Have Functional Beverages Gone Too Far?

With 80% of US millennial and Gen Z saying they consume functional beverages on a regular basis (EY, 2025), grocery and convenience retailers have never been more mindful of their CPG grab & go offers. Sodas, tonics, and waters with a purpose beyond quenching thirst are turning retail coolers into a beverage battleground.

Drinks that boost everyday performance are reaching beyond just gym bros, appealing to women and the growing GLP-1 customer base. Hydration and electrolytes aren’t just for weekend warriors anymore; they’re for the kids! Targeted wellness supplements are ditching their capsules in favor of fun, flavorful tonics serving a wide cross-section of consumers. Even die-hard water drinkers are being lured into the promises of boosting hydration and spicing up their daily consumption. Is any of it actually good for you? Subjective.

While surfing the specialty grocery scene in LA, we took the opportunity to cruise the social tonic scene and document our experience. The product selection is purely circumstantial, based on what jumped out to us from the shelf.

VERY IMPORTANT PSA: This piece is 100% opinion-based and written by art school kids with expertise in retail and zero medical knowledge. It should absolutely NOT be seen as medical advice in any capacity.

The Quick Sip: We taste-tested six of LA’s buzziest functional sodas and tonics. The verdict: four Cops (buy it) and two Flops (skip it). The great packaging placebo almost always beats “science-backed” claims, and enjoyability wins hearts. Full receipts below.

Judging Criteria: What We Considered Important

• Positioning & Packaging
• Functional Benefits
• Taste & Enjoyment

Moment of Truth: Should You Buy It

• Cop (buy it) or Flop (skip it)

Quick Verdict: All Six, At a Glance

Product	Verdict	Why
Juice Shop	COP	Great taste and “feel good” vibes, even if the detox claims stay fuzzy
Olipop	COP	Reliable taste and strong shelf presence, but caffeine could be a hidden factor
Liquid Youth	FLOP	Generic branding and a rough palate presence undercut the science-y pitch
ELEVATE Hydrogen Infused Superwater	FLOP	“Hero mode” benefits are a big maybe and may not survive opening the can
United Sodas of America	COP	Effortless-feeling package design and a solid sugar-stevia execution
Recess	COP	Calming vibes and clean 70’s-inspired design, with real sober-curious appeal

First Up

Juice Shop Fantastically transportive tonics. With benefits!

This can clearly crushes on packaging with colorful bubbles nodding to its carbonation factor and wide variety of complex tasting notes, including apple, lemon, ginger, and dandelion. Juice Shop claims to support a variety of benefits with this SKU focusing on detox. While the efficacy of the drink is fizzy fuzzy, this soda hits the dandelion on the head when it comes to taste and “feel good” vibes.

And who doesn’t want “friends with health benefits”?!

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An Industry Leader

Olipop The feel-good soda [with digestive support]

Olipop hit the ground running (yes, a poop pun) to free us from the ‘fridge cig, “undermine the old guard of sodas,” and bring back the nostalgic, feel-good experience of enjoying a cold pop. Co-founder Ben Goodwin attributes the company’s “20-year overnight success” to their commitment to mission and integrity-based business decisions.

Cut to the chase—is the positioning working? Sure. The packaging unapologetically harkens an endearing simplicity of yester-year, adding a modern twist and visually sexy colorways. Functionally, we’ll choose to believe them on the fiber content, but unless you’re a Do The Dew type of guy, caffeine is a hidden factor here. Olipop’s Citrus Rush contains more caffeine than the Mountain Dew it’s knocking off and packs 2x the caffeine of a Coca-Cola.

Not sure that Olipop is reliving Coke’s glory days, but solid distribution means the brand is easy to find on shelf. Taste is reliably decent. In the competitive world of drinks, it’s a huge win.

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This One is a Doozy

Liquid Youth Designed to create youthfulness from within

Founded by bang’s VP of Product Development Dr. Lance Li, Liquid Youth positions as a sparkling supplement with a science-based approach, capitalizing on the industry’s collagen rage.

No, Liquid Youth is not affiliated with Liquid Death, so we’re docking style points for the “piggyback” branding. The can aesthetic is fine but generic and not cohesive; it’s giving AI handiwork.

