By Sebastian Madlangbayan, founder of Cleonse: the world's cleanest 3-ingredient organic electrolyte.
Pedialyte and Cleonse are built for different jobs. Pedialyte is an oral rehydration solution designed for dehydration from vomiting, diarrhea and illness, with a lower-sugar dextrose formula plus potassium and zinc. Cleonse is a three-ingredient organic electrolyte for daily and training hydration, with 500mg sodium and nothing artificial. Sick: Pedialyte. Training or everyday: Cleonse.
I make one of these products, so take the framing with that in mind. But I'll say it plainly up front: if someone I cared about had a stomach bug, I would not hand them Cleonse. I'd hand them Pedialyte and call a doctor if it didn't settle. That's not false modesty. It's what the two products are designed for, and you can see it on the labels.
What Pedialyte actually is
Pedialyte is made by Abbott and sold as an oral rehydration solution, or ORS. Abbott describes Pedialyte Classic as helping prevent mild to moderate dehydration caused by vomiting, diarrhea, exercise, travel and extreme heat, and the label says to use it under medical supervision for the dietary management of mild to moderate dehydration. That medical framing matters. An ORS is formulated with a specific balance of sodium and glucose because that pairing helps the gut pull water in, which is exactly what you need when illness is pushing water out.
It started as a product for sick kids and has since grown into a huge adult brand, with lots of spinoffs: powders, freezer pops, "AdvancedCare," sport versions and more. Those lines have different formulas. In this article I'm comparing the one most people picture, Pedialyte Classic, and I'm using Abbott's own label numbers.
The labels, side by side
Pedialyte lists its nutrition per liter. Cleonse is one 30g stick mixed into 16 oz (473 ml) of water, so I've also scaled Cleonse to a liter so you can compare concentrations fairly.
| Pedialyte Classic Unflavored (per 1 L) | Cleonse (1 stick in 16 oz) | Cleonse scaled to 1 L (approx.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1,030mg | 500mg | ~1,050mg |
| Potassium | 780mg (added) | Trace, from sea salt only | Trace |
| Chloride | 1,240mg | Naturally present in salt | — |
| Zinc | 7.8mg (added) | Not added | Not added |
| Sugar | 25g (dextrose) | 24g (organic cane sugar) | ~50g |
| Calories | 110 | 100 | ~210 |
| Sweeteners | None in unflavored; sucralose + acesulfame potassium in flavored | None besides organic cane sugar | — |
| Dyes | None in unflavored; Yellow 6 or Red 40 + Blue 1 in flavored | None | — |
| Ingredients | 7 (unflavored), more in flavored | 3 | — |
Two things jump out. First, the sodium concentration is surprisingly close: about 1,030mg per liter for Pedialyte and about 1,050mg per liter for Cleonse once you mix it as directed. Second, the rest of the formula is not close at all. Pedialyte adds potassium and zinc and keeps sugar low. Cleonse keeps it to three ingredients and uses about twice the sugar per liter, because that sugar is meant to be fuel during training. You can see our full panel on the Cleonse facts page.
Where Pedialyte genuinely wins
I want to be specific here, because "it depends" is a lazy answer.
Illness. When you're losing fluid to vomiting or diarrhea, you're losing sodium, potassium and water fast, and your gut is not in the mood for a sugary drink. Pedialyte's formula reflects that: modest dextrose, added potassium, added zinc. According to Pedialyte's own formulation rationale, as summarized on its Wikipedia entry, it avoids sucrose (table sugar) because sucrose can make diarrhea worse. Cleonse's sugar is organic cane sugar, which is sucrose. That alone tells you Cleonse is the wrong tool for a stomach bug.
Kids. Pedialyte has decades of use as a pediatric rehydration product. If a child is sick, a pediatrician is the person to ask, and Pedialyte is the kind of thing they'll usually point you toward. Cleonse is not designed or labeled for sick children.
Lower sugar per liter. If you're sipping a full liter or more over a day and not exercising, 25g of sugar is a lot easier to justify than roughly 50g.
Ready to drink. The liquid version comes premixed. When you're miserable at 2 a.m., not having to measure anything is a real advantage.
Where Cleonse fits better
Most people reaching for an electrolyte aren't sick. They're training, sweating through a hot day, sitting in a sauna, or just trying to drink more water. That's the job Cleonse was built for.
Nothing artificial. The flavored Pedialyte Classic versions, which are the ones most people actually buy, list sucralose and acesulfame potassium plus dyes. If you drink electrolytes most days, that's a lot of artificial sweetener and food coloring on repeat. Cleonse is organic lemon or strawberry powder, organic cane sugar and French grey sea salt. No stevia, no artificial sweeteners or flavors, no dyes, no preservatives, gums or fillers. I wrote more about why that matters to me in my guide to the cleanest electrolyte.
