C4 Energy is certainly an explosive, sugar-free energy drink, but what exactly goes into it?
A 16 fl. oz can of C4 Energy Drink contains 200 mg of caffeine, zero calories, and is sugar-free. It also contains B-Vitamins and its very own proprietary ingredient blend of CarnoSyne and Beta-Alanine designed to improve your physical performance.
For a more in-depth look, read on to find out everything you need to know about C4’s ingredient composition, from its overall nutritional value, to what exactly goes into C4’s Explosive Performance Energy Blend.
Let’s get started…
C4 Energy Drink Nutrition Facts
First, let’s take a quick look at the nutritional facts of C4 Energy Drink.
| Nutritional Info | C4 Energy Drink (16fl.oz) |
| Energy | 0 |
| Total Carbohydrates (Sugars) | 0 (0) |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 30mg |
| Methylcobalamin (Vitamin B12) | 60µg |
| Potassium | 85mg |
How Many Calories Are In C4 Energy Drink?
C4 Energy Drink contains zero calories as it doesn’t have any sugar in the drink.
As a reminder, the recommended daily calorific limit for healthy young adults ranges from 2000 to 2400 calories for women and 2400 to 3000 calories for men.
The lack of calories in C4 means it won’t interfere with your diet or exercise routine, which is probably why it boasts itself as a pre-workout drink.
If you want to learn more about zero-calorie energy drinks and how they affect you, I’ve written an entire article on zero-calorie energy drinks, which you’ll definitely find helpful.
C4 Energy Drink Ingredients
For a better look at the contents of C4, here are all the ingredients in an easy-to-read list.
- Carbonated Water
- Citric Acid
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Potassium Sorbate
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Citrulline Malate
- CamoSyn® Beta-Alanine
- BetaPower® Betaine Anhydrous
- N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine
- Caffeine Anhydrous (200mg per can)
C4 Explosive Performance Energy Blend
C4 Energy Drink has its very own proprietary blend, consisting of a 6.73g mixture of the following ingredients:
- Citrulline Malate
- CamoSyn® Beta-Alanine
- BetaPower® Betaine Anhydrous
- N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine
- Caffeine Anhydrous
These ingredients supposedly assist in enhancing alertness and exercise performance, along with other general improvements.
However, with the exception of caffeine anhydrous (200mg), we don’t have the exact measurements of each ingredient that is included in the blend.
As such, without resorting to lab tests, it’s difficult to determine the effectiveness of C4’s proprietary blend.
Still, it’s worth figuring out what these ingredients do just to cover our bases.
Citrulline Malate
Citrulline Malate, or L-Citruline, is an amino acid found in food, most notably watermelon. It’s generally effective for exercise performance, especially when taken up to 7+ days and may decrease high blood pressure.
That said, you would need up to 2.4g to 5g of Citrulline Malate daily to see an improvement in exercise performance, so C4 Energy could have an adequate amount to assist with this.
We just don’t know the breakdown of the 6.73g of a proprietary blend, so it’s impossible to say for sure.
Considering caffeine is a pretty effective stimulant for exercise performance, it’s hard to say where the effectiveness of citrulline malate starts and ends in C4 Energy Drink.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t result in many health complications.
CamoSyn® Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid, commonly used for improving athletic performance and building lean muscle mass in younger adults, whilst also having a positive effect on older individuals.
Generally, a dosage of up to 2.4g to 6.4g for a period of 10 weeks would be necessary to see any athletic improvements.
Due to the fact that there’s caffeine in C4, you might not notice the effects of Beta-Alanine much in the beginning.
Still, with a high enough dosage of Beta-Alanine, it could provide a boost in exercise performance, although how much of it you can get from an energy drink is always debatable.
BetaPower® Betaine Anhydrous
Betaine Anhydrous is most commonly used for reducing blood homocysteine (a chemical used in many bodily processes) and for possible improved athletic performance.
Betaine seems to improve overall muscle power, according to this research article, and is possibly effective for symptoms of dry mouth.
Information on betaine’s dosage seems more closely tied to use with reducing blood homocysteine, so there’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to its dosage in energy drinks.
N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine
Tyrosine is an amino acid, with N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine being just another form of the said chemical.
Tyrosine supports working memory, mental flexibility, and information processing. Interestingly, it’s also able to counteract the effects of sleep deprivation, so it’s no surprise it finds itself in C4 Energy Drink.
Common dosings for tyrosine’s benefits range between 100mg to 300mg, so it’s believable that C4’s ingredient complex does contain enough to provide those benefits.
