Energy Drink Original

Name: Energy Drink Original
Brand: Red Bull

0Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 4 contaminants flagged · 3 ingredients to avoid

Includes lab results from its product family: Red Bull Original (US, sugar)

100

Lab-measured contaminants

Measured against published safety limits

−31

di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (dehp)−26

bpf−4

dibutyl phthalate−1

Ingredients

−85

colors−40

glucose−11

natural and artificial flavors−10

citric acid−3

taurine−3

6 more deductions−18

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Adjustments

What it takes to land on the final number

+26

Minimum score+26

Final score0

Contaminants · 18

1 at/over limit

From lab tests of this product’s family

Red Bull Original (US, sugar)

This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

In the family’s tests: 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).

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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).

Measured in: Energy drink

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).

Measured in: Energy drink

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).

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

Diethylhexyl AdipateNDof 18 ppm

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

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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).

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

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.

Measured in: Energy drink

Ingredients · 14

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is Red Bull Energy Drink Original healthy?

Red Bull Energy Drink Original scores 0/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Red Bull Original (US, sugar). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Red Bull Energy Drink Original?

Red Bull Energy Drink Original lists 14 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 Original contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Red Bull Energy Drink Original’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 Original?

Red Bull Energy Drink Original 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 Original compare to other energy drinks?

At 0/100 Red Bull Energy Drink Original scores worse than most energy drinks we have scored. A higher-scoring option in energy drinks is VitaLife Sparkling Energy at 100/100.

Is Red Bull Energy Drink Original organic?

Red Bull Energy Drink Original is not certified organic in our data.

Has Red Bull Energy Drink Original been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (Sugared US-label Red Bull: carbonated water, sugar/glucose, taurine, caffeine, sodium bicarbonate + magnesium carbonate; no cocoa, rice, nut, protein) with the other products in its family, Red Bull Original (US, sugar), and 2 products in its family have been lab tested. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Those results are in the family's Contaminants section above; its own results may differ.

Does Red Bull Energy Drink Original contain phthalates?

Red Bull Energy Drink Original itself has not been tested for phthalates, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected DEHP at 9.5 ppb against a 6 ppb limit in Energy drink and dibutyl phthalate at 11 ppb against a 120 ppb limit in Energy drink. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Full methodology: how we score products.