In search of a foothold in the growing functional soda category, MyMuse is looking to spread inspiration with its latest brand refresh.
The beverage brand, founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Lance Collins and spearheaded by a partnership with TikTok breakout star and singer Dixie D’Amelio and her family, is rolling out revamped versions of its functional sodas into retail stores nationwide this month, with its updated hydration drinks slated for release this summer.
MyMuse has gone through several iterations since its launch, debuting with bottle iced teas that have since been discontinued, alongside the hydration products. It introduced its first major packaging refresh along with the “Inspired Soda” line in 2022, with the category since becoming its core focus in the wake of a better-for-you soda revival.
MyMuse’s sodas feature mood-boosting functional ingredients like ashwagandha and come in five flavors: Passion, Orange U Glad, Black Cherry, Strawberry Guava and Tropical Citrus. Each 12 oz. can contains just 5 grams of sugar, 25 calories and no caffeine, artificial sweeteners or flavors.
The updated “Happy Hydration” drinks, as they are now called, are organic and will be available in Blood Orange, Watermelon, Superberry and Peach Mango flavors in 16.9 oz. bottles.
Speaking to BevNET this week, MyMuse CEO Bill Juarez and VP of marketing Megan Robles said that the rebrand will be accompanied by a national marketing effort centered around Dixie D’Amelio, whom the executives said has played an active role in designing the new cans with more active visuals on the front of the label – and the hydration drinks. Promotional and awareness campaigns will be centered around “sparking creativity” and refreshment.
“We really wanted her to be fully bought in, so she really helped with thinking through the actual formulation and the design,” Robles said. “We showed her a lot of different concepts and the one that she landed on is what we ended up launching.”
“When I think ‘soda,’ the first thing that comes to my mind is ‘crisp and clean,’” Juarez added. “When we saw this design, I think we all in unison felt like ‘Oh, this feels crisp’; the white, the colors, the art that’s on them … and I think that when you drink it, you get a sense that it matches to the liquid that’s inside.”
The product formulations have been updated as well: Juarez said the company removed coconut water from the sodas to increase shelf life and achieve a more crisp taste, instead adding pear juice. Vitamins were removed as well, as Juarez said they impacted taste while consumers have numerous other options on the market for where to source their vitamins.
Minerals (magnesium, zinc and potassium) are still present, and ginseng and ginkgo have been dropped from the adaptogen blend in favor of maca root.
MyMuse can differentiate itself within functional soda by both avoiding the gut health positioning that many competing brands have taken and through superior flavor, Juarez argued. He suggested that some competitors have struggled with polarizing flavors, much like kombucha, because of the added ingredients to promote digestion.
“I think brands like ours add something different to the category,” he said. “I’m very respectful of what those guys have done, it’s been great what they’ve done, but they have some challenges to face.”
MyMuse is currently available across the country chainwide in Sprouts and in around 1,200 Target stores, and through ecommerce with Amazon and GoPuff. Juarez noted the brand has about 80% of the country covered with its DSD network of primarily Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors houses, including Hensley, Southern Glazer’s and Odom Distributing, among others. The brand is also in regional chains like HyVee and upcoming launches in select Kroger banners, including Fred Meyer and Fry’s Food Stores, and 7-Eleven in Texas and California.
Now, Juarez and Robles said the company is focused on executing with field marketing and digital support. The brand debuted a new online video featuring D’Amelio this week targeting Gen Z consumers and the company is also focused on in-store activations.
Looking ahead, Juarez said there’s also more innovation in the pipeline, with white board ideas to expand into “classic” soda flavors like cola and root beer, as well as other new flavors.