Energy drinks have optimized for cost, not experience. CREATEA at SupplySide Global proved the difference. Zynamite S delivers experiential mental energy in beverages through COMT inhibition, backed by two clinical studies.
Walk through any convenience store cooler today and you'll see a familiar pattern. Different colors, different influencers, different marketing stories. But crack open the cans and read the labels? They're essentially the same formula: 200mg caffeine, B-vitamins, maybe some amino acids, possibly an herb like green tea or guarana extract.
The energy drink market has optimized for cost and convenience. What it hasn't optimized for is a new consumer experience.
This matters because supplement consumers increasingly want products they can feel working. It's why pre-workouts dominate gym culture -- people feel the tingles from beta-alanine, the pump from citrulline, the laser focus from well-dosed nootropics. But ready-to-drink beverages? Most consumers expect them to deliver basic functional fuel, nothing more.
That gap presents a massive opportunity for beverage formulators willing to break from the commodity formula playbook. There's an untapped market for RTD products that deliver noticeable, positive experiences beyond "not tired anymore".
The proof? CREATEA Mighty Mango, the concept beverage that debuted at SupplySide Global 2025 and sparked more formulator conversations than we anticipated.
The CREATEA Proof-of-Concept: What We Expected vs. What Happened
CREATEA combined several novel technologies in one naturally-sweetened beverage:
- 5g creatine monohydrate via CreaBev® from Glanbia Nutritionals (beverage-stable encapsulation)
- 200mg natural caffeine from InnovaBean® by NutriScience Innovations
- 100mg Zynamite S® from PLT Health Solutions (water-soluble mango leaf extract)
- Natural sweeteners and a Mighty Mango flavor profile
New clinical data on Zynamite S shows cognitive and mood benefits within 30 minutes, lasting 3-5 hours. PLT Health Solutions presented research at SupplySide Global 2025 and featured it in CREATEA Mighty Mango. Water-soluble, non-stimulant mental energy.
When we conceptualized this drink, we expected people would try it for the novelty factor. RTD creatine is still uncommon. Gym-goers would appreciate the convenience. And there were certainly some conversations about creatine stability technology, as expected.
What actually happened at the show was different.
People raved about how it made them feel. Comments like "this is different from other energy drinks" and "I felt good and focused but not jittery" and "this gave me clean energy" dominated the feedback. Formulators and brand representatives kept circling back with the same question: "What made this so good?"
The answer surprised some of them. While lots of people talked about the creatine novelty, it was the Zynamite S that delivered the experiential difference people noticed.
Creatine is familiar and consumers now (mostly) understand it. Caffeine is standard yet predictable. But Zynamite S delivered something more that translated into word-of-mouth at the booth and continued conversations afterward. That's the kind of ingredient response that drives repeat purchases and brand loyalty.
Why Zynamite S Works: The Science Behind Consumer "Feel"
Zynamite S isn't just another botanical trying to position itself as a caffeine alternative. It works through a fundamentally different mechanism that creates a different subjective experience.
The Mechanism That Differentiates
Zynamite is PLT Health's Next-Gen Brain and Body Support Ingredient, harnessing the power of ≥60% mangiferin from mango leaf extract
Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors and increases arousal, providing a blunt but effective stimulant mechanism. Zynamite S operates through catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibition, which helps maintain higher dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex, which is the brain region handling executive function, working memory, and attention.
This creates what researchers call "non-stimulant mental energy". You get the cognitive enhancement without cardiovascular stimulation. No increased heart rate. No blood pressure spike. No jitters or crash.
A different mechanism equals a different feel equals a noticeable differentiation in a crowded market.
The Clinical Validation: Two Studies in One Year
PLT Health Solutions and their research partner Nektium Pharma completed two clinical studies on Zynamite S within a single year, which is unusual and demonstrates serious commitment to building research infrastructure for a new ingredient.
- Study 1 enrolled 120 healthy university students in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Participants received either 100mg Zynamite S, 150mg Zynamite S, or placebo. The research team measured cognitive performance at baseline, 30 minutes, 3 hours, and 5 hours post-consumption using validated assessment batteries.Results showed improvements in processing speed, cognitive flexibility, attention accuracy, and mood -- with effects starting at 30 minutes and lasting the full 5-hour testing window.
