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Celsius Vs. Red Bull (Unbiased Opinion)

While Red Bull is the undeniable king of the energy drink market, Celsius is probably the most prominent fitness energy drink/pre-workout out there.

With things being the way they are, it is only natural that people would start comparing the two.

So, which one is better?

To answer that question shortly: It depends on many factors, the biggest one being each consumer’s lifestyle and personal preference.

If you want a thorough guide to help you decide between the two energy drink behemoths, you have come to the right place. I will take a look at the ingredients, nutrition facts, and other aspects to see which drink is better suited for which lifestyle.

Shall we begin?

Caffeine in Celsius and Red Bull

coffee beans
Caffeine is a primary ingredient in energy drinks.

There’s no better way to start this comparison than by comparing the caffeine contents of the two brands since caffeine is the main ingredient in an energy drink.

Red Bull has a moderate 80mg of caffeine in each 8.4 fl.oz can, while Celsius has a whopping 200-300mg of caffeine per 12 fl.oz can, depending on the variation.

It may seem that Celsius wins right off the bat thanks to its higher caffeine content, but let’s not be hasty.

The first thing to note about the two brands’ caffeine contents is that both occupy different niches. Red Bull is for more casual uses, while Celsius is designed for workouts and such. So, the 80mg of Red Bull is more than enough for most people looking to push through a lazy day or a study session, but it might not be enough of a boost to help during a workout.

On the other hand, Celsius, with its higher caffeine, is excellent for working out. It can help you push harder and longer and achieve your fitness goals. But it could be too stimulating for a more casual use case.

The other thing to consider is the caffeine metabolism and tolerance of the consumer in question, which is the rate at which our body breaks down caffeine and the body’s resistance to the stimulant, respectively.

Individuals with lower caffeine tolerance will find that Celsius makes them jittery and anxious, while Red Bull gives a just right boost. However, people with higher sensitivity probably won’t be satisfied with the ‘wings’ that Red Bull gives and would opt for the stronger boost in Celsius.

Whichever you choose, keep in mind that the safe limit for caffeine is 400mg daily, and going over that will have some side effects, which we’ll discuss later on.

Celsius and Red Bull’s Nutritional Facts

I’ve prepared a chart detailing the nutritional values for both Red Bull and Celsius below:

Nutrients Red Bull (8.4 fl.oz)Celsius (12 fl.oz)
Calories11710
Total Fat 0.2g2g
Saturated fat
Cholesterol 
Sodium 98mg0g
Potassium 7.7mg
Total Carbohydrate 28g2g
Dietary fiber 0g
Sugar 26g0g
Protein 0.6g
Caffeine 80mg200mg
Comparison: Nutritional facts of Celsius and Red Bull.

If you just look at the nutritional label, Celsius would obviously be the healthier choice if not for its high caffeine content.

Ingredients: Celsius and Red Bull

Celsius Energy actually comes in four different product lines, so I’ll be listing the ingredients for all of them below:

Celsius Originals (12 fl.oz)

  • Carbonated water
  • 200mg Caffeine 
  • 1.7mg Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
  • 20mg Niacin (Vitamin B3)
  • 10mg Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
  • 2mg Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) 
  • 300mcg Biotin (Vitamin B7)
  • 6mcg Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) 
  • 60mg Vitamin C
  • 50mg Calcium
  • 50mcg Chromium
  • Citric acid
  • Sucralose
  • Natural flavor 
  • Fruit & Vegetable juices

Celsius Naturals (12 fl.oz)

  • Carbonated water
  • 200mg Caffeine
  • 2g Dietary fiber
  • 1.7mg Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
  • 20mg Niacin (Vitamin B3)
  • 10mg Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
  • 2mg Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
  • 300mcg Biotin (Bitamin B7)
  • 6mcg Cobalamin (Vitamin B12)
  • 60mg Vitamin C
  • 51mg Calcium
  • 50mcg Chromium
  • 5mg Codium
  • Erythritol
  • Citric acid
  • Natural flavor
  • Stevia Rebaudiana leaf extract
  • Vegetable juice

Along with the ingredients mentioned above, all of Celsius’ products have the MetaPlus Proprietary Blend, which contains the following:

  • Caffeine
  • Taurine
  • Glucuronolactone
  • Guarana
  • Green tea extract
  • Ginger extract

Celsius has a diverse cast of ingredients in all of its products and all of them contribute to your health in one way or another.

