By Sebastian Madlangbayan, founder of Cleonse: the world's cleanest 3-ingredient organic electrolyte.
Synthetic dyes serve no nutritional or functional purpose in a sports drink — they exist so the liquid looks like the flavor on the label. The evidence linking them to behavioral effects in children is real but modest and contested. Regulators are moving to remove them anyway. Here's what's actually on current labels.
I sell an electrolyte with no dyes in it, so treat what follows as coming from someone with a position. I've tried to keep this to what the labels and the regulators actually say, and to be clear about where the science is weaker than the headlines suggest.
What's actually on the labels right now
This is the part that changes fastest, and most articles on this topic are out of date. As of July 2026:
| Product | Color additive on current label |
|---|---|
| Powerade Mountain Berry Blast | Blue 1 |
| Powerade Fruit Punch | Red 40 |
| Powerade Lemon Lime | Yellow 5 |
| Gatorade Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher Powder (tub) | Red 40 (plus caramel color) |
| Gatorlyte Orange powder | Yellow 6 |
| Gatorade Lower Sugar | None — no artificial colors |
| Skratch Labs Hydration Sport Drink Mix | None |
| LMNT | None |
| Nuun Sport | None |
| Cleonse | None |
Powerade's three flagship flavors each carry a different dye, and the ingredient lists are quoted directly from Coca-Cola's own product pages. Mountain Berry Blast, for example, reads: water, high fructose corn syrup, less than 0.5% of citric acid, electrolytes, vitamins B12 and C, natural flavors, modified food starch, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect color), medium chain triglycerides, sucrose acetate isobutyrate, Blue 1.
Gatorade is mid-transition, and the detail matters.
The Gatorade transition, precisely
In April 2026, PepsiCo announced it was removing FD&C colors across the Gatorade portfolio and replacing them with colors derived from fruits and vegetables. The stated timeline:
- Spring 2026 — the full powder stick portfolio removes artificial colors
- Fall 2026 — the three biggest ready-to-drink flavors (Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime, Orange) in Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero switch to fruit and vegetable colors
- Already available — Gatorade Lower Sugar, launched with no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners
PepsiCo's commitment is logged on the FDA's public tracker of industry pledges, marked "In Progress."
Here's the honest complication: the transition is not finished, and "Gatorade" is not one product. Label data for the Gatorade Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher Powder tub, captured on 15 July 2026, still lists Red 40. The Spring 2026 commitment covered stick packs; bulk powder tubs and most ready-to-drink bottles were not in that first tranche.
So if you buy Gatorade today, whether you get a dye depends on which format and which flavor you pick up. That will keep being true through the back half of 2026. Read the panel, not the press release.
Coca-Cola, the maker of Powerade, does not appear on the FDA's pledge tracker at all.
What the research actually shows
The scientific foundation here is narrower than the discourse implies, and it's worth walking through honestly.
The Southampton study
The single most influential piece of evidence is McCann et al., published in The Lancet in 2007. It was a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 153 three-year-olds and 144 eight- and nine-year-olds drawn from the general population, not a clinical ADHD sample.
Children consumed drinks containing mixes of artificial colors plus sodium benzoate, or placebo. The reported effect sizes were:
| Group | Mix | Effect size | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-year-olds | Mix A | 0.20 (0.32 restricted analysis) | 0.044 (0.02) |
| 8/9-year-olds | Mix A | 0.12 | 0.023 |
| 8/9-year-olds | Mix B | 0.17 | 0.001 |
The authors concluded that "artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population."
Note the effect sizes. 0.12 to 0.32 is small — the kind of effect that is real at the population level and largely invisible in any individual child. And note the "or both": the mixes contained a preservative alongside the colors, so the study cannot say which component did what.
What EFSA said about it
The European Food Safety Authority reviewed the study and did not change the Acceptable Daily Intakes for any of the additives involved. Its panel found the study "provided limited evidence that the mixtures of additives tested had a small effect on the activity and attention of some children," while raising several substantive objections:
- The effects "were not consistent for the two age groups and for the two mixtures used"
- The study tested mixtures, so no individual additive could be implicated
- The clinical significance was unclear — it was "not known if the small changes in attention and activity observed would interfere with schoolwork"
- There was "no plausible biological mechanism that might explain the possible link"
That is a fair summary of where the evidence sits: a small, inconsistent, mechanistically unexplained effect on some children.
California's assessment
California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment published a health effects assessment in April 2021 reviewing the human and animal literature on synthetic food dyes and children's neurobehavior. Its conclusions were more concerned than EFSA's, linking the dyes to hyperactivity and other adverse behavioral effects in some children, and emphasising individual variability in susceptibility.
