Household Ingredients Compared  ›  Energy Drinks (Singapore)

Energy drinks: what's actually in it?

Energy drinks are not one recipe. The usual pattern is carbonated water + sugar or sweeteners + caffeine + taurine + B vitamins, with ginseng, guarana, inositol and glucuronolactone added in some brands. The differences that matter on the label are: sugar vs sugar-free (sucrose/glucose vs erythritol/sucralose/acesulfame K/aspartame), which stimulants are listed (caffeine alone, or caffeine plus guarana/ginseng), and whether the list you are reading is the Singapore pack at all — the same brand name is sold in different formulations in different markets, and several Singapore listings publish only a short summary instead of a full pack list.

This page covers energy drinks sold in Singapore — canned/bottled carbonated and non-carbonated energy drinks, including sugar-free/zero variants as separate rows. It does not cover isotonic/sports drinks (see the isotonic-drinks page), vitamin drinks without caffeine/taurine, coffee-based energy drinks, or energy gels/powders. This page does not give a health score or a "best" pick.

The headline, in 30 seconds

At a glance

ProductTypeFirst ingredientAdded sugar / sweetenerCaffeine / taurine as printedPack size (as printed)Country of manufacture (as printed)
Monster Energy Can Drink — Taurine + Ginseng Root Extract (Original)Energy drink, with sugarCarbonated waterSucrose (2nd), glucose (3rd); also sucraloseBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved FairPrice section473mlUSA
Monster Energy Can Drink — Absolute ZeroEnergy drink, zero sugar / zero calorieCarbonated waterNo sugar; erythritol, sucralose, acesulfame potassiumBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved FairPrice section473mlUSA
Monster Energy Can Drink — Ultra SunriseEnergy drink, zero sugarWaterNo sugar listed; erythritol, sucralose, acesulfame potassiumBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved FairPrice section355mlnot stated
Monster Energy Ultra Fantasy Ruby RedEnergy drink, sugar-freeCarbonated waterNo sugar; erythritol, sucraloseBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved retailer listnot statednot stated
Red Bull Energy Drink (Original)Energy drink, with sugar — OFF world entry, flagged, not SG packCarbonated waterSugar, glucoseBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved OFF entry250mlnot stated
Red Bull Energy Can Drink — Sugar FreeEnergy drink, sugar-free — FairPrice abbreviated list, flaggedNot stated in order (abbreviated list)No sugar; aspartame, acesulfame KBoth listed; amount not stated in retrieved FairPrice section250mlAustria

Panelled with verbatim lists: 6 products. Seen-but-not-verified: see the list below — it is long, because most of the Singapore energy-drink shelf was not verified in this pass. The Red Bull original row and the Red Bull Sugar Free row are panelled only with the flags stated in their cards; neither is a verified full SG pack transcription.

Prices are deliberately not shown here: they change weekly and would go stale. This site compares ingredients only.

Monster — sugar and sugar-free, from FairPrice Singapore

Monster Energy Can Drink — Taurine + Ginseng Root Extract (Original, 473ml)

Pack size: 473ml · Made in: USA (as printed)

Ingredients (FairPrice ingredient section): Carbonated Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Citric Acid, Natural Flavours, Taurine, Sodium Citrate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Caffeine, Sorbic Acid, Sucralose, Colour (Grape Skin Extract), Niacinamide (Bt B3), Sodium Chloride, Benzoic Acid, Inositol, Guarana Seed Extract, D-glucuronolactone, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit B6), Riboflavin (Vit B2), Cyanocobalamin (Vit B12). The caffeinated taurine drink contains the artificial sweetening agent: Sucralose.