Taste is entirely subjective, but our sample size of one could only white-knuckle a few sips down. Yikes!

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It’s Really Your Call

ELEVATE Hydrogen Infused Superwater Activate Hero Mode

Claiming to be “the healthiest water you can put in your body,” ELEVATE touts the energy, clarity, and powerful hydration benefits of hydrogen-infused water. With science sources using terms like “may, can, or has been reported to” in reference to actual medical results, legitimacy here is a big MAYBE.

Packaging instructs you to chug its contents to “activate hero mode,” a tone that feels silly and counter-intuitive to selling science-backed product credibility. Google AI reports that hydrogen dissipates very quickly once it comes into contact with air, which if true, would render the can of water—just a can of water unless it’s immediately chugged like a hero upon opening.

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She’s Beauty and She’s Grace

United Sodas of America Not all sodas are created equal

United Sodas are certainly more fun than function, but this low-calorie pop with a proprietary sugar-stevia blend has earned its stars and stripes.

The package design’s matte finish, exceptional color palette, and meticulously-restrained use of typography speaks deeply to the OCD designer within us all.

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Why Not?

Recess Calm for every occasion: an alternate way to unwind

Positioning as a solution to “too many tabs open in our browsers & brains,” Recess balances function and whimsy as an adaptogenic mocktail. You’ll get a placebo effect just looking at it. Package design is clean with eye-pleasing colors and surreal chill vibes that give a nod to the 70’s. While calming effect is inarguably subjective, the drink is generally enjoyable. No real complaints; has potential for a sober-curious consumer.

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Taste testing is fun, but what does it mean for retailers?

If grab and go coolers are increasing drink options, something has to give, and prepared food is the logical victim. With food prices at an industry high and the labor-intensive nature of packaged foods, retailers might actually be happy to make the concession.

Traditional drink aisles that usually hold 12-packs are seeing more single-can stocking. Beer, wine, packaged cocktails, and even their non-alcoholic versions are seeing new competition with social tonics absorbing real estate in their department.

Throughout the whole store, products with a functional halo like high-protein chips or coffee creamers are getting a boosted in placement and promotion. CPG items are either looking for opportunities to showcase their health benefits in pursuit of new customers or trying to defend their value to retain share of belly against healthier options or beverage alternatives.

What are key factors to watch moving forward?

• Consumer attitudes toward supplements can be volatile, but data-driven resources like at-home vitamin testing kits are offering consumers clarity around what their body needs in order to prioritize intake and spending.
  • Will we see a rise in custom-blended supplements based on unique body compositions, lifestyle needs, and health goals?
• The future of GLP-1’s will impact many grocery categories as food impulsivity decreases and adoption or increase of supplemental support increases.
  • Will GLP-1 usage continue long term? How will brands help users sustain post treatment or support users who don’t find it effective?
• Food won’t go down without a fight, and we’re already seeing brands amp up product fortification, repackage for smaller portions, reposition as a health companion, etc.
  • Will smart brands chase the fad or position for when the pendulum swings back the other way? Or both?

This exercise was certainly fun and lighthearted; it’s a reflection of our passion for retail and hands-on experiential research. WD Partners has deep expertise in retail experience strategy and design for grocery, convenience, CPG, and wellness brands. Reach out to us to talk more about this subject, other thought leadership topics, or pick our brains on the hundreds of stores globally that we’ve walked and evaluated through a shopper lens.

Quick Questions, Answered

What exactly is a “functional beverage”?

Any drink that promises to do something beyond quench thirst—think energy, digestion, calm, hydration, or “glow.” If it’s making a benefits claim on the can, it’s functional.

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Are functional beverages actually good for you?

Depends who you ask (and definitely not us—see our PSA above). Some have real, dosed ingredients; others are riding vibes and buzzwords. Read the label, not just the can art.

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Why are so many popping up in grocery stores right now?

Retailers are chasing the same shopper Gen Z and millennials already are—80% of whom say they drink functional beverages regularly. Grab-and-go coolers are the new battleground.

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What’s the difference between a “cop” and a “flop” in this review?

A cop is a can we’d genuinely buy again—on taste, design, or vibes, functional claims aside. A flop missed on execution, taste, or credibility.