Two competent regulatory bodies read a substantially overlapping literature and reached different emphases. That is a genuine feature of this evidence base, not a sign that one of them is lying.
What regulators have actually done
Whatever the strength of the evidence, the regulatory direction is unambiguous.
FDA and HHS, 22 April 2025. The agencies announced a plan to phase petroleum-based synthetic dyes out of the US food supply: revoking authorization for Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B, working with industry to remove FD&C Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, and Blue No. 2 by the end of 2026, and asking companies to accelerate removal of Red No. 3 ahead of its existing deadline. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary framed it as precaution rather than proof: "Given the growing concerns of doctors and parents about the potential role of petroleum-based food dyes, we should not be taking risks."
It's worth being precise about the mechanism. For the six main dyes this is largely a negotiated industry transition with national timelines, not a completed rulemaking. Red No. 3 is the exception — its authorization for food use was formally revoked.
California, 2024. The California School Food Safety Act bans six dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 — from food served or sold in the state's public schools, effective 31 December 2027.
European Union, since 2010. Under Article 24 of Regulation 1333/2008, six colors carry a mandatory on-pack warning: "[name or E number]: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The six are Tartrazine (E102, US Yellow 5), Quinoline Yellow (E104), Sunset Yellow (E110, US Yellow 6), Carmoisine (E122), Ponceau 4R (E124), and Allura Red (E129, US Red 40).
The EU did not ban these colors. It required a disclosure and left the choice to consumers and manufacturers — and in practice most manufacturers reformulated rather than print the warning. That's a useful data point in itself: the same companies that say dyes are essential in the US removed them in Europe rather than carry a label.
The argument I actually find persuasive
I'm not going to tell you that Blue 1 in a sports drink is dangerous. I don't think the evidence supports that claim, and making it would be dishonest.
The argument I find persuasive is simpler and doesn't require any health claim at all:
A dye does nothing for you. Sodium replaces what you sweat out. Carbohydrate fuels you. Water hydrates you. A dye makes blue liquid look blue. It's there to make the drink match the flavor name and stand out on a shelf.
So the question isn't "is this dose harmful." It's "why is this in here at all." When an ingredient's entire function is cosmetic, and there's an unresolved scientific question attached to it, and three major regulators have independently decided to act on that question, the cost of leaving it out is essentially zero and the reason to keep it in is marketing.
That's the whole case. It doesn't need to be scarier than that.
How to read a sports drink label
Some practical guidance that outlasts any particular product.
- Look for the color at the end. Color additives are almost always the last named ingredient. In the US they appear as "Red 40," "Yellow 5," "Blue 1." Scan the tail of the list.
- "Natural flavors" is not a dye, and caramel color usually isn't a synthetic dye either. Caramel color is its own separate topic. Don't conflate them.
- "No artificial flavors" doesn't mean no artificial colors. These are separate claims and brands use them selectively.
- Clear or white products generally don't need dye. Uncolored powders and unflavored products are the safest bet if you're avoiding colors entirely.
- Fruit and vegetable colors are still added colors. Beet juice, spirulina and turmeric are colorants too. They're not synthetic dyes, but if your goal is a short label, they're another line on it.
- Check the format, not just the brand. As the Gatorade transition shows, the same brand can be dye-free in stick packs and dyed in bottles at the same moment in time.
Where Cleonse sits
Cleonse has three ingredients: organic lemon or strawberry powder, organic cane sugar, and French grey sea salt. The color in the glass is whatever the fruit powder is. There is no dye, because there's no line on the ingredient list for one.
There's also no stevia, no artificial sweeteners, no artificial flavors, no preservatives, no gums, and no fillers. It's vegan and gluten-free. One 30g stick into 16 oz (473 ml) of water gives you 500mg of sodium, 26g of carbohydrate from 24g of organic cane sugar, and 100 calories, with 85+ trace minerals coming from the grey salt itself rather than from added mineral compounds.
I'll be straight about the trade-off: three ingredients means no potassium, no magnesium, and no zero-sugar option. If a full mineral panel or zero calories is what you need, other products do that and Cleonse doesn't. What it does is give you a label with nothing on it you'd have to look up.
$33 for 10 sticks, $66 for 30, $110 for 60. Free shipping, 30-day guarantee.
Try The World's Cleanest Electrolyte™
Three ingredients. 500mg sodium. Nothing artificial. Free shipping and a 30-day guarantee.
