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Beverages · Product label guide

Energy drinks: compare ingredients, then choose.

Updated

Compare energy drinks by caffeine source, sweeteners, and added vitamins or herbal blends.

The short answer

Our picks for energy drinks

Top of the shelfClean Cause Watermelon Zero Calorie Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate, Clean Cause Blueberry Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate, and Clean Cause Lemonade & Tea Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate each score 100/100. 20 products tie at 100; these 3 have the shortest labels. Use Compare by in the table to separate the rest.

Also strongClean Cause Mint & Honey Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate (100), Clean Cause Orange Ginger Zero Calorie Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate (100), and Clean Cause Watermelon Mint Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate Drink (100).

Clear noFull Throttle Energy Drink, Orange (lists artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives), NOS Energy Drink, Nitro Mango (lists artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners and corn syrups), Monster Energy Drink (lists artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives), plus 24 more with a listed group. We also can’t vouch for the 39 products without a verified current label; treat them as “not yet”.

Ranked from 50 of 89 products with current labels. Every product is in the table below; a score reflects labels and claims, not nutrition, allergies or safety.

Compare the recorded labels

Find the ingredients that matter to you.

89 of 89 products

“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Diet fit: Fits · Doesn’t fit · Unknown (rules; not medical advice). Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.

Compare product claims and recorded ingredients. Click a column heading to sort.
Buy
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicFind where to buy ↗Product details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
100 / 1009 of 9 groups clear · organicProduct details →5
How the clean score works

No setup needed, and strict: a full 100 needs every additive group clear and a verified organic claim (animal foods also need a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim; wild seafood and salt, which have no USDA organic standard, are scored without the organic points, and plant-based milks, cheeses and proteins without the feeding claim). Points: the nine additive groups (seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, banned-abroad additives) share 60 points equally — not found earns a group’s full share, “may contain” earns half, listed earns 0; a verified organic claim is worth 25; a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim is worth 15 and counts only for animal foods. No claim, or an expired or unverified claim, earns nothing, so products without those claims cannot reach 100. Unverified or expired ingredient labels receive no score. Equal scores are equal. Ties are ordered by brand. Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” Producer claims and prices do not affect this score. This is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Buying links do not influence ingredient results. “Buy on Amazon” opens a reviewed product listing; “Find where to buy” opens the maker’s page. Confirm the package, seller, stock, and current price before checkout. Price observations expire after 30 days.

The full guide · Beverages

Choosing energy drinks: what to check before you buy

Compare caffeine for the whole can or bottle before choosing an energy drink, then check sugar or other sweeteners. Caffeine from tea, yerba mate or another plant still contributes to the amount in the drink.

Check serving count and include other caffeine sources in your day. The FDA’s adult caffeine reference is not a target or suitable for everyone, and medical experts advise against energy drinks for children and teens.

What the labels on this shelf show

We track 89 products from 20 brands on the energy drinks shelf. 50 have a complete, current ingredient label on record (56%), which is what lets us score them. The other 39 stay unscored until the maker publishes a full label; a missing label is “not yet”, never a pass.

Of the 50 scored labels, 23 (46%) list none of the nine additive groups we check. The group that appears most is artificial sweeteners, listed on 25 labels, followed by artificial preservatives on 16. 20 scored products carry a verified organic claim, which adds points. Scores here run from 47 to 100, and the typical label lists 15 ingredients.

What to compare

Caffeine per container
Check the full can or bottle and include other caffeine sources in your day.
Sugar and sweeteners
Read the blend in the exact flavor.
Caffeine suitability
The adult reference is not a target; medical experts advise against energy drinks for children and teens.
Serving count
Check whether a large bottle contains more than one labeled serving.

The best picks, in detail

These are the highest-scoring energy drinks products on current labels. 20 products tie at 100, so we put the shortest ingredient lists first; Always match the exact flavor and package before you buy.

  1. Clean Cause Watermelon Zero Calorie Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Purified sparkling water, organic erythritol, organic yerba mate extract, organic watermelon flavor, citric acid, organic stevia extract”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

  2. Clean Cause Blueberry Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “purified water, organic brewed yerba mate (purified water, organic yerba mate), organic cane sugar, organic blueberry flavor, organic natural flavor, citric acid, organic green tea extract (caffeine).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

  3. Clean Cause Lemonade & Tea Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Purified water, organic brewed yerba mate (purified water and organic yerba mate), organic cane sugar, organic natural flavor, citric acid, organic lemon extract, organic green tea extract (caffeine).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

  4. Clean Cause Mint & Honey Non-Carbonated Organic Yerba Mate 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Purified water, organic brewed yerba mate (purified water, organic yerba mate), organic cane sugar, citric acid, organic mint extract, organic natural flavor, organic honey, organic green tea extract (caffeine).”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

  5. Clean Cause Orange Ginger Zero Calorie Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Purified sparkling water, organic brewed yerba mate (purified water and organic yerba mate), organic erythritol, organic orange extract, citric acid, organic orange flavor organic ginger extract, organic green tea extract (caffeine), organic stevia extract.”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

  6. Clean Cause Watermelon Mint Organic Sparkling Yerba Mate Drink 100/100

    Why it ranks here: no tracked additive group on the label, a verified organic claim. Label: “Purified sparkling water, organic cane sugar, organic erythritol, organic yerba mate extract, citric acid, organic mint extract, organic watermelon flavor, organic stevia extract”

    Find where to buy ↗Maker’s label source

What to skip, and why

These scored products list at least one group on their current label. That is the clearest reason to pass if you are avoiding those ingredients.

The 39 products without a verified label are a separate “not yet”: we have no recorded ingredient list to check, so we cannot say they are clean or flagged.

Your preferences, explained

The clean score is strict and needs no setup: nine additive groups not found in a current ingredient statement, plus a verified organic claim (and a grass-fed or pasture-raised claim for animal foods), are needed for 100; a possible match earns half and a missing claim earns nothing. Missing or expired evidence stays unknown. It does not assess nutrition, allergies, contaminants, or safety.

References

  1. Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much? U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  2. Healthy drinks Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  3. Sugary drinks Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
  4. WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control World Health Organization
  5. Aspartame and other sweeteners in food U.S. Food and Drug Administration

An ingredient check is not a nutrition, contaminant, allergy or safety assessment. How we verify labels →

Watch

The video about this page

Is Celsius Bad for You? We Read Every Line of the LabelCelsius scores 63 on our label check, and one line explains it: sucralose, which our checker flags as an artificial sweetener (as of October 2026). We read both Celsius labels in our catalog, put caffeine next to the FDA's 400 mg a day figure, and compare 50 energy drink labels.Watch on YouTube · The Short: Celsius Ingredients: The 3 That Matter

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