De Soi Review: Are Katy Perry's Drinks Unhealthy?

De Soi Review: Are Katy Perry's Drinks Unhealthy?


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De Soi is a non-alcoholic cocktail brand founded by celebrity and musician Katy Perry. The brand highlights the “natural adaptogens” in their products.

But what adaptogens are in De Soi (if any) and are they effectively dosed? Do these drinks have a healthy formulation or are they unhealthy? Do they have any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real customers rate and describe the taste and effects?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in De Soi cocktails based on medical studies to give our take on whether or not the drinks are healthy, and whether they are likely to cause a mental or physical effect due to the adaptogens.

We’ll also feature real customer reviews and provide a cost comparison to feature which retailer sells De Soi for the best price.

Ingredient Analysis

De Soi Très Rosé ingredients

The ingredients in the Très Rosé cocktail sold by De Soi are shown above.

For the most part, we consider this to be a healthy formulation because it’s comprised of whole foods and whole food extracts, some of which have research backing for their health effects.

Lychee supports healthy blood sugar levels according to a medical review published in the Frontiers in Pharmacology journal.

Lion’s mane was shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in a 2015 clinical trial.

Chamomile may have benefits to mental health such as stress relief and calming effects according to a 2011 medical review.

There is only one ingredient in this drink that we consider questionable from a health perspective.

Natural flavors is a broad categorical descriptor that fails to identify the specific flavoring chemicals used. We consider this ingredient to be healthier than artificial flavors, but some flavoring additives have questionable health effects as we documented in our Hop Water review article on another non-alcoholic drink brand.

Our issue with the brand’s claims about adaptogens is that the doses of these adaptogens are not listed on the product page. Without ingredient doses, it’s very challenging to determine whether or not an ingredient is likely to have an effect.

For example, l-theanine is an adaptogen in this cocktail that’s shown to “promote relaxation without drowsiness” in a 2015 medical review. The dose used in most of the studies cited was 200 milligrams (mg). Without knowing the dose in De Soi, it’s difficult to determine whether the drink is likely to have a relaxation-promoting effect.

Overall, we consider De Soi to be a healthier option than most alcoholic drinks. We don’t currently recommend this brand due to the inclusion of natural flavors, and because we don’t find the adaptogenic claims particularly convincing without active ingredient doses.

We Tried De Soi Ourselves

De Soi UGC

As the author of this article, I wanted to try De Soi myself to share my thoughts on its taste and the overall product experience.

I bought a 4-pack of De Soi Très Rosé from the brand's website. The product arrived in fully cardboard packaging with no plastic which I appreciate, and which makes me more likely to purchase from a brand again.

The taste was honestly great, even though this isn't a type of drink I'd normally have with dinner. It was slightly sweet at first with a tangy aftertaste, and felt much "lighter" than most flavored seltzers or fruit juices that I've tried recently.

I can't say I noticed any "mood-boosting buzz" like the product page suggests, but I could see why someone following a sober lifestyle could enjoy a drink like this. It really does taste like a healthier version of a cocktail.

I don't plan to purchase this product again because spending over $5 for a non-alcoholic, small drink seems excessive, but I'm pleasantly surprised overall with the taste, ingredients and packaging.

I'd rate De Soi 7/10, and consider it to be one of the better products in its category.

Real Users Review De Soi

A YouTube creator named “Coco’s Corner” reviewed the taste of different De Soi drinks as part of a “Sober Journey” series:

A TikTok creator named “glowwithella” made a functional mocktail using a De Soi drink for a base:

@glowwithella 2023 23 Days of Glow with Ella Wellness Favs Giveaways - Day 19 De Soi 🥂 The perfect functional mocktail filled with adaptogens & botanicals Details are in instagram to enter! Make sure you like & comment on this post + follow @drinkdesoi ♬ original sound - glowwithella

Where to Get the Best Price

De Soi is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown at the time of publishing this article:

Variety Pack

Amazon: $83 (link)

Brand website: $70 (link)

Golden Hour cans

Brand website: $25 (plus shipping, link)

Amazon: $22.98 (free shippinglink to official Amazon listing)

The prices for each drink vary between the brand’s website and Amazon, so we’d recommend that prospective customers check both sites before placing an order.

Make Healthy Mocktails at Home

A YouTube video from creator Anders Erickson has a video with nearly 1 million views that features some healthy mocktail recipes that can be made at home, which may be a cheaper option than commercial mocktail brands:

Real Customers Review De Soi 

Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.

The variety pack has the most reviews, with 290 reviews at the time of publishing this article and an average review rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Lauren” who liked the taste and effects:

“This is my first time trying this product. I really like the flavor. It has a slight tang like kombucha and you can taste the passion flower and it finishes dry with hints of tea…First glass and I already feel relaxed. I recently stopped drinking and I wont be feeling left out at a dinner party with this.”

The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Shawn Deller” who had strong opinions about the taste:

“this is so not worth any amount of money . i cant even give this a star The taste is horrific, gritty sand taste. Nothing alternative to this. I'd rather just go back to alcohol. I highly doubt Perry sits and home and drinks this dirt water”

The brand currently has a review rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars on Facebook.

Pros and Cons of De Soi

Here are the pros and cons of De Soi in our opinion:

Pros:

  • Contains many nutritious botanical ingredients
  • May have adaptogenic effect
  • Healthier than average non-alcoholic drink brand
  • Great branding/packaging

Cons:

  • Contains flavoring additives
  • Adaptogen doses aren’t clearly published
  • Expensive
  • Doesn’t appear clinically tested for any adaptogenic effect
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

Katy Perry’s cocktail line De Soi is generally healthy, and will probably expose customers to a wide range of botanical ingredients they wouldn’t otherwise get from diet, which could confer health benefits.

We don’t currently recommend the Rosé cocktail due to the inclusion of natural flavoring additives, and also because the adaptogen ingredient doses aren’t published on the product page.

Without active ingredient doses for the adaptogens, it’s nearly impossible to determine if they’re likely or not to have an effect.

It may be cheaper and healthier to make alcohol-free cocktails at home, and we provided a guide on how to do so in this article. 

For consumers who are intent on purchasing De Soi, we recommend checking both the brand’s website and Amazon for the best price, because prices vary across the two platforms.

Customer reviews of this brand on Amazon are unimpressive.