Red Bull Ingredients

An 8.4 fl.oz can of Red Bull contains the following ingredients:

  • Carbonated Water
  • Caffeine
  • Sucrose
  • Glucose
  • Citric Acid
  • Taurine
  • Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
  • Pyridoxine HCL (Vitamin B6)
  • Vitamin B12
  • Sodium Bicarbonate
  • Magnesium Carbonate
  • Calcium Pantothenate
  • Colors
  • Natural and artificial flavors

Red Bull has a more traditional ingredients list but it still gets the job done quite nicely.

Celsius Vs. Red Bull: Vitamins and Extracts

Here’s a quick comparison of the Vitamins in both Red Bull and Celsius

VitaminCelsiusRed Bull
Vitamin B21.7mg
Vitamin B320mg22mg
Vitamin B510mg5.05mg
Vitamin B62mg5.05mg
Vitamin B7300mcg
Vitamin B126mcg5.1 mcg
Vitamin C60mg
Vitamins in Celsius and Red Bull.

I’m afraid Celsius has Red Bull beat when it comes to the number of Vitamins present. Red Bull doesn’t have Vitamin B2, B7, and Vitamin C

Apart from these vitamins, Celsius also has a bunch of healthy extracts that help improve your physical and mental performance.

I’ll briefly explain some of these extracts’ benefits and possible side effects:

ExtractBenefitsSide Effects
Guarana extractFights fatigue and stress while keeping you alert. Is also an antioxidant.Similar to those from caffeine, but only manifest in very high doses.
Green tea extractIs a strong antioxidant that promotes heart and skin health, and can also help with weight loss. No significant side effects.
Ginger ExtractCan help prevent diabetes and heart diseases, while also helping with weight loss and indigestion.Irritation in mouth or throat, diarrhea, heartburn etc.
Benefits of the extracts in Celsius’ MetaPlus blend.

Although these extracts have significant health benefits, it wouldn’t be fair to say Celsius is superior to Red Bull just because of this. You see, Celsius hasn’t revealed the exact quantities of the natural extracts in their MetaPlus blend, so we have no way of knowing if they are actually in a significant dose.


Another reason why this isn’t a deciding factor is that we can get most Vitamins and Minerals from a balanced and nutritious diet, so there isn’t any need to have them in an energy drink.

Calories In Celsius And Red Bull

Red Bull has 117 calories in an 8.4 fl.oz can, while Celsius is almost calorie-free with ten calories.

Calories are the energy that is gained from eating food or drink. They are the fuel that our bodies burn to function. When we consume more calories than we burn, our bodies store that extra energy in fat, which can cause weight gain over time.

I’m getting at whether Red Bull or Celsius is the best fit for you depends a lot on your lifestyle.

Celsius is devoid of calories, making it an excellent option for many people. For example, you could be trying to cut down on the calories in your diet, or you could be looking to lose weight.

In such situations, it would make sense to choose an energy drink that doesn’t add to the number of calories in your diet.

Red Bull, however, is great for people who don’t like to eat so much or for people who have a very active lifestyle.

In both cases, the calories in Red Bull will significantly help you out because, for the former, it would help them reach their calorific requirement, while for the latter, it would give them extra energy to burn through the day.

At any rate, while you don’t have to worry about stocking up on calories while drinking Celsius, you may have to keep track of your diet if you regularly consume Red Bull. Like I said earlier, ingesting too many calories causes you to gain weight, which is a source of many health problems.

If you’re a fan of Red Bull but don’t want the added calories, you should try out Red Bull Zero.

Sugar In Celsius And Red Bull

Celsius is free of sugar, while Red Bull is loaded with 26 grams of sugar in each can.

The daily limit for sugar intake is 24 grams for women, while it is 36 grams for men, as suggested by the AHA.

You can probably guess what I’ll be saying next. Red Bull has way too much sugar in it, so much so that the sugar from just one can surpass the daily sugar limit for women. Even for men, it covers two-thirds of their recommended intake, which is concerning because many people eat a ton of sugar apart from energy drinks.

