Ghost is quickly becoming one of the most popular supplement brands with young American adults. The company has playful and colorful packaging, and sells an energy drink that they describe as a “fully transparent, fully loaded, feel good drink.”
But what’s actually in Ghost Energy drinks? Are the ingredients bad for you? Are the ingredients shown actually proven to increase energy? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Ghost Energy drinks?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Ghost Energy to give our take on whether or not the brand is bad for you.
First, we’ll analyze whether or not it’s likely to be effective for improving energy, and we’ll also feature real customer reviews of the product.
Key takeaways:
- Research-backed active ingredients for improving mental & physical energy
- Contains many inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We consider Ghost Energy Drinks to be bad for you
Does Ghost Energy Even Work?
The active ingredients in Ghost Energy Drink are shown below:
There are ingredients in this formulation with research backing for enhancing energy and athletic performance.
Carnipure is a trademarked version of l-carnitine l-tartrate with research backing for energy support according to the manufacturer’s website.
However, we can’t find any medical studies suggesting it’s effective in humans at the dose included in Ghost Energy (1,000 milligrams).
A clinical trial published in the Nutrients journal reported that this ingredient improved exercise recovery, but the dose was 3x that in Ghost Energy.
Taurine is an amino acid that’s clinically shown to harm the developing brain when combined with caffeine (which is also used in this supplement), as we documented in our review of Ghost Pre-Workout.
Caffeine is one of the most well-studied ingredients for energy, and is clinically shown to improve physical and perceived energy levels.
Alpha-GPC was shown to increase motivation in a 2021 clinical trial, and the dose used (200 mg) was similar to the dose in Ghost Energy (150 mg), so we’ll consider this ingredient to be likely effective.
NeuroFactor is a patented extract of coffee fruit extract, and was shown “to induce measurable, acute physiological changes in brain connectivity” in a clinical trial published in the Antioxidants journal, suggesting it can support brain energy levels.
AstraGin is described as a supplement to enhance intestinal health on the manufacturer’s website, so we’re unsure why this is included in an energy drink.
Overall, we consider Ghost Energy likely to be effective for improving both physical and mental energy levels.
Is Ghost Energy Bad for You?
The full ingredient list for Ghost Energy Drink Citrus flavor is shown below:
While the brand markets this product line as having “No BS,” there are a number of inactive ingredients in this drink with questionable health effects according to medical studies.
Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are preservatives, and a 2022 medical review concluded that “Long-term use of food treated with the above-mentioned food preservatives resulted in teratogenicity and other allergens.”
Citric acid is typically derived from a fungus when used in manufacturing, and can cause whole-body inflammation according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Artificial flavors have been shown in research studies to have toxic effects in animals, as documented in our review of Red Bull.
While the ingredient list doesn't currently state "artificial flavors," the can does, which is concerning in our opinion. Ghost needs to clarify whether or not this drink contains artificial flavors.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that was shown to worsen insulin function in a clinical trial published in the Nutrition Journal.
Folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B9 shown to be associated with a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer in a 2012 meta-study.
Overall, we consider Ghost Energy Drinks to be bad for you due to all of the questionable added ingredients highlighted above.
We also find it to be a questionable marketing strategy for a brand to declare their energy drinks are “No BS” while containing preservatives, an artificial sweetener, citric acid, and potentially artificial flavors.
Real People Try Ghost Energy
A YouTube creator named Brett Westover ranked every Ghost Energy flavor:
A TikTok creator named "Ares Nutrition" suggests that this energy drink is not effective as a pre-workout:
@aresnutrition Dont waste your time drinking these as pre-workouts #aresnutrition #aresknowledge #preworkout #ghostenergy #ryseenergy #bang ♬ original sound - Ares Nutrition
Is Ghost Deceptively Marketed to Kids?
In late 2022, a non-profit organization called Truth in Advertising (TINA) filed a formal complaint to regulators (both the FTC and the FDA), alleging that the company’s use of popular candy flavors like Sour Patch Kids is an intentional maneuver to market the products to children.
The complaint further alleges that Ghost makes unsubstantiated and unapproved health claims in the marketing of their products.
TINA also claims that Ghost sponsored a high school athletics team and provided their products to players.
At the time of updating this article, it’s unclear whether either regulatory agency that received the complaint has taken any action against Ghost.
Our Clean Energy Picks
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top energy supplement.
Panax ginseng extract has been clinically shown to reduce mental fatigue and reduce physical fatigue, and our supplement is third-party tested to ensure its purity and potency.
Pique Breakfast Black Tea Sticks is our top whole food energy pick.
Black tea consumption is "associated with rapid increases in alertness and information processing capacity" according to a clinical trial, and Pique's tea is organic and comes in convenient stick packs that can be mixed into water, so a teapot or kettle are not needed.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
