{
  "dataset": "electrolyte-formulas-compared",
  "title": "Electrolyte Powders Compared — sodium, potassium, magnesium, sugar, cost & certification per serving",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/electrolytes/formulas-compared/",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Electrolyte Formula Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-13",
  "methodology": "Per-serving mineral, sugar, and sweetener values are each manufacturer's own Supplement/Nutrition Facts figure, cross-checked across two independent label passes. Cost per serving = live Amazon price divided by the pack's serving count. Formula class is assigned from the label (glucose-paired ORS-style vs high-sodium zero-sugar vs low-dose daily); per-product osmolarity is deliberately omitted because only the WHO ORS reference publishes a measured value. Certification counts only product-level third-party sport certification (NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport/Choice).",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 12,
    "productLevelCertified": 3,
    "sodiumRangeMgPerServing": [
      55,
      1000
    ]
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "format",
    "sodium",
    "potassium",
    "magnesium",
    "calcium",
    "sugar",
    "sweetener",
    "formulaClass",
    "certification",
    "costPerServing",
    "buyable"
  ],
  "units": {
    "sodium": "mg",
    "potassium": "mg",
    "magnesium": "mg",
    "calcium": "mg",
    "sugar": "g",
    "costPerServing": "USD"
  },
  "formulas": [
    {
      "brand": "LMNT",
      "product": "Recharge (Citrus Salt)",
      "slug": "lmnt-recharge",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 1000,
      "potassium": 200,
      "magnesium": 60,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "Stevia",
      "formulaClass": "High-sodium, zero-sugar",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 1.5,
      "notes": "The highest-sodium mainstream stick. No third-party sport certification."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Redmond",
      "product": "Re-Lyte (Strawberry Lemonade)",
      "slug": "redmond-re-lyte",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 810,
      "potassium": 400,
      "magnesium": 50,
      "calcium": 60,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "Stevia",
      "formulaClass": "High-sodium, zero-sugar",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 1.53,
      "notes": "High sodium and the most potassium of the zero-sugar sticks."
    },
    {
      "brand": "BUBS Naturals",
      "product": "Hydrate or Die",
      "slug": "bubs-hydrate-or-die",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 650,
      "potassium": 200,
      "magnesium": 50,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 7,
      "sweetener": "Cane sugar + monk fruit",
      "formulaClass": "ORS-style (glucose-paired)",
      "certification": "NSF Certified for Sport",
      "costPerServing": 1.85,
      "notes": "The only NSF Certified for Sport product here — the strictest every-batch cert. Costs the most per serving."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Liquid I.V.",
      "product": "Sugar-Free Hydration Multiplier",
      "slug": "liquid-iv-sugar-free",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 530,
      "potassium": null,
      "magnesium": 0,
      "calcium": 0,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "Allulose + stevia",
      "formulaClass": "High-sodium, zero-sugar",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 1.41,
      "notes": "Zero-sugar version of the mass-market leader; no magnesium."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Liquid I.V.",
      "product": "Hydration Multiplier (Classic)",
      "slug": "liquid-iv-hydration",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 500,
      "potassium": 370,
      "magnesium": 0,
      "calcium": 0,
      "sugar": 11,
      "sweetener": "Cane sugar + dextrose",
      "formulaClass": "ORS-style (glucose-paired)",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 1.47,
      "notes": "Sodium paired with glucose for cotransport absorption — an ORS-style design. No magnesium."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Transparent Labs",
      "product": "Hydrate (Tropical Punch)",
      "slug": "transparent-labs-hydrate",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Tub + scoop",
      "sodium": 500,
      "potassium": 250,
      "magnesium": 50,
      "calcium": 84,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "Stevia",
      "formulaClass": "High-sodium, zero-sugar",
      "certification": "Informed Choice",
      "costPerServing": 0.75,
      "notes": "Third-party tested (Informed Choice), zero sugar, and the cheapest per serving of the 500 mg-sodium formulas."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Gatorade",
      "product": "Gatorlyte (Cherry Lime)",
      "slug": null,
      "buyable": false,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 490,
      "potassium": 350,
      "magnesium": 105,
      "calcium": 120,
      "sugar": 10,
      "sweetener": "Sugar",
      "formulaClass": "ORS-style (glucose-paired)",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": null,
      "notes": "Higher sodium and far lower sugar than classic Gatorade; shown for reference."
