PRIME turned the reconciliation of Logan Paul and KSI into one of the fastest consumer-product launches of the creator era, then had to convert scarcity and spectacle into an enduring drinks business.
Logan Paul and KSI launched PRIME Hydration in January 2022, added Energy in January 2023 and expanded into powders and protein shakes. Their audiences supplied immediate awareness while retailers and sports partnerships made the product widely available. The creators also hold equity: a July 2026 federal order says each owns 20 percent of Prime Hydration.[1][2][3]
The launch produced extraordinary retail demand. PRIME reported $250 million of retail sales in 2022, and Bloomberg reported that the brand expected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2023. The sharp decline that followed in the UK shows the harder second act: building routine consumption after the initial rush to find, collect and display the bottle.[5][6][4]
- Paul ownership
- 20% Stated in a July 2026 federal court order
- KSI ownership
- 20% Same order; remaining cap table private
- 2024 UK turnover
- £32.9M Audited subsidiary result, down 70.7%
- 2023 global forecast
- >$1.2B Reported by Bloomberg in November 2023
The rivalry made the launch instantly legible
Paul and KSI had fought in 2018 and 2019. PRIME presented their reconciliation as a business story: two former rivals creating a product together. That supplied a simple narrative, two large audiences and a continuing stream of launch content.[1]
The original caffeine-free Hydration drink went on sale in the United States in January 2022. UK availability remained scarce enough that customers queued before stores opened, retailers limited purchases and bottles resold far above the £2 shelf price. The Washington Post reported teenagers paying to pose with empty bottles. The package and creator affiliation had become part of the product's value.[5]
Energy followed in January 2023 through large US chains and PRIME's own store. The original 12-ounce can contained 200mg of caffeine, zero sugar and 10 calories. Its near-matching identity later became central to questions about whether parents and children could distinguish it from the caffeine-free line.[7][16]
A four-founder operating model
Paul and KSI are equity owners as well as promoters. A July 2026 federal court order states that each owns 20 percent of Prime Hydration. Congo Brands founders Max Clemons and Trey Steiger are the operating founders and ultimate controlling parties through their majority shareholding.[3][4]
Logan Paul
Co-creator, promoter and minority owner.
KSI
Co-creator, promoter and minority owner.
Max Clemons and Trey Steiger
Operating founders and majority holders.
The division of labour is central to PRIME. Paul and KSI supply audience, storytelling and constant public promotion. Clemons, Steiger and Congo Brands handle product development, distribution, wholesale and partnerships. The creators made the launch legible; the operators turned it into a packaged-goods company.[8][3]
A retail business with outsourced production
PRIME sells through supermarkets, mass merchants, convenience chains, nutrition retailers and its own store, while using outside manufacturers to make the drinks. This asset-light model let the company expand quickly across retailers and countries.[2][4]
A production dispute with Refresco shows the risk of scaling supply around viral demand. Refresco says PRIME and Congo committed to a custom bottling line and minimum volumes in 2023, then withdrew before the line produced a bottle. PRIME contests liability. Whatever the court outcome, the dispute captures the operating challenge created when launch demand is projected years into the future.[9]
Creator promotion is the third operating layer. Paul has described a leadership group chat discussing PRIME daily, while sports rights and retail visibility extend the brand beyond the founders' own channels.[3][15]
One hydration line became a functional-drinks range
PRIME's current US store presents seven product families. Hydration and Energy remain the principal lines, with powders, zero-sugar extensions and protein shakes widening the company into more of the functional-drinks aisle.[2][7]
Hydration
Caffeine-free bottled drink currently marketed with zero added sugar, 25 calories and 10 percent coconut water.
Hydration+ Sticks
Powdered version of the hydration range for mixing with water.
Energy
Caffeinated, sugar-free energy drink. The original US 12-ounce can contained 200mg caffeine.
ZERO Hydration
Zero-sugar, caffeine-free bottled hydration range marketed without artificial dyes.
Rapid Rehydration
Powder sticks marketed with more than 1,000mg of electrolytes and no caffeine.
Shake
Ready-to-drink protein shake range.
Shake + Creatine
Lactose-free shake marketed with 32g protein and 3g creatine per serving.
The expansion creates more shelves and use cases. It also brings different incumbents into view. Hydration competes with Gatorade, Powerade, Bodyarmor and Electrolit. Energy competes with Red Bull, Monster, Celsius and Alani Nu. Protein shakes add established sports-nutrition brands. The creator audience can introduce each line, but formulation, regulation and repeat-purchase requirements change by category.
From hypergrowth to a demand reset
PRIME's early sales claims describe the scale of the launch. A company spokesperson reported $250 million of global retail sales in 2022, and the business expected to exceed $1.2 billion in 2023. Regional records then show how quickly demand cooled in one of its most visible markets.[5][6]
Prime Hydration UK turnover fell from £112.3 million in 2023 to £32.9 million in 2024. Gross profit fell from £21.6 million to £3.2 million, and the directors described a shift from hypergrowth toward a sustainable market presence. NIQ also recorded a steep decline in UK retail sales through 2025.[4][11][10]
The UK record does not describe the whole private group, but it establishes that launch scarcity did not translate automatically into stable demand. PRIME's wider product range is an attempt to create more occasions for routine purchase after the collectible moment passed.
Sponsorships turned the bottle into media
UFC named PRIME its official global sports drink in January 2023. FC Barcelona announced a three-season hydration partnership that July. WWE made PRIME its exclusive official hydration drink in March 2024 and gave it the first centre-ring brand placement at major events. The bottle became a recurring piece of sports and entertainment inventory, not merely a product shown in creator videos.[13][12][15]
The partnerships also show how the strategy changes over time. Barcelona's announced term covered three seasons ending in 2026, and UFC appointed KNOX as its hydration partner outside the United States in January 2026. PRIME's most durable sports property is WWE, where the centre-ring placement turns every broadcast into product exposure.[12][14][15]
Licensed bottles and athlete editions can be drinks, collectibles and pieces of fan affiliation at once. That mechanism helped PRIME spread quickly. It can also make demand episodic, tied to a flavour drop, founder appearance or sponsorship moment rather than routine consumption.
The next test is repeat demand
Paul and KSI remain a distribution advantage. They can introduce flavours and products to large audiences, explain them repeatedly and turn availability into entertainment. That advantage is strongest at launch; the business now needs products that consumers keep buying when scarcity and founder spectacle are no longer new.
PRIME's move into powders, zero-sugar hydration and protein extends the brand into more everyday use cases. Its next phase will be defined by whether those lines create a stable functional-drinks company, rather than by another peak sales claim.