Ryse is a popular supplement brand, but we had some concerns about the healthiness of their best-selling product in our Ryse Pre-Workout review article. The brand's protein powder is another best-seller.
But does Ryse Protein provide an effective protein dose for muscle-building? Does it contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe its effects? And which retailer sells Ryse Protein for the best price?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Ryse Protein to give our take on whether or not it's effectively dosed, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also feature real Ryse Protein customer reviews, and provide a price comparison to see which retailer sells Ryse Protein for the best price.
Ingredient Analysis
There is no clearly accessible ingredient list on the Ryse website for their protein powder at the time of publishing this article, which is unacceptable and which is a consumer safety issue.
The bottle images don't even have a zoom feature.
The ingredient list below for the Cinnamon Toast flavor of Ryse Protein was found on the brand's Amazon listing:
Whey protein is the first ingredient, and is included at a dose of 25 grams (g) per serving, which is within the optimal range for muscle building post-workout, according to clinical studies.
Other than the two forms of whey, there are a number of inactive ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Acesulfame potassium is an artificial sweetener which has been shown in animal studies to disrupt gut function, as we documented in our Gold Standard Whey Protein review article.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that decreased insulin sensitivity by around 18% in a 2018 clinical trial. Insulin sensitivity affects blood sugar levels.
Natural and artificial flavors are used as flavoring agents, and artificial flavors were shown in a 2018 clinical trial to be toxic to animals.
Salt is included at a dose of 240 milligrams (mg), which seems wholly unnecessary for a protein powder in our opinion.
Many Americans already have excess dietary sodium intake according to a 2016 population study.
Carrageenan is a thickening ingredient derived from seaweed that has been shown in animal studies to cause gut dysfunction.
Overall, we consider Ryse Protein likely to support post-workout muscle building due to its effective protein dose.
However, we don't currently recommend this product due to all of the inactive ingredients discussed above.
Real People Try Ryse Protein
A YouTube creator named Jason Mazurek tried a popular Ryse Protein flavor:
A YouTube creator named "Brave Belly" tested every flavor of Ryse Protein:
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.
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 of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Customers Rate Ryse Protein
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of publishing this article, Ryse protein powder has been reviewed over 4,500 times on Amazon, and has an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Emily" who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"I cannot say enough how much I love this protein powder - and I have tried a LOT of them. This is hands down my favorite on the market. I have so many of their flavors and have reordered a number of time. It tastes great, it mixes well (in both milk and water) and the protein keeps me satiated all morning!"
A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Tracey" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"It started out as a couple small red bumps on my stomach. Then the next day I had some around the inside of my upper arms and armpits. Every day progressing in size, redness and itchiness. By the weekend it was all over my thighs and itched terribly and hives turned to blisters! My diet is pretty consistent, so the only new thing was this protein powder."
Where to Get the Best Price
Ryse is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of the 54-serving version, at the time of publishing this article:
Brand website: $79.99 (plus shipping, link)
The Vitamin Shoppe: $79.99 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $77 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Ryse Protein is currently around 20% cheaper at Amazon than at the brand's website when factoring in shipping fees.
Ryse Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Ryse Protein in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective protein dose
- Positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Contains artificial sweeteners
- Contains artificial flavors
- Brand's website fails to clearly publish ingredients
- Contains gum fillers
- Contains 240 mg sodium
- Brand's website charges for shipping
- Unclear if whey protein is sourced from grass-fed animals
