Image credit: Gatorade
25 Sep 2024 — Gatorade Hydration Booster is the company’s first electrolyte powder mix designed to support consumers’ everyday lifestyles. The powder includes a blend of electrolytes from watermelon juice, sea salt, sodium citrate and potassium salt, which consumers can add to water. The formula contains 100% of the daily recommended values for vitamins A, B3, B5, B6 and C.
“Gatorade was a pioneer in helping to popularize electrolyte powder,” says Marissa Pines, Gatorade portfolio senior marketing director. “Gatorade Hydration Booster combines our history of science with the functional product attributes we know consumers are looking for.”
“Developed with an advanced blend of electrolytes, added vitamins and no added color, it was designed to deliver all-day, always-on hydration.”
The product is available in three flavors — Strawberry Watermelon, Tropical Mango and Citrus Berry.
Along with the product launch, Gatorade debuts a campaign dubbed “Put Your Water to Work,” highlighting moments throughout the day when the booster can help consumers stay hydrated.
In the recently launched campaign, the brand collaborates with prominent women at the intersection of sport and lifestyle to reach a broader range of consumers “who may not consider themselves conventional athletes.”
Sports nutrition developments
The drink mix is backed by the company’s Sports Science Institute, which aims to help athletes optimize their health and performance through research, innovation, education and service in hydration and nutrition science.
The company opened this institute last year to expand testing for athletes’ metabolism, muscle performance, biochemistry, body composition and mental performance. It is located at PepsiCo’s Global Beverage R&D Center of Excellence in New York, US.
Industry stakeholders recently told Nutrition Insight how the expanding sports nutrition space targets a growing consumer base. The category is evolving into a broader active nutrition space, appealing to consumers looking to support their holistic well-being.
Data from Innova Market Insights indicates a growth in global sports nutrition launches of 18% between July 2021 and June 2024. The market researcher’s data suggests that sports drinks experienced the fastest growth, at 14% for ready-to-drink sports drinks.
Meanwhile, nutrition companies underscore that consumers increasingly look for functional ingredients in convenient formats with great taste, such as shots or dispersible products from a sachet.