one, since the brand says Paul and KSI “have fans who are students, doctors, teachers, athletes and everything in between.” The drink differentiated itself from its older rivals with a lineup of punchy flavors, which include ice pop, lemonade and “Meta Moon,” a combination of blue raspberry, bubblegum and cotton candy. The duo’s first drink, Hydration, is a Gatorade-like sports drink that mixes coconut water and electrolytes, without sugar or caffeine. They have amassed tens of millions of followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and capitalized on their influence to create a line of drinks that have become an instant success and disrupted the energy drink category. Prime launched in January 2022 and is a joint creation between influencers (and former boxing rivals) Logan Paul from the US and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji, who is from the United Kingdom. For being less than two years old, Prime energy and sport drinks are already enduring a major growth spurt.

Monster drink ultra