PepsiCo announced today the launch of soulboost, a new functional sparkling water brand focused on mood and wellness.
What is soulboost?
Soulboost is a sparkling water brand made with real juice and functional ingredients. The drink is available in two varieties: first is Lift, which contains 200 mg of panax ginseng to promote mental stamina and is available in Blueberry Pomegranate and Black Cherry Citrus flavors. The other, Ease, is made with 200 mg of L-theanine to support relaxation and is sold in Blackberry Passionfruit and Strawberry Rose. Each SKU contains 10-20 calories per 12 oz. can.
“With consumers today increasingly looking for convenient ways to support mental stamina and relaxation in their daily routines or find alternatives to alcoholic beverages—and the pandemic having increased people’s overall interest in wellness products—we knew it was time to introduce a game-changing product,” Emily Silver, VP of Innovation & Capabilities at PepsiCo Beverages North America, said in a press release.
According to the company, soulboost is expected to give PepsiCo an expanded presence in the enhanced water category, which is expected to reach $11.3 billion by 2027. It is now available via ecommerce and in select natural channel retailers.
How does this fit into PepsiCo’s beverage strategy?
The company highlighted soulboost’s relationship to Driftwell, another enhanced water brand built around relaxation and stress release which also features L-theanine, launched in September. At the time, PepsiCo reported that 55% of Americans said they experience high stress throughout the day while 45% said they have trouble sleeping due to stress.
Driftwell’s launch showed the strategic entering the market for sleep and relaxation beverages, which has grown as brands such as Vital Proteins, LIFEAID and Kin introduce sleep-focused SKUs. The space for stress relief drinks has also expanded in the last month with the launch of Recess Mood, a new caffeine and CBD free product line built around an ethos of “calm, cool and collected.” The Coca-Cola Company also debuted mood-based enhanced waters with its smartwater+ line, with Clarity (ginseng), Renew (dandelion) and Tranquility (ashwagandha) SKUs.
As opposed to just sleep, soulboost is focused towards general relaxation, mental clarity and focus. The launch builds on PepsiCo’s other moves towards energizing functional sparkling waters: In February, the company introduced the caffeinated Bubly Boost line.
“Our world-class Research & Development team developed soulboost by pinpointing desirable functional ingredients L-theanine and panax ginseng and adding them into great-tasting sparkling water beverages to help people truly feel the moment, whether they need to support mental stamina to make it through a busy day or a moment of relaxation to help unwind—or both,” said Danielle Barbaro, VP of R&D at PepsiCo Beverages North America, in the release.
Moreover, soulboost is also just the latest in a string of food and beverage innovations — both new brands and line extensions — developed in-house by PepsiCo over the past year. They include energy play MTN Dew Rise, a revamp of its Evolve plant-based protein drink, a new canned mixer brand called Neon Zebra, kids water drink Frutly, a permanent trademark Pepsi line extension with the addition of Pepsi Mango and snack extension Hilo Life, the first brand to emerge from its internal incubator The Hive.