- Study 2 confirmed these findings with 88 university students using the same rigorous methodology. The 100mg dose produced a 24.1% improvement in Total Mood Disturbances at the 5-hour mark compared to placebo. Processing speed, cognitive flexibility, and selective attention all showed statistically significant improvements.
The fact that both studies replicated core findings strengthens the evidence considerably. It's not a statistical fluke. The effects are reproducible across different participant samples.
Second Zynamite S study validates first findings. 100mg delivers 25% faster processing, 24% better mood, 26% less fatigue in 30 minutes. 88 students, non-stimulant, effects last hours. This is how you build clinical evidence.
Why Clinical Data Translates to Consumer Experience
Most ingredient suppliers can point to some clinical research. What makes Zynamite S different for formulators is how that research translates to real-world product use:
- Fast-acting (30 minutes) means consumers feel the effects during the actual beverage occasion. You're not asking them to trust that something's working in the background.
- Multi-modal benefits mean it's not just alertness. Improved mood, enhanced focus, faster processing -- consumers can articulate multiple dimensions of how they feel different.
- Duration (5+ hours) outlasts typical energy drink effects. Caffeine peaks and crashes. Zynamite S sustains.
- No stimulant side effects means you can dose it appropriately without worrying about jitters, heart racing, or the 3pm crash that sends people searching for another can.
When consumers can point to when they felt your product working and how it made them feel different from other options, that drives repeat purchase. That's what formulators heard at the CREATEA booth.
The Beverage Formulation Advantage
Traditional botanical extracts present formulation nightmares in liquid applications. Poor water solubility means settling or cloudiness. Strong or bitter taste profiles require heavy flavor masking systems. Instability under heat processing means you're limited in manufacturing options.
Zynamite S was engineered specifically to solve these beverage barriers:
- Enhanced water solubility creates clear solutions in RTD applications
- Neutral taste profile requires minimal flavor masking
- Heat stability survives pasteurization and thermal processing
- Transparency in solution delivers clean-looking final products
- 3x greater bioavailability compared to standard Zynamite, making it effective at lower doses (100mg vs 300mg)
Formulation Flexibility Matters
That lower effective dose creates real formulation freedom. At 100mg, Zynamite S doesn't dominate your ingredient deck. You've got room for amino acids, electrolytes, other actives... whatever your product positioning requires. It delivers disproportionate consumer impact without monopolizing your formula real estate or your cost-per-serving budget.
This matters especially for premium-positioned products where you want multiple efficacious ingredients working together. CREATEA demonstrated this with creatine + caffeine + Zynamite S creating a synergistic experience greater than the individual parts.
Compatible With Clean Label Trends
CREATEA Mighty Mango breaks new ground with stable creatine in RTD format plus Zynamite S mango leaf extract for mental energy. This natural, clean-label concept beverage showcases what's possible when industry leaders collaborate. Sample it at SupplySide Global 2025!
Zynamite S fits naturally into modern beverage positioning:
- Botanical extract from mango leaves (Mangifera indica), bringing a clean, recognizable, natural origin story
- Compatible with natural sweeteners and natural caffeine sources
- Non-GMO, allergen-free with no common formulation restrictions
- Simple ingredient story that's easy to communicate on packaging and in marketing
For brands building around "natural energy" or "plant-based performance" positioning, Zynamite S supports that narrative authentically. It's not a synthetic molecule trying to be natural-adjacent. It comes from mango leaves, standardized to 60% mangiferin content.
Target Applications Beyond Standard Energy Drinks
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Pre-Workout RTDs
Cognitive and physical performance benefits make Zynamite S a natural fit for ready-to-drink pre-workouts. Research on the original Zynamite formula (combined with quercetin in Zynamite PX) showed 3.8% increased peak power output and improved athletic performance in basketball players.
It pairs naturally with all the core pre-workout ingredients like creatine, beta-alanine, citrulline. But it adds the experiential cognitive dimension that many powder formulas lack.
