A closer look at ingredients, herbal boost, and refresh
Have you ever had a Celsius? It’s marketed as a “healthier” drink with a long list of vitamins, functional ingredients, and a variety of fun flavors. In its category, Celsius is a bit different from others like Red Bull, Monster, or 5-Hour Energy, which caught my attention as a health coach. When I looked closer at Celsius’ ingredients, a few things made me pause.
Let’s start with their signature product, also called Celsius. The marketing on their website puts a big spotlight on ingredients like guarana seed extract, ginger root extract, B vitamins, vitamin C, chromium, and herbal extracts.
Firstly, green tea extract; I’ve written about green tea extract before. There are some benefits, like the thermogenic effect on the body and its antioxidant properties, although the website doesn’t highlight them. Generally, I like this as an ingredient. What I don’t like is that they don’t tell us how much of it they’re using, nor do they share the specific green tea extract, so we can’t know its potency or quality.
Guarana seed extract is one of the key ingredients Celsius highlights. They say using the seeds instead of the root gives it more than twice the caffeine of a regular coffee bean. I’m not sure about that number, and personally, guarana can be too strong for some. Everyone reacts differently, and because they don’t share the exact amount or the quality of the extract, I’m cautious. Research shows guarana can support focus and metabolism, and even act as an antioxidant, but high doses may come with side effects.
Ginger root extract is another marketed ingredient. Celsius points to thermogenesis and digestive support. Remember as a kid when ginger ale helped settle your stomach? It’s a similar concept here. That said, the website doesn’t say how much ginger is in the drink, and my guess is it’s more for flavor than function.
B and C vitamins are listed with amounts, which is at least transparent. Still, the B vitamins aren’t in the activated form and it’s not a complete B complex, so the benefits may be limited. The vitamin C is 60mg, marketed for tissue repair and immune support, but that’s more of a nominal amount than a full benefit.
Finally, the last big ingredient that they market is chromium. I’m a big fan of chromium for supporting healthy blood sugar levels. Here, they have 50 micrograms of chromium, which, to be honest, is a fraction of what would give the therapeutic benefit we’re looking for.
The main Boost from Celsius comes from the herbal sources in the drink. Herbal extracts like guarana and ginger can give energy without the crash that coffee sometimes brings. The other ingredients don’t seem to offer a major functional effect.
Looking closer at a can of sparkling green apple cherry, the label says it has 200mg of caffeine. That’s confusing because guarana and herbal extracts would likely contribute more than that if they were the main sources. It’s unclear whether this is total caffeine or an added amount. The full ingredients list reads carbonated filtered water, citric acid, taurine, guarana seed extract, caffeine, herbal extracts, and vegetable juice for color. Funny enough, the front says no juice, yet vegetable juice is included for coloring.
Other ingredients include malic acid, calcium carbonate, ascorbic acid, glucuronolactone, sucralose, natural flavors, B vitamins, chromium, biotin, and more. That’s a lot to unpack, and most people aren’t digesting all of that while scanning the label.
Overall, I don’t love all the ingredients, yet it’s not a hard no either. Compared to similar drinks, Celsius does offer some benefits, especially from herbal sources that may provide a gentler Boost. Still, the quantity and quality of key ingredients are unclear, and some of the nutrients seem more for show than function. Is Celsius something to reach for every day? No, but knowing the ingredients and how they work gives you the power to make that choice. And if you’re looking for a quick Refresh during a long day, it may fit that purpose.