Prime drink frenzy empties shelves; schools ban over caffeine concerns

A surge in teenage demand for an influencer-backed hydration drink has emptied supermarket shelves across Australia and prompted multiple schools to ban the product from their campuses.

Prime Hydration, launched by US social media stars Logan Paul and KSI following their recent Australian tour, has created unprecedented shopping chaos. Footage from a Perth supermarket shows dozens of teenage shoppers racing through automatic doors as they open, desperate to secure bottles before stock runs out. Despite Woolworths imposing a strict five-bottle purchase limit, the drink sells out repeatedly, prompting shoppers to track restocking through a dedicated Twitter account and mobile app.

Prime Hydration contains 10 per cent coconut water, BCAAs, antioxidants and electrolytes — positioned as a sports and wellness drink. It has secured high-profile endorsements: official global sports drink status with the UFC and a partnership with English Premier League club Arsenal. Yet supply has struggled to keep pace with demand. Coles supermarket announced mid-week that it was "regretfully unable" to stock the product due to supply constraints, a statement that itself signals the scale of the phenomenon.

The real concern, however, centres on a separate Prime product: Prime Energy. This caffeinated variant packs 200 milligrams of caffeine per 355-millilitre can — a figure that is almost double Australia's legal maximum for energy drinks. Although Prime Energy is not currently sold in Australian stores, the knowledge of its extreme caffeine content has alarmed educators and parents.

Schools have responded swiftly. Queensland's Norris Road State School posted a Facebook message warning parents after students brought Prime drinks to school. "Please do not allow your children to bring these drinks to school," the statement read. The warning has echoed across the country — dozens of schools nationwide have posted similar alerts to parents via Facebook and other channels.

The Prime phenomenon reveals both the power of social media influencer marketing and the gap between commercial hype and regulatory oversight in Australia. Young consumers, driven by celebrity endorsements and social validation, created demand that supermarkets could not meet, while the existence of a high-caffeine variant exceeding Australian standards has raised broader public health questions. Whether the craze will sustain or fade as novelty wears off remains unclear, but its immediate impact on retail shelves and school policies is undeniable.