Six Star Whey Protein is a fast-growing protein brand that comes in a variety of flavors. The brand describes their product as supporting muscle building and providing "Immune Support."
But does a whey protein supplement really need to provide immune support? Does Six Star Whey contain an effective protein dose for muscle building? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? And which retailer sells Six Star Whey Protein for the best price?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Six Star Whey Protein based on clinical studies, to give our take on whether or not this supplement is likely to support muscle building, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also feature unsponsored customer reviews of the brand, share our thoughts on whether "immune support" in protein products is beneficial, and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells Six Star Whey for the best price.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in the Triple Chocolate flavor of Six Star Whey Protein Plus are shown above.
Whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey protein are the active ingredients, and this product provides 30 grams (g) of whey protein per serving.
This is an effective protein dose for muscle building, as a 2013 meta-study established the effective dosing range of protein post-workout to be around 25 g.
But while this whey protein can support muscle building, it also contains several inactive ingredients that we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
Natural and artificial flavors is a broad, categorical descriptor that fails to detail the specific flavoring agents used. Artificial flavors have been shown to be toxic to animals in some clinical studies, as we documented in our Gold Standard Whey Protein reviews article.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener shown to negatively impact insulin function in healthy adults in a clinical trial published in the Nutrition Journal.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener.
Overall, we consider Six Star Whey Protein to be effective for building muscle and recovery, but we don't currently recommend this product due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Is "Immune Support" Real?
The vitamin and mineral ingredients in Six Star Whey are shown above. These are the ingredients from which the brand derives its "immune support" claim.
While optimal zinc levels are associated with optimal immune function according to a 2016 medical review, we're not sure why a whey protein supplement needs relatively high doses of vitamins and minerals.
50% of Americans, and over 70% of elderly Americans take multivitamins daily according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
This supplement provides 130% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin D, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. It also provides 100% of the DV of zinc.
So while Six Star Whey may support immune function, it may also contribute to higher-than-normal intake of vitamins, given that many Americans obtain these vitamins and minerals from diet and other supplements like multivitamins.
We prefer whey protein formulations that are simpler: whey protein sourced from grass-fed animals without any vitamin, mineral or flavoring additives.
Real People Try Six Star Whey
A YouTube creator named "Justins Music and fitness" reviewed the Fruit Loops flavor of Six Star Whey:
A TikTok creator named Marcus Billiard shared his experience with the Fruit Loops version:
@marcusbilliard @sixstarpro x @Froot Loops #fyp #review #tiktok #sixstarpro #whey #wheyprotein #protienpowder #protienshake #protein #frootloops ♬ original sound - Marcus Billiard
Is Six Star Overpriced?
Protein supplements can be challenging to compare in terms of price, because they're sold at such a wide range of serving sizes and protein doses.
Below is a price comparison per 20 g protein, to standardize cost and provide an equal comparison between popular protein brands:
Orgain: $1.22
Six Star: $1.04
Optimum Nutrition: $0.84
Body Fortress: $0.81
Muscle Milk: $0.68
Six Star is priced higher per-gram-protein than most other popular whey protein powders that we've surveyed.
Our Clean Protein Picks
Bulletproof Collagen Protein is our top overall protein powder pick, and costs only $1.32 per serving at the time of publishing this article.
The main reason is its formulation: Bulletproof's protein powder only contains one single ingredient: collagen protein sourced from grass-fed animals.
As the core structural protein in skin, supplemental collagen is clinically shown to reduce visible signs of skin aging like wrinkles, which is a secondary benefit not offered by other types of protein like whey protein.
Promix Whey Protein is our top whey protein powder, and costs only $0.93 per serving at the time of publishing this article when you purchase the 5 pound bag.
This brand uses grass-fed whey protein and no sweeteners or flavoring additives. Whey protein is a "complete" protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids.
Complement Organic Protein is our top vegan protein powder.
The only ingredients in this protein powder are a blend of nutritious plant proteins: organic yellow pea protein, organic pumpkin seed protein, organic almond protein, organic sunflower seed protein and organic chia seed protein.
All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.
Real Customers Review Six Star Whey
Amazon is a better resource for unbiased customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Six Star Whey Protein has been reviewed over 10,000 times on Amazon at the time of publishing this article, with an average customer review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "SoCalBeachRunner" who gives the product a 5/5 star rating, and who likes both the taste and product effects:
"Rich and creamy, unbeatably delicious chocolate taste. It doesn't taste like fake chocolate milk or ice cream or some not-quite-chocolate flavor at all...As for results, after using this for 3 months along with a healthy diet and gym, my body fat dropped 3% and my muscle mass when up 4%."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Slug Jones" who gives the product a 1/5 star rating, and took issue with the product's consistency:
"Added my skim milk snd mixed with my little electric mixer that I used with the last bottle. It would not mix properly. I mixed and mixed and there stayed chunks of sludge and unmixed product in the cup."
Six Star Whey Protein currently has an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Google.
Where to Buy Six Star Whey for the Best Price
Six Star Whey Protein is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of publishing this article:
CVS: $27.99 (plus shipping, link)
Brand website: $27.99 (free shipping, link)
Walmart: $19.76 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $19.76 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Six Star Whey is currently 29% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand's website.
Pros and Cons of Six Star Whey
Here are the pros and cons of Six Star Whey in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective protein dose
- Should support muscle building
- Should support recovery
- Free shipping from brand's website
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- More expensive than some other popular whey protein supplements per-gram-protein
- Contains artificial sweeteners
- Contains added vitamins and minerals
- Contains artificial flavors
- Contains more added ingredients than we like in a whey protein powder