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Productivity and Focus Beverages
This might be where Zynamite S shines brightest. The "anti-energy drink energy drink" positioning for professionals, students, knowledge workers, and anyone who needs mental energy without stimulant overload.
Are you ready for a shake-up in the beverage space? PLT Health Solutions has worked hard to create several beverage-stable ingredients, so that we can avoid all of the me-too RTD formulas.
"Clinically studied mental energy without jitters" is a positioning statement backed by actual research. That's rare in the functional beverage space.
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Gaming and Esports Drinks
Reaction time improvements, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility all map directly to gaming performance metrics. The 5-hour duration window covers extended gaming sessions. The non-stimulant mechanism means you can combine it with caffeine if desired or use it standalone for players sensitive to stimulants.
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Daily Wellness and Functional Beverages
Mood enhancement plus cognitive clarity creates a compelling everyday-use proposition. Consider a morning routine alternative to coffee or midday pick-me-up that doesn't disrupt sleep. "Flow state in a can" for active lifestyles including hiking, cycling, and recreational sports where you want mental engagement without stimulant intensity.
Stacking Strategies
- With caffeine: The CREATEA model -- enhanced focus without increasing stimulant side effects. Caffeine handles arousal and energy. Zynamite S handles mood and cognitive performance.
- With creatine: Brain and muscle synergy for comprehensive performance positioning.
- With adaptogens: Layer Zynamite S cognitive benefits onto stress resilience ingredients for comprehensive daily support products.
- With nootropics: Amplify cognitive stacks with an ingredient that consumers can actually feel working in real-time.
What Beverage Formulators Need to Know
PLT Health Solutions: Growth Through Innovation
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Dosing Recommendations
Clinical validation exists at both 100mg and 150mg single doses. Most applications should start at 100mg, which is effective, cost-efficient, and leaves room for other actives.
You can dose higher for premium positioning or specific cognitive demands, but 100mg delivers noticeable benefits based on the research and real-world feedback.
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Flavor Compatibility
The neutral profile works across citrus, berry, tropical, and refreshment flavor systems. CREATEA used Mighty Mango, inspired by the mango leaf source material, a fun and natural part of the story.
Unlike many botanical extracts that fight against flavor systems and require extensive masking, Zynamite S integrates cleanly. That simplifies development and speeds time-to-market.
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Label Claims and Marketing
- "Clinically studied" is legitimate, with two published studies back specific claims.
- "Non-stimulant mental energy" differentiates from caffeine-centric positioning.
- "Fast-acting cognitive benefits" is supported by the 30-minute onset data.
You can reference specific cognitive domains tested in the research: processing speed, cognitive flexibility, attention, and mood support.
For more information on the complete Zynamite ingredient platform, we've covered the full portfolio including standard Zynamite and Zynamite PX performance applications.
The Bottom Line: Experience Drives Loyalty
The energy drink market doesn't need another caffeinated beverage with slightly different B-vitamin ratios. It needs products that deliver experiences consumers can feel and talk about.
Zynamite S provides that experiential differentiation:
- Backed by clinical research that formulators can point to and consumers can trust
- Made specifically for beverages to solve the technical barriers that keep other botanicals out of RTD applications (see the entire PLT Health Solutions Beverage-Stable Platform)
- Delivers noticeable benefits that consumers articulate in their own words, driving organic word-of-mouth
- Creates loyal customers who understand why your product works differently
The CREATEA response at SupplySide Global 2025 was all about people feeling a difference and wanting to know what created that experience. That's the kind of ingredient response that turns first-time triers into repeat buyers and builds brands with real staying power in an increasingly commoditized market.
PLT Health Solutions has built their reputation on science-backed, experiential ingredients that consumers can feel working. With Zynamite S, they've taken that approach into ready-to-drink beverages with technology specifically designed for liquid applications. For beverage formulators, this is worth serious evaluation.
Stay tuned to PricePlow for continued coverage of Zynamite S product launches and formulator innovations. Subscribe below for updates on PLT Health Solutions and cognitive performance ingredients breaking new ground in functional beverages.
