Built on 60 years of studying hydration and performance, Gatorade is making hydration science easier to understand with clearer guidance on packaging, new innovations, and continued steps to remove artificial colors from its product portfolio.

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) today announced a transformational new era for the Gatorade brand, expanding how its science-backed hydration expertise shows up beyond sport occasions. Built on 60 years of research studying hydration's effects on athlete performance, Gatorade remains committed to that purpose and is applying the same rigor to help people better understand and meet their hydration needs across a broader range of activities and moments. Gatorade's new era includes a refreshed product label design, and product innovations designed for more people and more occasions.

THE PROBLEM: Hydration is widely recognized, but widely misunderstood.

While 95% of Americans recognize the importance of hydration, more than 150 million still report feeling the effects of mild or moderate dehydration weekly.

"One of the biggest misconceptions about hydration is that it only matters for elite athletes or extreme situations," said Damian Browne, SVP of R&D, PepsiCo Beverages U.S. "In reality, mild to moderate dehydration can build gradually across the day for most people, often without realizing it, and thirst is not always a reliable signal."

Hydration supports how the body functions, including temperature regulation, nutrient delivery, joint lubrication, energy, and cognitive focus. As a result, it can affect everyday life in dramatic ways that don't always look like "dehydration."

At the same time, hydration has become harder to navigate. Shoppers face crowded hydration shelves filled with different marketing claims and confusing cues, making it more difficult to know what products to choose, when, and why. Without clarity, even well-intentioned consumers can struggle to hydrate effectively.

WHY THIS RESTAGE: Decades of science create an opportunity to lead with clarity.

"For 60 years, Gatorade has studied hydration and performance and translated those learnings into products proven to hydrate better than water alone," said Mike Del Pozzo, President, PepsiCo Beverages U.S. "What that science has shown us is simple: everyone needs hydration, and it isn't one-size-fits-all. We believe we have a responsibility to help people understand their hydration needs, not just on game day, but across everyday wellness and performance moments."

Gatorade's new chapter is designed to put education and clarity at the center of the consumer experience, helping people understand hydration so they can choose products with confidence.

THREE BIG CHANGES GATORADE IS MAKING

Gatorade is prioritizing hydration education that helps people make better choices, product innovation designed for more occasions and more people, and new formulas that reflect today's evolving consumer preferences. The three changes for the brand are:

Clearer benefit messaging on packaging to address different hydration needs. The Gatorade Advanced Hydration System, a new portfolio structure, is aimed to help consumers quickly understand how products Hydrate Better, Faster, or Longer than water.
Breakthrough product innovation to serve more occasions and more people, supporting a broader range of needs, intensities and everyday moments where hydration is often overlooked. New Gatorlyte Longer Lasting will begin rolling out later this year, with national availability in 2027. It includes a first-to-market proprietary electrolyte blend. Gatorlyte Longer Lasting is designed to help the body retain fluid and stay hydrated longer than water. It will be Gatorade's highest electrolyte ready-to drink offering and was developed for activities when maintaining hydration over extended periods matters – like long travel days, demanding work shifts, or sustained physical activity.
New formulas with lower sugar and no FD&C colors. Del Pozzo said, "By listening to consumers, we're learning more of what they want and don't want in their Gatorade. We're on a journey to remove artificial colors from our product portfolio while maintaining the bold Gatorade color people know and love."
- Gatorade Lower Sugar, now available, contains no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or colors, and has 75% less sugar than Gatorade Thirst Quencher.
- Gatorade's Artificial Colors Transformation. Gatorade is actively working to remove artificial colors from Gatorade products. Later this spring, the full powder stick portfolio will remove all artificial colors. Later this fall, three of the brand's top ready-to-drink flavors in Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Zero — Fruit Punch, Lemon Lime and Orange— will no longer contain FD&C colors, instead using colors from fruits and vegetables to retain the bold color that consumers expect from Gatorade.

SPORT IS THE FOUNDATION

This new chapter broadens where and when Gatorade shows up, but it does not change what the brand stands for, or where its credibility was built. Sport remains Gatorade's foundation, and the brand's expanded focus is a natural extension of decades of hydration science developed for athletes and validated through performance.

Gatorade will continue to serve as the leader in sports hydration, while applying that same science-backed expertise to support a broader population looking to optimize their hydration.

Consumers can expect to see the Advanced Hydration System and new visual identity hitting store shelves in the coming weeks.

Gatorade Products For More Occasions

Gatorade Functionality	Applicable occasions	Applicable Drinks
Hydrates Better than Water	Everyday occasions like a fresh morning start or to accompany an afternoon walk. On the field of play and athletic endeavors.	• Gatorade Thirst Quencher • Gatorade Zero • Gatorade Lower Sugar (New) • Gatorade and Gatorlyte powders
Hydrates Faster than Water	During a cold/flu when maintaining hydration helps aid recovery. Physical activity in high sweat situations, like extreme sports, outdoor and high-exertion manual labor jobs. Recovering from a late night where you seek to replenish fluids fast.	• Gatorlyte
Hydrates Longer than Water	Long flight where you want to avoid multiple bathroom visits. First thing in the morning to jump start your daily hydration. A sustained physical activity with minimal breaks, like soccer.	• Gatorlyte Longer Lasting (New)

*Mild to moderate dehydration

About The Gatorade Portfolio

The Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP), is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the active person's journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade's 61-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

Contact:

Maya Savino

maya.savino@omc.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/150-million-americans-feel-dehydrated-gatorade-aims-to-change-how-people-think-about-hydration-302743912.html

SOURCE The Gatorade Company

150 Million Americans Feel Dehydrated*. Gatorade Aims to Change How People Think About Hydration.