The “Energy Drink” category is evolving beyond caffeine and stimulation. New formulations are increasingly combining energy with hydration, focus and other functional benefits, while sugar reduction and ingredient choices are reshaping product development.
For beverage manufacturers, buyers and distributors, this is bringing energy drinks closer to the wider “Functional Beverage” market and creating new opportunities across ingredients, formats and consumption occasions.
Changing Consumer Priorities Are Reshaping Energy Drinks
Consumers are taking a more proactive approach to health and wellbeing. According to the Innova Trends Survey 2025, 59% of consumers globally describe their approach to healthy living as proactive.
For beverage manufacturers, this broader shift is creating opportunities to develop products that combine energy with additional functions. Hydration, mental performance, vitamins and other wellness positioning are increasingly appearing alongside more established energy propositions.
Mental wellbeing is one area shaping the wider functional F&B market. Two in five consumers globally cite stress and anxiety as a key concern, while two in three associate feeling well with feeling mentally happy and positive, according to Innova’s 2024 consumer research.
Rather than relying on caffeine alone, manufacturers are exploring different ingredients and formulations to position products around specific needs and occasions.
Sugar Reduction Is Reshaping Formulation
Functionality is also converging with changing expectations around sugar and formulation.
Among consumers limiting added sugar, 54% cite weight as a key concern, according to Innova’s 2025 research. This is increasing the relevance of reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar formulations across the wider functional F&B market.
Function and sugar positioning are also increasingly appearing together. Among beverages tracked by Innova with sugar-related claims, immune health claims recorded +10% CAGR globally between 2020 and 2024.
For manufacturers, the challenge is therefore broader than adding a functional ingredient. Products must balance function with taste, formulation, sugar content and a proposition consumers can understand.
How Functionality Is Expanding Across Beverage Formats
The evolution of the category was visible at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026, where international exhibitors presented different approaches to energy and functionality across beverages.
GOLD LION Energy Date Drink from Thailand’s I BEV (Thailand) Co., Ltd. combines a familiar energy drink format with date fruit extract and is halal certified. It demonstrates how manufacturers can differentiate within the established energy category through ingredients and positioning.
Functionality is also moving into smaller, need-specific formats. Türkiye’s Elite Naturel Organik Gida San. Ve Tic. S.A. presented a range of Functional Shots developed around different propositions, including hydration and focus. The range uses combinations of fruits, botanicals, vitamins and other ingredients, with no added sugar.
Lithuania’s OMG Bubble Tea takes a different approach with OMG Prebiotic Soda. The 330ml drink contains 5g of sugar and combines fruit juices with dietary fibre and organic apple cider vinegar, demonstrating how functionality can move into familiar soft-drink formats.
Japan’s Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Ltd. presented Kireto Lemon Citric Acid, a small-format carbonated beverage containing vitamin C and citric acid. In Japan, the product is marketed as a Food with Functional Claims, illustrating another approach to bringing specific functionality into convenient beverage formats.
Together, these products show how the boundaries between energy drinks, functional beverages, soft drinks and functional shots are becoming less distinct. Innovation is increasingly centred on the function, ingredient, format and occasion rather than a single traditional beverage category.
Functional Beverage Innovation at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia
THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2027, taking place from 25–29 May 2027 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand, brings buyers and suppliers from around the world together in Asia to discover products, assess market opportunities and build business partnerships.
For energy drink and functional beverage manufacturers, the show creates opportunities to present new formulations and formats to international buyers and develop partnerships for regional and global growth.
Register your interest to exhibit at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2027 →
by ibextracking
Share
The “Energy Drink” category is evolving beyond caffeine and stimulation. New formulations are increasingly combining energy with hydration, focus and other functional benefits, while sugar reduction and ingredient choices are reshaping product development.
For beverage manufacturers, buyers and distributors, this is bringing energy drinks closer to the wider “Functional Beverage” market and creating new opportunities across ingredients, formats and consumption occasions.
Changing Consumer Priorities Are Reshaping Energy Drinks
Consumers are taking a more proactive approach to health and wellbeing. According to the Innova Trends Survey 2025, 59% of consumers globally describe their approach to healthy living as proactive.
For beverage manufacturers, this broader shift is creating opportunities to develop products that combine energy with additional functions. Hydration, mental performance, vitamins and other wellness positioning are increasingly appearing alongside more established energy propositions.
Mental wellbeing is one area shaping the wider functional F&B market. Two in five consumers globally cite stress and anxiety as a key concern, while two in three associate feeling well with feeling mentally happy and positive, according to Innova’s 2024 consumer research.
Rather than relying on caffeine alone, manufacturers are exploring different ingredients and formulations to position products around specific needs and occasions.
Sugar Reduction Is Reshaping Formulation
Functionality is also converging with changing expectations around sugar and formulation.
Among consumers limiting added sugar, 54% cite weight as a key concern, according to Innova’s 2025 research. This is increasing the relevance of reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar formulations across the wider functional F&B market.
Function and sugar positioning are also increasingly appearing together. Among beverages tracked by Innova with sugar-related claims, immune health claims recorded +10% CAGR globally between 2020 and 2024.
For manufacturers, the challenge is therefore broader than adding a functional ingredient. Products must balance function with taste, formulation, sugar content and a proposition consumers can understand.
How Functionality Is Expanding Across Beverage Formats
The evolution of the category was visible at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2026, where international exhibitors presented different approaches to energy and functionality across beverages.
GOLD LION Energy Date Drink from Thailand’s I BEV (Thailand) Co., Ltd. combines a familiar energy drink format with date fruit extract and is halal certified. It demonstrates how manufacturers can differentiate within the established energy category through ingredients and positioning.
Functionality is also moving into smaller, need-specific formats. Türkiye’s Elite Naturel Organik Gida San. Ve Tic. S.A. presented a range of Functional Shots developed around different propositions, including hydration and focus. The range uses combinations of fruits, botanicals, vitamins and other ingredients, with no added sugar.
Lithuania’s OMG Bubble Tea takes a different approach with OMG Prebiotic Soda. The 330ml drink contains 5g of sugar and combines fruit juices with dietary fibre and organic apple cider vinegar, demonstrating how functionality can move into familiar soft-drink formats.
Japan’s Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Ltd. presented Kireto Lemon Citric Acid, a small-format carbonated beverage containing vitamin C and citric acid. In Japan, the product is marketed as a Food with Functional Claims, illustrating another approach to bringing specific functionality into convenient beverage formats.
Together, these products show how the boundaries between energy drinks, functional beverages, soft drinks and functional shots are becoming less distinct. Innovation is increasingly centred on the function, ingredient, format and occasion rather than a single traditional beverage category.
Functional Beverage Innovation at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia
THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2027, taking place from 25–29 May 2027 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, Thailand, brings buyers and suppliers from around the world together in Asia to discover products, assess market opportunities and build business partnerships.
For energy drink and functional beverage manufacturers, the show creates opportunities to present new formulations and formats to international buyers and develop partnerships for regional and global growth.
Register your interest to exhibit at THAIFEX – Anuga Asia 2027 →
