Moment Drink is a functional drink brand featured on Shark Tank, that claims you can “drink your meditation.” The brand sells water with blended botanical ingredients that they claim can support health.

But does Moment Drink actually contain research-backed ingredients for physical and mental health? Are the ingredients included at effective doses? What was our Product Tester's experience trying different flavors of Moment Drink? And is Moment Drink better or worse than popular functional drinks like Feel Free?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Moment Drink to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for mood support, and whether or not it's healthy.

We’ll explain our issues with the ingredient doses, share our Product Tester's honest experience trying different Moment flavors, and compare Moment to other popular functional beverages to pick our winners (and losers). 

Key takeaways:

• Brand doesn't publish active ingredient doses
• Contains a sweetener associated with increased stroke risk
• We do not currently recommend Moment Drink

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in the Blood Orange Ashwagandha flavor of Moment Drink are shown below:

Blood orange has been shown to have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Apple cider vinegar is nutrient-rich and can support weight loss in overweight individuals, as we documented in our review of Burn Evolved.

We can’t identify any evidence that this drink will provide functional benefits, regardless of what “adaptogens” the brand claims are included.

Whether or not an ingredient will have an effect depends on its dose, and the doses of the active ingredients in Moment Drink (like l-theanine and ashwagandha) are not currently published.

As an example, Moment Drink claims that ashwagandha “relieves stress” and there is research backing this statement.

A 2021 clinical trial found that ashwagandha supplementation reduced stress levels in participants.

But ashwagandha was included at a 300 milligram (mg) dose and a standardized extract was used (which is more potent than the raw botanical material included in Moment Drink).

We have no idea how much ashwagandha is in Moment Drink. It could be 800 mg. It could be 2 mg.

Without ingredient dosing information, we recommend that consumers entirely disregard claims of specific health benefits made by brands like Moment.

We also recommend avoiding one of the sweeteners in this drink.

Erythritol is clinically shown to be associated with increased risk of stroke.

Overall, we do not recommend this drink due to the use of erythritol.

We Tested Moment Drink

One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried a variety pack of Moment Drink. Here's his experience:

These products were delivered in a box of 12 cans. The cans were standard and easy to drink from.

I tried one of their variety packs containing Blackberry Lavender, Strawberry Rose, and Berry Jasmine flavors.

I was initially hesitant about these flavors, especially the Blackberry Lavender. The initial taste of each of these were a gentle surprise and honestly none of these really tasted like what their names suggest. My favorite actually ended up being the Blackberry Lavender, and usually I hate lavender flavored things.

Other than these drinks tasting good and not making me bloated (which I sometimes experience after drinking sparkling drinks), they didn’t really have any sort of effect on me.

I am going to compare these drinks directly to green tea since that is one of their advertised ingredients. I would much rather drink green tea and get the full health benefits without the extra "processing."

I did not experience any side effects from Moment Drink.

Overall, I would rate rate Moment Drink 3/10, and I would definitely not purchase this brand routinely, considering the cost.

Does Moment Drink Cause Side Effects?

Moment Drink doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say for certain whether or not the product causes side effects.

However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.

We do not believe that Moment Drink is likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals. It’s a simple botanical blend.

High doses of ashwagandha can cause gastrointestinal upset and vomiting according to the LiverTox database, but we highly doubt that there is a high enough dose in Moment Drink to achieve this side effect.

This is also more likely an issue with a potent ashwagandha extract rather than with the raw herb (what’s in Moment Drink).

A FAQ Page on Drink Moment’s website suggests that consumers should stop taking the product and contact their doctor if they experience serious side effects.

Moment Founders Pitch on Shark Tank

Moment got famous on Shark Tank, as do many brands that pitch on the TV show. Here’s the founders’ Shark Tank pitch:

Moment vs. Popular Mood Drinks

Here's how Moment Drink compares to other popular functional beverage brands which claim to support mood, in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Ü Relax

Contains chamomile as an active ingredient, which is clinically shown to have natural sedative effects.

Also contains kava, which can injure the liver depending on dose and duration of use.

Moment Drink gets the edge from a healthiness perspective.

Winner: Moment Drink

Feel Free

The active ingredient in this popular wellness shot is well-documented to cause liver injury, as we documented in our Feel Free tonic review article.

While erythritol is unhealthy, we consider kava (the active ingredient in Feel Free) to be more acutely dangerous.

Winner: Moment Drink

Curious Elixirs

This non-alcoholic beverage brand contains nutritious, botanical ingredients.

It has no unhealthy ingredients, so we consider it to be a healthier option overall than Moment.

Winner: Curious Elixirs

Our Clean Mood Support Picks

Cornbread CBD Lotion is our topical stress-relief pick.

CBD is clinically shown to be absorbed through the skin, and was shown in a 2020 medical review to be a "promising" natural treatment for anxiety disorders.

Pique Japanese Sencha Green Tea is our top relaxation tea pick.

Green tea was shown in a 2017 clinical trial to significantly reduce stress levels, and has been used to promote mental and physical wellness for centuries.

Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Moment Drink Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Some exotic botanical ingredients
• Research-backed active ingredients
• Some organic ingredients
• Metal (rather than plastic) packaging
• Great branding
• Free shipping from brand's website

Cons:

• Contains erythritol
• Active ingredient doses aren't published
• Expensive
• Mediocre Facebook reviews
• Doesn't appear clinically tested

Conclusion

Moment Drink contains some interesting formulations with exotic botanical ingredients that most Americans don't typically consume.

However, we don't currently recommend the brand due to the use of a sweetener that's clinically shown to be associated with increased risk of stroke.

The brand fails to publish active ingredient doses for functional ingredients like ashwagandha, so we disagree with all of their health and wellness claims.

Without ingredient doses, consumers cannot determine whether or not an ingredient is effectively dosed to meet the stated claim.

We do not believe that Moment Drink is likely to cause acute side effects in healthy individuals, but it may be unhealthy for long-term use due to the inclusion of erythritol.

Our Product Tester had a negative experience with Moment; describing the flavor descriptions as inaccurate and the drinks as causing bloating.

We consider Moment Drink to be a healthier option than mood-boosting beverages Feel Free and Ü Relax, but a less healthy option than Curious Elixirs.