Gatorade is rebranding to target non-athletes and everyday hydration

Gatorade, owned by PepsiCo $PEP, is expanding its focus beyond athletes to include everyday consumers. The brand is launching new packaging, updated drinks, and a product aimed at situations like long flights, morning routines, and work shifts.

The rebrand centers on what the company calls the Gatorade Advanced Hydration System, a portfolio structure meant to help consumers identify whether a product hydrates better, faster, or longer than water. New packaging with clearer benefit messaging will begin appearing on store shelves in the coming weeks, the company said.

A new product, Gatorlyte Longer Lasting, will begin rolling out later this year with national availability in 2027. The drink combines a proprietary electrolyte blend with glycerin to help the body retain fluid over extended periods. The company is also selling Gatorade Lower Sugar, now available, which contains 75% less sugar than Gatorade Thirst Quencher and no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors.

Gatorade said it is also working to remove artificial colors from its product line. Later this spring, the full powder stick portfolio will drop artificial colors. By fall, three top ready-to-drink flavors — Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime, and Orange — in both Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero will use colors derived from fruits and vegetables instead of FD&C dyes.

Mike Del Pozzo, president of PepsiCo Beverages U.S., cited a crowded competitive landscape as part of the motivation for the shift. "150 new brands have entered the space in the last few years," he told The Associated Press. "Some that are coming in are building on the science that we created. And we're like, 'Well, geez, we should be doing that.'"

The company said more than 150 million Americans report feeling the effects of mild or moderate dehydration weekly, even as 95% recognize hydration's importance. Del Pozzo said the rebrand is meant to clarify that hydration needs extend beyond exercise. "Everybody is sweating and dehydrated from the moment they wake up and many just don't know it," he told the AP.

The strategic shift reflects broader consumer trends. Research from consulting firm Mintel finds that electrolytes and carbohydrates draw non-athletes to sports drinks, with that group accounting for 60% of the category's buyers. The sports drink mix segment posted unit sales growth of close to 20% through the year ending March 22, per Circana.

Some experts push back on the idea that expanded hydration products serve a genuine need. Travis Masterson, an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development, told the AP that dietary sodium intake is typically sufficient for people who aren't exercising strenuously, and that for most individuals the body's thirst mechanism is guidance enough. "The average person doesn't need all the extra stuff," he said.

Despite the broader push, the company insists its athletic roots are intact. The original Gatorade Thirst Quencher formula stays unchanged, carrying 48 grams of sugar and supplying 18% of the daily recommended carbohydrate intake — nutrients that support sustained energy output during competition and training.