Key Summary
- Prime Hydration’s UK revenues plummet 70% in a year,
- The brand declares end of “hyper-growth” and begins strategic review
- Competition, inflation, and regulatory pressure blamed for sharp decline
Prime, the influencer-led drink brand launched by YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul, has reported a dramatic drop in UK sales, signaling the end of its viral-fueled boom and prompting a shift toward long-term stabilisation.
Newly filed accounts show that Prime’s UK subsidiary saw its revenue plunge from £112 million in 2023 to just £33 million in 2024, a staggering 70 per cent fall.
While the company did manage to remain profitable, booking a modest £312,393, it admitted that its “hyper-growth phase” is now over.
In a statement, the business said it is “entering into a strategic review process” and aims to become a “more sustainable, long-term presence in the UK”.
It cited a mix of market saturation, increased competition, raw material price inflation, regulatory pressures, and shifting consumer preferences as key reasons behind the downturn.
Launched in 2022 with an unprecedented social media push, Prime became a runaway hit among younger consumers, with queues forming outside stores and product scarcity fueling a hype-driven frenzy, both in store and online.
Marketed as a sports and hydration drink, the brand was bolstered by celebrity endorsements including footballer Erling Haaland and NBA star Kevin Durant.
However, the brand has long drawn criticism for its appeal to children and high caffeine levels in some variants.
In the US, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer labelled the product “a cauldron of caffeine,” prompting wider scrutiny into its marketing and formulation.
This comes as quite a contrast from 18 months ago when scores of youngsters packed into grocery stores, stuffing their arms with bottles of brightly colored Prime. The drink, originally an electrolyte-spiked coconut water, expanded its offerings to include caffeine-loaded energy drinks.
Shortages of the brand in Britain forced smaller retailers to mark up the prices with some supermarket even implementing a limit of three bottles per customer.
Founded in January 2022, Prime was the brainchild of Paul, a 29-year-old influencer turned professional wrestler who boasts over 45 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, and KSI, a 30-year-old British boxer and entrepreneur with over 24 million YouTube subscribers.