Shop CleonseFrequently asked questions
Does Gatorade still have artificial dyes in 2026? Some products do and some don't. PepsiCo removed artificial colors from the Gatorade powder stick portfolio in Spring 2026 and committed to switching Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime and Orange ready-to-drink versions in Fall 2026. Gatorade Lower Sugar has never had them. But label data for the Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher powder tub captured in mid-July 2026 still listed Red 40. Check the specific package.
Does Powerade have Red 40 and Blue 1? Yes. On Coca-Cola's current product pages, Powerade Fruit Punch lists Red 40, Mountain Berry Blast lists Blue 1, and Lemon Lime lists Yellow 5. Coca-Cola does not appear on the FDA's tracker of companies that have pledged to remove petroleum-based dyes.
Is the FDA banning Red 40 and Yellow 5? Not exactly banning. In April 2025 the FDA and HHS announced a plan to phase Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1 and Blue 2 out of the food supply by the end of 2026, working with industry on national timelines. Authorization for Red No. 3 was separately revoked, and Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B are being revoked.
Do artificial food dyes cause hyperactivity in children? The most-cited evidence is a 2007 Lancet trial that found small effects — effect sizes of 0.12 to 0.32 — on activity and attention in children from the general population. EFSA reviewed it, called the evidence "limited," noted the effects were inconsistent across age groups and mixtures, and did not change any Acceptable Daily Intakes. California's OEHHA reached a more concerned conclusion. The honest summary is a small, contested effect in some children.
Why does the EU put warning labels on food dyes? Since July 2010, Article 24 of EU Regulation 1333/2008 has required six colors to carry the statement "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." The six are Tartrazine, Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow, Carmoisine, Ponceau 4R and Allura Red. The EU chose disclosure rather than a ban, and most manufacturers reformulated instead of printing the warning.
Which electrolyte drinks have no artificial colors? Among common options, LMNT, Skratch Labs, Nuun Sport, Gatorade Lower Sugar and Cleonse contain no synthetic dyes. Gatorade powder sticks became dye-free in Spring 2026. Powerade's main flavors and Gatorlyte still list color additives. Labels change, so verify before buying.
Cleonse: three ingredients, no dyes, nothing to look up. Organic lemon or strawberry powder, organic cane sugar, French grey sea salt. 500mg sodium and 26g carbohydrate into 16 oz of water. $33 for 10 sticks, $66 for 30, $110 for 60, free shipping, 30-day guarantee. See the product.
Editor's note and sources
I make Cleonse, which contains no dyes, so I have a commercial interest in this topic. Competitor ingredient lists were read from manufacturers' own current public product pages and retail label data in July 2026 and are quoted verbatim where a full list was published. Because the Gatorade reformulation is actively underway, labels differ by format and flavor and will change again. Nothing here asserts that any approved color additive causes disease. No brand paid for placement and there are no affiliate links.
- HHS and FDA, "HHS, FDA to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes in Nation's Food Supply," 22 April 2025: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-phase-out-petroleum-based-synthetic-dyes-nations-food-supply
- FDA, "Tracking Food Industry Pledges to Remove Petroleum Based Food Dyes": https://www.fda.gov/food/color-additives-information-consumers/tracking-food-industry-pledges-remove-petroleum-based-food-dyes
- California AB 2316, California School Food Safety Act: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB2316
- California OEHHA, "Health Effects Assessment: Potential Neurobehavioral Effects of Synthetic Food Dyes in Children," April 2021: https://www.oehha.ca.gov/risk-assessment/report/health-effects-assessment-potential-neurobehavioral-effects-synthetic-food-dyes-children
- McCann D. et al., "Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community," The Lancet 2007: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17825405/
- EFSA, "EFSA evaluates Southampton study on food additives and child behaviour": https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/efsa-evaluates-southampton-study-food-additives-and-child-behaviour
- EU colour warning requirement, Article 24 of Regulation 1333/2008, via the Food Safety Authority of Ireland: https://www.fsai.ie/business-advice/running-a-food-business/food-safety-and-hygiene/additives/labelling-requirements
- Powerade ingredient lists, Coca-Cola: https://www.powerade.com/products/powerade
- Gatorade reformulation announcement coverage, Powder & Bulk Solids, April 2026: https://www.powderbulksolids.com/food-beverage/gatorade-launches-rebrand-ditches-artificial-colors
- Gatorade Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher Powder label data (captured 15 July 2026), EWG Food Scores: https://www.ewg.org/foodscores/products/052000340075-GatoradeFruitPunchThirstQuencherPowderFruitPunch/
- Gatorlyte Orange powder ingredients, CVS: https://www.cvs.com/shop/ingredients/gatorlyte-rapid-rehydration-powder-orange-10-pk-prodid-567088
Nothing here is medical advice. Cleonse supports hydration; it does not treat, cure, or prevent any condition.