🔌Review - Alani Nu

🔌Review - Alani Nu - Orange Kiss

Founded in 2018 by fitness influencer Katy Hearn and her husband Haydn Schneider, Alani Nu (part of parent company Congo Brands which also owns PRIME hydration) sought to disrupt an energy drink category historically dominated by masculine branding and marketed almost exclusively towards young men. Alani's marketing features bright and vibrant color palettes while prominently featuring women and more traditionally female activities. The vibes-based plan complete with abundant influencer marketing and wellness adjacent value-prop seems to have gained traction with the brand surpassing $1billion in global sales for fiscal 2025. Beyond energy drinks, Alani Nu also has pre-workout, shakes, snacks, and energy stick offerings.

Orange Kiss débuted in 2024 as a permanent addition to the standing Alani Lineup, seeking to provide a more acidic take on orange flavor while avoiding the syrup and sticky sweetness of full-sugar sodas.

🛒Price: $16.59 for 12-cans, note this reflects a national promo and $6 off discount at Costco. In general, I believe them to be on the higher end of per can pricing, particularly when considered per ounce.

✨Calories: 10, 12oz. can

🍵Caffeine: 200mg, slightly more than a cup of coffee

👅Flavor: Mouthfeel is effervescent and has a good acid bite. I get a substantial amount of mandarin orange, clementine, and a dash of apricot. The overall flavor is very candy adjacent, more so than juice. There is some tangible minerality towards the finish which is not uncommon in energy beverages. While the initially high acid-to-sweetness ratio provides some respite, the overall experience primarily emphasizes sweetness.

🧪Ingredients: Gluten Free (haven't seen an energy drink that isn't), Vegan (again, pretty much all energy drinks are), and including Biotin (finally something interesting) which helps with overall energy levels, gene regulation, nervous function, and production of keratin which is used in nails/hair/skin (though science has questions about its effectiveness outside of niche conditions).

Sweeteners: Sucralose & Acesulfame Potassium (Zero Erythritol Blend).
Energy & Nootropic Blend: Caffeine Anhydrous (200mg), L-Theanine (200mg), Taurine, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, Panax Ginseng, Glucuronolactone, and Inositol.
B-Vitamins: B3 (110% DV), B5 (110% DV), B6 (110% DV), B7 (100% DV), and B12 (110% DV).

Citric Acid & Sodium Citrate create the sharp orange bite and helps controls pH/acidic profile. Vitamin values are around DV amounts and less than some competitors.

🏆Rating: 3 - Good - Overall it's decent, lighter of body than some other orange beverages I've reviewed but the overall experience is surpassed by other options. Too much candy and an acidity that quickly fades. I prefer when orange is juice rather than Wonka, but you may feel otherwise.

⚖️Scale:

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