Fuel for training. During a long practice, a match or a hard workout, carbohydrate is useful. 24g of cane sugar per stick gives your muscles something to work with and helps sodium and water absorb. Pedialyte's lower sugar is right for a sick gut, but it's thin for a two-hour session.
It tastes like lemonade. This sounds minor until you realize that the best hydration drink is the one you'll actually finish. Pedialyte Unflavored is the version without sweeteners or dyes, and its salty taste is fine on a sick day but not something most people choose for fun.
Portable sticks. A 30g stick goes in a gym bag, a tennis bag or a carry-on. You add it to whatever water you have.
Can you use one for the other's job?
Pedialyte for workouts: sure. Its sodium is solid and it will help you hydrate. Just know that most flavors come with artificial sweeteners and dyes, and its carbohydrate is on the light side for long or intense sessions. Lots of athletes do this and are fine.
Cleonse when sick: I'd say no. It isn't an ORS, it uses sucrose, and its sugar per liter is roughly double. When you're ill, use a product designed for that, and get medical help if you can't keep fluids down, symptoms last more than a day or two, or the person who's sick is very young or elderly. I'd rather lose a sale than have someone treat a stomach bug with a training drink.
Quick decision guide
| Situation | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Stomach bug, vomiting or diarrhea | Pedialyte (and a doctor if it persists) | ORS formula, low sugar, added potassium and zinc |
| Sick child | Ask a pediatrician; usually an ORS like Pedialyte | Designed and labeled for this |
| Training, practice or a long workout | Cleonse | 500mg sodium plus real-sugar fuel, nothing artificial |
| Hot day, sauna or yard work | Cleonse | Sodium for sweat losses in a drink you'll finish |
| Daily hydration habit | Cleonse, or plain water most days | No artificial sweeteners or dyes on repeat |
| Want zero sugar | Neither is ideal | Both contain sugar; look at sugar-free options |
Here's how I'd keep it simple: keep a box of Pedialyte in the medicine cabinet and a box of Cleonse in the gym bag. They don't really compete. They cover different days.
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Shop CleonseFrequently asked questions
Is Pedialyte better than Cleonse?
For illness, yes. Pedialyte is an oral rehydration solution built for dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea, with lower sugar per liter plus added potassium and zinc. For everyday and training hydration, Cleonse offers a similar sodium concentration with three organic ingredients and no artificial sweeteners or dyes.
Can I drink Cleonse when I'm sick?
Cleonse isn't formulated as an oral rehydration solution, and it uses cane sugar, which ORS makers avoid for diarrhea. If you're dealing with vomiting or diarrhea, use an ORS like Pedialyte and talk to a doctor, especially for kids, older adults, or symptoms that last.
Does Pedialyte have artificial sweeteners?
The flavored Pedialyte Classic versions list sucralose and acesulfame potassium, and they also contain dyes such as Yellow 6 or Red 40 and Blue 1. The unflavored version has no sweeteners or dyes: just water, dextrose, salts, citric acid and zinc.
How much sodium is in Pedialyte vs Cleonse?
Pedialyte Classic Unflavored lists 1,030mg sodium per liter. One Cleonse stick has 500mg sodium mixed into 16 oz (473 ml) of water, which works out to roughly 1,050mg per liter. The sodium concentration is close; the sugar, potassium and sweeteners are where they differ.
Is Pedialyte good for workouts?
It works, and plenty of people use it. It's lighter on carbohydrates than a sports drink, which is fine for short sessions but thin for long ones, and most flavors use artificial sweeteners. Cleonse was built for training days, with real cane sugar for fuel and nothing artificial.
Keep reading
- What Is an Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)?
- Cleonse vs DripDrop
- Cane Sugar vs Dextrose vs Maltodextrin
Editor's note: Pedialyte figures come from Abbott's published label for Pedialyte Classic Unflavored, 1 L (abbottstore.com, checked October 2026): 1,030mg sodium, 780mg potassium, 1,240mg chloride, 7.8mg zinc, 25g sugar and 110 calories per liter; ingredients water, dextrose, potassium citrate, salt, sodium citrate, citric acid, zinc gluconate. Flavored Classic ingredient lists (sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and Yellow 6 or Red 40 and Blue 1) and the intended-use language come from abbottnutrition.com's Pedialyte Classic page. Some third-party sources round the sodium to about 1,035mg/L and potassium to about 782mg/L. The note that Pedialyte avoids sucrose because it can worsen diarrhea comes from Pedialyte's Wikipedia entry. Abbott makes many Pedialyte lines with different formulas; this comparison covers Classic only. Cleonse figures reflect the current product label. General information, not medical advice.