Formula O2

by The Livewell Collective

Review: Formula O2 Blends Energy, Hydration, and Detox

Posted: Nov 30, 2016 at 9:52 AM (Last Updated: Nov 30, 2016 at 12:57 PM)

Covers Products: Grapefruit Ginger, Orange Mango

Formula O2 is a “natural recovery” beverage that combines caffeine, electrolytes, and added oxygen to create a product that claims to have energy, hydration, and detoxification functionality.

On the surface, the product, which is packaged in a 16 oz. can, looks and feels very much like an energy drink, albeit one that skews towards the supplement end. The design of the product is text heavy and somewhat devoid of elements that are really brandable. As a result, the product has the vibe of something you’d find at a drugstore as opposed to a beverage cooler.

Inside the can, the non-carbonated formulation was a bit of a surprise given the choice of packaging. There are current two flavor offerings, Grapefruit Ginger and Orange Mango. They taste fairly similar to other functional beverages, which is fine, although we really didn’t taste any ginger in the Grapefruit Ginger. The products are sweetened with a blend of sugar, stevia, and monk fruit, which results in 20 calories and 2g of sugar per can. That’s close enough to zero, at least in our opinion, and the flavor of both drinks definitely benefits from the use of sugar. But as with many functional beverages, there isn’t anything, aside from the lack of carbonation, that’s overly unique about what you’ll find inside the can.

From a functional perspective, the product relies on 140mg of natural caffeine (from green coffee beans), oxygenated water, and added electrolytes (2.5 times a sports drink, they claim). While caffeine and electrolytes are something that just about every consumer will understand, there’s also the addition of oxygen, which the company claims helps the liver process toxins faster. But that, unlike the other two functional benefits, isn’t something that the consumer will be able to immediately feel.

So, here’s where we stand on Formula O2: the liquid is fine and the brand proposition is something that seems worthwhile and innovative to the energy and hydration categories. However, they need to make this product more approachable. What they’ve created right now seems serious to the point of it lacking appeal to the senses or one’s sense of an image.Revisiting the branding -- and perhaps the packaging format -- are probably the best places to start.


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