As of May 2026, Gatorade is currently rebranding by focusing on making their drinks healthy and hydrating, rather than targeting the drinks toward athletes. The company announced that they will be cutting down the sugar by 75%, and will be replacing artificial dyes with natural flavoring.
“As a basketball athlete Gatorade hydrates and prepares me on game days. So when I’m thirsty I drink Gatorade because I feel like it gives me energy,” said Cherry Wu (‘29).
Many student athletes have been using Gatorade to energize themselves, however this may change after their recent rebrand. Now, Gatorade is cutting down on electrolytes and targeting itself towards everyday consumers looking for healthy hydration.
Thoughts on the Rebrand
“I think the rebrand is targeted at marketing because a lot of big companies don’t really care about the consumers’ health and we’ve seen that. They just care about making more money for themselves even if inadvertently they are becoming more healthy,” said Aimee Simunovich (‘29).
Many students say that they avoid drinking energy drinks like Gatorade and their drinking habits will not change, even after Gatorade’s rebrand.
“In the nutrition unit, we talk about food dye, added sugar…and how moderation is key. I always like to say no foods should be off limits completely, but it’s important to be aware of how much of it you’re consuming. With Gatorade, if we’re just talking about before the rebrand, I would call those empty calories…I feel like there’s better ways to consume electrolytes,” said Health Teacher Jaime Turner.
However, the rebrand does change things for many students. Gatorade has added a Lower Sugar line, including flavors like Glacier Cherry, Lemonade, and Fruit Punch. Students are most excited to try the Glacier Cherry flavor, and many are excited that Gatorade is now healthier.
“I think it’ll make Gatorade more accessible to a wider population so that more people will be drinking Gatorade. I guess it would also change how often I drink Gatorade because I only have Gatorade Zero so if all Gatorade is lower in sugar it’ll be easier to find and drink Gatorade,” said Olive Leuten (‘29).
Besides their drink modifications, Gatorade will be launching a new line of drinks called Gatorlyte Longer Lasting in 2026. This drink line will be high in electrolytes and glycerin to help the body retain fluids and stay hydrated for a longer period of time.