So the only realistic way of staying healthy while consuming Red Bull is by forgoing almost all of the sugar in your diet.

And Red Bull is not even an option for people with high blood sugar or diabetes.

On the other hand, Celsius is entirely free of sugar and is therefore safe for almost everyone. You can eat sugary foods and drink a can of Celsius while not worrying. Celsius uses both natural and artificial alternatives to sugar like Stevia leaf extract or Sucralose, all of which are much safer than sugar.

Oh, and did I mention the sugar crash? When you eat sugar, it gives you a temporary reserve of “fake” energy, but when that sugar leaves your system, it leaves you more tired and sluggish than you were before. This is called a sugar crash, and it is something that you can fall victim to if you drink sugary drinks like Red Bull. You can avoid this if you choose Celsius.

Or if you feel like sticking to Red Bull, there’s also a sugar-free version available.

Side Effects Of Celsius And Red Bull

fatigue
Overconsumption of energy drinks leads to fatigue and other detrimental side effects.

Like all things, energy drinks have their share of side effects that can manifest themselves if you’re not careful enough. In this section, I’ll tell you guys the possible side effects of both Celsius and Red Bull.

Let’s start with Celsius:

Side Effects Of Celsius Energy

Since Celsius is sugar-free and has only ten calories, it is relatively safe in those respects.

But the caffeine in each of its cans is relatively high, i.e., 200 milligrams per 12 fl.oz; this is half of the recommended daily caffeine intake, and should be consumed with care.

Going over the 400mg caffeine limit can have some of the following effects:

  • Restlessness
  • Anxiety
  • Dehydration
  • Diarrhea
  • Insomnia
  • Irregular heartbeat

I highly advise you to keep your caffeine consumption in check and avoid drinking more than one Celsius in a day. People sensitive to caffeine should probably find another energy drink that doesn’t have as much caffeine in it.

You could be allergic to some of the ingredients in Celsius Energy, so it is better to thoroughly check the list of ingredients before adding them to your life.

Now, onto Red Bull.

Red Bull’s Side Effects

Red Bull is a pretty loaded energy drink. It has 26 grams of sugar and 117 calories in every 8.4 fl.oz serving.

These things aren’t too concerning if you’re keeping your calories and sugar consumption in control or if you’re using the Zero or Sugar-free versions. But you can’t drink more than one can of Red Bull daily. It is okay every once in a while, but you will still have to cut down on sugar for a few days to make up for the excess sugar.

If you’re regularly ingesting more than the recommended amount of sugar, then you are at going to have to risk dealing with some of these issues:

  • Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
  • Higher chances of obesity
  • Risk of certain heart diseases
  • Sugar addiction
  • Teeth decay
  • Skin problems
  • Irritability
  • Dampened mood or depression

Consuming a surplus of calories over long periods can also cause you to become obese, which opens up an entire world of problems:

  • Heart problems
  • High blood pressure and cholesterol
  • Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes
  • Higher chances of getting several types of cancer
  • Worsening in the quality of one’s life
  • Trouble moving about
  • Worsened mental state, depression, anxiety, loss in cognitive ability
  • Breathing problems

In contrast to Celsius, Red Bull has a very reasonable amount of caffeine in it, but it can still add up pretty quickly if you’re drinking multiple cans along with other sources of caffeine.

Like Celsius, or pretty much any food or beverage, it is better to check the list of ingredients for anything you might be allergic to.

Below is a video that cites other consequences of overconsuming energy drinks.

Alternatives to Celsius And Red Bull

Here are some alternatives if you feel like neither Celsius nor Red Bull works for you:

Conclusion

In the end, whether you should drink Celsius or Red Bull does boil down to your lifestyle.

You can indeed make Red Bull a part of your life if you’re active enough to burn off the extra calories and keep a close eye on your sugar consumption. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t like going to the trouble of tracking their diet, Red Bull might not be for you.

On the other hand, Celsius is safe for almost everyone except for people with low caffeine tolerance and particular allergies.

And of course, the most significant deciding factor when it comes to choosing energy drinks is taste, but since that is wholly a matter of personal preference, I figured I shouldn’t make any comments on that.

So, which one will you go for?

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