Caffeine Anhydrous
Caffeine anhydrous functions the same as regular caffeine when processed through the body, so when it comes to improving sports performance, both versions are practically the same.
How Much Caffeine Is In A Can of C4?
Each 16 fl. oz can of C4 Energy Drink has 200mg of caffeine.
With 200mg of caffeine, C4 Energy does rate a bit higher in terms of caffeinated energy drinks, which often have somewhere between 50 to 300mg of caffeine.
That being said, how much caffeine you find tolerable depends on your caffeine metabolism, so if you’re used to caffeinated beverages, 200mg should be no sweat.
That being said, I personally prefer to have between 50 to 100mg of caffeine per serving, which is enough to give me a nice boost, but not too much I might feel ill afterward.
So while 200mg of caffeine is more than I prefer, it’s still not too much that I would mind having it every once in a while if I need some extra energy.
As a reminder, the FDA approves a caffeine intake limit of no more than 400mg per day, as any more than that might lead to side effects such as:
- insomnia
- restlessness
- headaches
- stomachaches
- dizziness
- dehydration
- anxiety
While the maximum intake might vary from person to person, a 400mg hard cut-off is a pretty good start, so as long as you don’t go over that limit, you should be perfectly fine.
C4 Energy Sugar Content
You’ll be pleased to know that C4 is sugar-free, thus containing no sugar in its content.
Due to the lack of sugar in the C4 Energy Drink, the drink won’t severely affect your health. That said, if you were to consume 2 to 3 cans a day, it would be detrimental to your health as you would be consuming too much caffeine.
As a plus, you’ll also get to avoid going through a sugar crash after having C4, which is definitely a positive if you want to keep your energy levels up for an extended period of time.
Does C4 Energy Have Artificial Sweeteners?
C4 Energy does have artificial sweeteners, namely Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium.
Both sucralose and acesulfame potassium are zero-calorie sweeteners, which shouldn’t greatly affect the overall nutritional content of the drink.
While we still don’t know everything about artificial sweeteners, the FDA has approved them for general use, so as long as you have C4 in moderation as you should, you’re unlikely to suffer ill effects from sweeteners alone.
C4 Energy Drink Vitamin Content
In terms of B Vitamins, C4 Energy seems to have fewer B-Vitamins than most other energy drinks, as it only contains Vitamin B3 and Vitamin B12.
Here’s a short table of everything you need to know about the B-Vitamins in C4 Energy. While I’m at it, I’ll also link to a website where you can find out more about B-Vitamins and their effects.
Purpose | Amount per 16 fl.oz Of C4 Energy | Tolerable Upper Intake Level | |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | helps the body release energy keeps skin healthy | 43mg | 35mg |
| Vitamin B12 | release energy from food forms red blood cells keeps the nervous system healthy | 5.1µg | N/A |
How Much C4 Energy Drink Can I Have a Day?
| C4 Energy (16fl.oz) | Daily Max Limit (Female/Male) | |
| Calories | 0 calories | 2400 calories/3000 calories |
| Sugar | 0g | 25g / 36g |
| Caffeine | 200mg | 400mg |
I personally recommend that you have no more than one can of C4 Energy Drink per day due to the high amount of caffeine the drink contains.
As C4 is sugar-free, you don’t really have to worry about the nutritional implications of having too much sugar in your system.
However, you should still be mindful of the caffeine content. While you technically can have 2 cans of 16 fl. oz C4 Energy Drink, it will put you right on the 400mg daily limit, which isn’t exactly healthy.
So my advice is, to stick with one can, and only have two if absolutely necessary.
C4 Energy Drink Alternatives
C4 is a pretty good energy drink, but here are some alternatives if you feel like you need some variety in your life.
There are also powdered energy drinks, which are usually more cost-effective, along with being able to adjust the formula to whatever suits you best:
REIZE (10 out of 10)
REIZE is my all-time favourite energy drink.
It’s a convenient powdered energy drink that comes in a lightweight 4g sachet. With a sensible 50mg of caffeine, REIZE is completely sugar-free and has only 11 calories per serving.
REIZE also contains a smart blend of taurine, ginseng, and B-group vitamins, giving you the perfect amount of focus and energy without the sugar crash you might get from other sugar-filled energy drinks afterwards.
Best of all, you can get REIZE shipped straight to your door for only about $1 per drink.
That’s incredible value for money.
So try REIZE today, and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a smarter choice than C4 Energy.