Fairlife is a milk brand that also sells bottled protein shakes called Core Power. The shakes come in four flavors, and the brand claims that Fairlife protein shake "supports workout recovery" and "builds lean muscle."
But do Fairlife protein shakes contain research-backed ingredients for building muscle? Do they contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is Fairlife Elite better for athletes than regular Fairlife? And is Fairlife better or worse than popular protein shakes like Premier Protein Shake?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Fairlife protein shake to give our take on whether or not it's likely to help build muscle, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also explain why the brand was sued, share our honest experience trying the shake for post-workout recovery, and compare Fairlife Protein Shake to other popular protein shakes to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains effective protein dose for muscle-building
- Contains many ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not consider Fairlife Protein Shake to be healthy overall
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Fairlife Protein Shake are shown below:
Protein is included at an effective dose of 26 grams (g).
A 2013 medical review found that protein doses around 25 g maximize muscle protein synthesis after exercise.
Filtered lowfat grade A milk is the protein source, and there is no reference to whether the milk is sourced from grass-fed or conventional animals, so we will assume the milk is sourced from conventionally-raised animals.
An extensive scientific review published by the University of Minnesota concluded that grass-fed milk is healthier than conventional milk for two main reasons: it provides a more optimal ratio of fatty acids such as omega-3 fatty acids, and is also higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may have cardiovascular benefits.
Fairlife protein shake contains a number of questionable additive ingredients.
Suraclose is an artificial sweetener that has been shown in a clinical trial to negatively affect insulin function in young and healthy volunteers.
The trial participants only consumed 15% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of sucralose, and experienced a significant decrease in insulin sensitivity.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener that was found to cause intestinal injury and negative changes to gut function in an animal study.
Natural flavors is a broad descriptor that can refer to a wide range of chemical compounds.
As we detailed in our review of Orgain protein powder, there is clinical evidence that some flavoring agents pose toxicity risks to humans.
Vitamin A palmitate and vitamin D3 are vitamin additives.
As documented in an extensive meta-study published in 2017, excess intake of vitamins poses health concerns, and it may be illogical to consume foods and supplements with added vitamins and minerals without a documented deficiency in those vitamins and minerals.
Overall, we do not currently recommend Fairlife protein shakes due to the inclusion of the inactive ingredients discussed above, and due to our concerns over sourcing.
We believe that this product is likely to be effective for post-workout muscle synthesis and recovery, due to the effective protein dosage.
We Tested Fairlife Protein Shake
As the author of this article, I wanted to try Fairlife protein shake myself to share my thoughts on its taste and the product effects.
I was not a fan of the taste. Though it doesn't taste awful, it tasted worse to me than regular milk, and I would not purchase it again for this reason.
The high protein content is a plus, and I paired it with dark chocolate to neutralize some of the excessive sweetness of Fairlife.
I used this product post-workout and it did seem to help my muscles recover, but that was only after one workout session which is too small of a sample size and too subjective to definitively determine.
If Fairlife was free of artificial sweeteners I'd probably consider purchasing it a few times a week for a convenient, high-protein snack.
Overall, I'd rate Fairlife protein shake 3/10.
Were Fairlife Employees Abusing Animals?
Fairlife faced a number of controversies in 2020 over alleged animal welfare abuses on farms that the brand sourced from.
Undercover footage showed employees abusing and physically harming the cows, according to The National Trial Lawyers.
A class-action lawsuit was filed, and in 2022 Fairlife settled for $21 million.
It's unclear whether or not Fairlife had information about the alleged abuses occurring on this farm, but in our opinion it's the ethical obligation of food products businesses to routinely check up on the farms they source from, to ensure humane treatment of animals.
There are video exposés searchable on YouTube highlighting the alleged abuses, but we chose not to feature them in this article because some individuals may not want to watch animal cruelty.
Is Fairlife Elite Better?
Fairlife Elite has a very similar formulation to regular Fairlife protein shakes.
The main difference is that the Elite version provides 42 g of protein.
We do not consider this increased protein dosage likely to confer any additional benefits, as we haven’t come across clinical evidence that protein intake above 25 or 30 g in one serving provides greater muscle synthesis.
One benefit of this shake is it appears to be at least partially sweetened with strawberry puree, which is a nutritious whole food ingredient that’s rich in potassium, according to the USDA.
All of the questionable additive ingredients we highlighted in the Fairlife ingredient review are also in Fairlife Elite: sucralose, acesulfame potassium, natural flavors, added vitamins and minerals.
We do not currently recommend Fairlife Elite due to the additive ingredients, but we do believe it will be effective for muscle building and recovery post-workout due to the effective protein dosage.
Between the two products, Fairlife seems like the better purchase, since it's cheaper and should be equally effective.
Fairlife vs. Popular Protein Shakes
Here's how Fairlife Protein Shake compares to other popular protein shakes in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Premier Protein Shake
Contains artificial flavors, which are clinically shown to be associated with negative health outcomes.
Fairlife has a healthier formulation.
Winner: Fairlife Protein Shake
Nurri Protein Shake
Nurri Protein Shake provides a per-serving protein dose above 25 g, so we consider the two drinks to be functionally equivalent.
From a health perspective, Fairlife gets the (slight) edge because it's free of added phosphates, which can be damaging to health in excess.
Winner: Fairlife Protein Shake
OWYN
Nutrient-dense vegan protein shake.
Contains a few flavoring ingredients we consider unhealthy, but none as much as the artificial sweeteners in Fairlife.
Winner: OWYN
Our Clean Protein Picks
MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is our top overall protein powder.
Whey protein is a "complete" protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids.
Anthony's Organic Hemp Protein is our top vegan protein pick.
It's extremely nutrient-dense, providing 25% of the Daily Value (DV) of iron and 8% of the DV of potassium.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Fairlife Protein Shake Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Effective protein dose
- Complete protein
- Should support muscle building
- Healthier than some competitors
Cons:
- Contains artificial sweeteners
- Contains added, synthetic vitamins
- Contains flavoring agents
- We tested it and hated the artificial taste
- Dairy farm Fairlife sources from may have abused animals
- Packaged in plastic
