Functional Drinks Compass
Busy ground4 public moves, 2024 to 20266 evidence cards

Hydration and electrolytes

Sports drink mix units rose nearly 20% in the year to March 2026 while bottled water was flat, and Mintel says 60% of sports drink buyers are not athletes. Gatorade, Powerade, and Campbell's have all moved toward the non-athlete buyer.

Who it is for: Sports drink and water brands, Supplement and powder brands, Non-athlete daily hydrators.

Concept sketches

Sketches drawn from public sources to start a discussion. Each one names the evidence it stands on, the claim rules it has to obey, and what would have to be true for it to work.

Desk Hydration Sticks

A single-serve hydration stick for people who are not athletes and want something besides plain water.

Single-serve powder sticks are sold in office and home-delivery packs with a quiet flavor line. Sports drink mixes rose nearly 20% in units while bottled water was flat, and the article counts at least 150 brands in non-athlete hydration. A vegetable juice company has announced electrolyte drink mix sticks and cans, and 60% of sports drink buyers are not athletes.

What would have to be true
  • Non-athletes buy a powder for daily use
  • A flavor and price stand out among 150 or more brands
  • Single-serve packaging draws no complaints from shoppers
Open question
What keeps a desk stick from turning into a commodity next to plain water?
Claim rules it touches
copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met, "sugar free," "zero sugar," "no added sugar," "reduced sugar," or "low sugar" unless the product meets the defined terms
Evidence
AP, via Fox 9, citing Circana; AP, via Fox 9, citing Mintel

Occasion-Based Hydration Shelf

A shelf set that groups hydration drinks by when shoppers use them.

A retailer groups mixes, bottled waters, and sports drinks into morning, workday, and workout zones instead of by brand. Mixes are growing while bottled water is flat, and one imported electrolyte drink generates roughly $400 million in U.S. retail sales. Since 60% of sports drink buyers are not athletes, the workout zone covers only part of the shopper base.

What would have to be true
  • Shoppers browse hydration by occasion
  • Brands accept shelf positions set by occasion
  • Shelf tags use defined terms for any sugar claim
Open question
Would brands that lose a sports aisle position accept the move?
Claim rules it touches
"sugar free," "zero sugar," "no added sugar," "reduced sugar," or "low sugar" unless the product meets the defined terms
Evidence
AP, via Fox 9, citing Circana; Food Dive; AP, via Fox 9, citing Mintel

What the record says

  • Gatorade Thirst Quencher carries 48 grams of sugar; Gatorade Lower Sugar, launched in March 2026, has 75% less.AP, via Fox 9, April 16th, 2026
  • In a Kantar study, 24% of U.S. GLP-1 users sought hydrating drinks with added electrolytes and collagen.Beverage Daily, citing Kantar, March 4th, 2026
  • Mintel says 60% of sports drink buyers are not athletes.AP, via Fox 9, citing Mintel, April 16th, 2026
  • Circana says unit sales of sports drink mixes rose nearly 20% in the year ending March 22, 2026, while bottled water was flat; the article says at least 150 brands have entered non-athlete hydration in recent years.AP, via Fox 9, citing Circana, April 16th, 2026
  • LMNT passed $206 million in sales in 2023, nearly triple its 2022 level.Sherwood News, Sept 5th, 2024
  • Electrolit generates roughly $400 million in U.S. retail sales a year, and is building a $400 million plant in Waco, Texas.Food Dive, Nov 19th, 2024

Public moves

  • Launched Powerade Power Water, claiming 50% more electrolytes than competitors, nationwide.Powerade, Oct 22nd, 2025. Source
  • Announced a $400 million Waco, Texas plant, the first U.S. factory for Electrolit, which KDP distributes.Electrolit and Keurig Dr Pepper, Nov 19th, 2024. Source
  • Began marketing sports drinks to non-athletes and said a Longer Lasting product is in development.Gatorade, April 16th, 2026. Source
  • Announced V8 Energy with Electrolytes in drink mix sticks and cans, with retail rollout in 2027.Campbell's (V8), Sept 3rd, 2026. Source

Earlier in the category

2007

Coca-Cola agreed to buy Glaceau, maker of vitaminwater, for $4.1 billion.

A large bottler paid for a functional water brand, as PepsiCo did for Poppi in 2025. Source

2016

Dr Pepper Snapple agreed to pay $1.7 billion for Bai, an antioxidant-infused drink with about $120 million in sales the year before.

Buyers paid for a fast-growing enhanced drink on projected sales, so growth claims deserve a check against later results. Source

Claim rules

Avoid: Copy that says a drink cures, treats, prevents, or relieves a disease or condition, and avoid supplement-style function claims such as "supports immune health" unless the disclaimer and notification requirements are met.For dietary supplements, 21 CFR 101.93 allows statements that describe the role of an ingredient in affecting structure or function, but not claims to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent disease, and a product bearing a disease claim may be regulated as a drug. A structure/function statement must carry the disclaimer "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." in boldface, and the firm must notify FDA within 30 days of first marketing. Source
Avoid: "sugar free," "zero sugar," "no added sugar," "reduced sugar," or "low sugar" unless the product meets the defined terms.21 CFR 101.60(c) covers sugar claims: "sugar free," "no sugar," and "zero sugar" require less than 0.5 g of sugars per reference amount and per serving, with a "not a low calorie food" or similar statement unless the food is low or reduced calorie. "No added sugar" requires that no added sugars or functionally substitutive ingredients, such as jam or concentrated fruit juice, are used, and "reduced sugar" requires at least 25 percent less sugar than a reference food. Source

Starting questions

  1. Who is the buyer once the athlete is gone?
  2. Is a sports drink with less sugar still a sports drink?
  3. What stops a powder from being the whole category?

Back to the map Print this brief

A sample brief from the Functional Drinks Compass by Glider Innovations, built from public sources, Oct 2026.