    },
    {
      "brand": "DripDrop",
      "product": "ORS (Watermelon)",
      "slug": "dripdrop-ors",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 330,
      "potassium": 185,
      "magnesium": 39,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 7,
      "sweetener": "Cane sugar + sucralose",
      "formulaClass": "ORS-style (glucose-paired)",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 1.03,
      "notes": "Physician-designed oral-rehydration-style formula for illness and travel."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nuun",
      "product": "Sport (Lemon Lime)",
      "slug": "nuun-sport",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Effervescent tablet",
      "sodium": 300,
      "potassium": 150,
      "magnesium": 25,
      "calcium": 13,
      "sugar": 1,
      "sweetener": "Stevia",
      "formulaClass": "Low-dose daily",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 0.6,
      "notes": "Light everyday tablet, cheapest tablet per serving. (Its Informed Choice status appears to have lapsed in late 2024 — we list it as uncertified until re-confirmed.)"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Pedialyte",
      "product": "Powder Packs (consumer 8.5 g stick)",
      "slug": null,
      "buyable": false,
      "format": "Stick pack",
      "sodium": 260,
      "potassium": 180,
      "magnesium": null,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 6,
      "sweetener": "Dextrose + sucralose",
      "formulaClass": "ORS-style (glucose-paired)",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": null,
      "notes": "A maintenance oral-rehydration solution (lower sodium than the WHO cholera formula). Shown for reference."
    },
    {
      "brand": "SaltStick",
      "product": "FastChews (Lemon Lime)",
      "slug": "saltstick-fastchews",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Chewable (2 tabs)",
      "sodium": 100,
      "potassium": 30,
      "magnesium": 6,
      "calcium": 10,
      "sugar": 2,
      "sweetener": "Dextrose + stevia",
      "formulaClass": "Low-dose daily",
      "certification": "Informed Choice",
      "costPerServing": 0.66,
      "notes": "Chew without water — for mid-activity top-ups. Informed Choice tested, made in an NSF Certified for Sport facility."
    },
    {
      "brand": "Ultima",
      "product": "Replenisher",
      "slug": "ultima-replenisher",
      "buyable": true,
      "format": "Tub + scoop",
      "sodium": 55,
      "potassium": 250,
      "magnesium": 100,
      "calcium": 65,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "Stevia",
      "formulaClass": "Low-dose daily",
      "certification": "None",
      "costPerServing": 0.53,
      "notes": "Very low sodium but mineral-forward (250 mg K, 100 mg Mg). Cheapest per serving here — a daily mineral top-up, not a heavy-sweat drink."
    },
    {
      "brand": "WHO/UNICEF",
      "product": "Reduced-Osmolarity ORS 2003 (per liter)",
      "slug": null,
      "buyable": false,
      "format": "Compounded standard",
      "sodium": 1725,
      "potassium": 782,
      "magnesium": null,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 13.5,
      "sweetener": "Glucose (13.5 g/L)",
      "formulaClass": "Reference",
      "certification": "n/a",
      "costPerServing": null,
      "notes": "The clinical gold standard: 75 mmol/L sodium, 1:1 sodium-to-glucose ratio, 245 mOsm/L. Per liter, not per stick — the benchmark other ORS formulas are judged against."
    },
    {
      "brand": "DIY",
      "product": "Homemade (salt + salt-substitute + water)",
      "slug": null,
      "buyable": false,
      "format": "Homemade",
      "sodium": 500,
      "potassium": 250,
      "magnesium": null,
      "calcium": null,
      "sugar": 0,
      "sweetener": "None (add sugar/honey for ORS use)",
      "formulaClass": "Reference",
      "certification": "n/a",
      "costPerServing": 0.05,
      "notes": "~1/4 tsp table salt + ~1/8 tsp potassium salt substitute in water. A few cents per serving; matches a mid-sodium commercial stick minus flavor and convenience."
    }
  ]
}