Energy drink

Name: Energy drink
Brand: Red Bull

—Unrated

Contaminants · 18

1 at/over limit

Measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)9.5 ppbof 6 ppb

Over the limit — 1.6×US EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).

Bpf3.65 ppbof 10 ppb

37% of the limitNot on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), and Reg. 2024/3190 restricts hazardous bisphenols; no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Dibutyl Phthalate11 ppbof 120 ppb

9% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DBP SML 0.12 mg/kg (cut from 0.3). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (DBP x5).

Di (2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate0.0251 ppmof 60 ppm

<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHT (FCM 798) SML 60 mg/kg, group restriction with DINCH. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).

Benzylbutyl PhthalateNDof 6 ppm

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — BBP SML 6 mg/kg (cut from 30). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (BBP x0.1 = 6 mg/kg alone).

Bisphenol a (BPA)NDof 1 ppb

Not detectedEU Reg. (EU) 2024/3190 — BPA banned in food-contact materials from 20 Jan 2025 (old 0.05 mg/kg SML repealed); the residual exemptions require NO detectable migration at a 1 ug/kg detection limit. 1 ppb is therefore the tightest published number.

BPS (Bisphenol s)NDof 50 ppb

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — BPS (4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol) SML 0.05 mg/kg; BfR applies the same 0.05 mg/kg.

Di-n-octyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDNOP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Dicyclohexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDCHP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Diethylhexyl AdipateNDof 18 ppm

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHA (FCM 207) SML 18 mg/kg.

DiethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDEP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Dihexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDNHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate, EU Repr. 1B) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Diisobutyl PhthalateNDof 150 ppb

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 2023/1442 group restriction — DBP x5 + DIBP x4 + BBP x0.1 + DEHP <= 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalents, so DIBP alone may not exceed 0.15 mg/kg. DIBP is not itself an authorised substance.

Diisodecyl AdipateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDIDA (diisodecyl adipate) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Diisodecyl PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.

Diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic AcidNDof 60 ppm

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DINCH (FCM 775) group restriction with DEHT, 60 mg/kg. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).

Diisononyl ortho PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm

Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.

DimethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb

Not detectedDMP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.

Ingredients · 10

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

What is in Red Bull Energy drink?

Red Bull Energy drink lists 10 ingredients, starting with Carbonated Water, Sugar, Glucose, Citric Acid and Taurine. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Red Bull Energy drink contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Red Bull Energy drink’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is Red Bull Energy drink?

Red Bull Energy drink is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Red Bull Energy drink compare to other energy drinks?

We haven't scored Red Bull Energy drink yet, so there's nothing to compare it against in energy drinks.

Is Red Bull Energy drink organic?

Red Bull Energy drink is not certified organic in our data.

Has Red Bull Energy drink been lab tested?

Yes. 18 substances in Red Bull Energy drink have a laboratory result on file — see the Contaminants section above for each reading and the limit it was measured against.

Does Red Bull Energy drink contain phthalates?

Yes. A lab detected DEHP at 9.5 ppb against a 6 ppb limit and dibutyl phthalate at 11 ppb against a 120 ppb limit in Red Bull Energy drink. It tested for 9 other phthalates and found none above its detection limit. Each reading is in the Contaminants section above.

Full methodology: how we score products.