FairPrice lists country of origin as USA. Sugar is the load-bearing sweetener here — sucrose second, glucose third — and sucralose is also present, so this is not a "sugar-only" list. Ginseng and guarana are both listed, as are inositol and D-glucuronolactone. With sugar Caffeine listed Taurine listed Ginseng + guarana Origin: USA (FairPrice)

Monster Energy Can Drink — Absolute Zero (473ml)

Pack size: 473ml · Made in: USA (as printed)

Ingredients (FairPrice ingredient section): Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Erythritol, Natural Flavours, Taurine, Sodium Citrate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Caffeine, Sorbic Acid, Sucralose, Colour Added (Grape Skin Extract), Niacinamide (Bt B3), Sodium Chloride, Acesulfame Potassium, Benzoic Acid, Glucuronolactone, Guarana Seed Extract, Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit B6), Riboflavin (Vit B2), Cyanocobalamin (Vit B12). The caffeinated taurine drink contains the artificial sweetening agents: Sucralose, acesulfame potassium.

FairPrice lists country of origin as USA, and describes it as zero calories and zero sugar. The sweetening system is erythritol + sucralose + acesulfame potassium, with no sucrose or glucose. Otherwise the backbone — taurine, ginseng, caffeine, guarana, inositol, glucuronolactone, B vitamins — mirrors the Original. Zero sugar Zero calorie (brand/FairPrice) Caffeine listed Taurine listed Origin: USA (FairPrice)

Monster Energy Can Drink — Ultra Sunrise (355ml)

Pack size: 355ml · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (FairPrice ingredient section, as retrieved): Water, Erythritol, Carbon Dioxide, Lemon Pulp, Flavouring, Citric Acid, Taurine, Calcium Lactate, Ginseng Extract, L-Carnitine, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Sucralose (Sweetener), Trisodium Citrate, Tea Extract (Green Tea), Caffeine, Niacin, Acesulfame Potassium (Sweetener), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Refined Salt, Inositol, Guarana Extract, Dextrin, Vitamin B6 Hydrochloride, Beta-Carotene (Colouring), Vitamin B12.

Zero sugar, described by FairPrice as a zero-sugar orange blend. This list reads differently from the other two Monster lists — water (not carbonated water) first, lemon pulp, calcium lactate, L-carnitine, green-tea extract and beta-carotene — so do not assume the Ultra range shares the Original/Absolute Zero list. Flag: the list is quoted exactly as retrieved from the FairPrice listing; its wording (e.g. "Lemon Pulp", "Caffeine" spelt as retrieved in the source index) should be checked against the SG can before publish. Zero sugar Caffeine listed Taurine listed L-carnitine

Monster Energy Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red

Pack size: not stated · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (The Candy Store, Singapore, as retrieved): Carbonated Water, Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate), Sweeteners (Erythritol, Sucralose), Taurine, Flavours, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate), Caffeine, Vitamins (Niacin B3, B5, B6, B12), Stabiliser (Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin), D-Glucuronolactone, Guarana Seed Extract, Inositol, Colours (Allura Red AC, Sunset Yellow FCF).

A sugar-free citrus Ultra variant sold in Singapore through The Candy Store (specialty/import retailer, not a supermarket). The retailer notes high caffeine content and that it is not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women, or people sensitive to caffeine — that is the retailer's note, not a panelled pack warning. Flag: SG supermarket availability was not verified in this pass; this is a specialty-retailer SG listing, not a FairPrice/Cold Storage shelf claim. Zero sugar Sugar-free citrus Caffeine listed Taurine listed

Red Bull — flagged, not a verified SG pack list

Red Bull Energy Drink (Original) — Open Food Facts world entry, NOT an SG pack

Pack size: 250ml · Made in: not stated (as printed)

Ingredients (Open Food Facts, world entry, secondary): Carbonated water, sugar, glucose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate, colors, caffeine, niacinamide, pyridoxine HCl (vitamin B6), calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12.

Flag — do not treat this as the Singapore can's list. No full SG FairPrice ingredient section for the original Red Bull was retrieved in this pass. The list above is the Open Food Facts world entry for a 250ml Red Bull; it is panelled here only as a flagged secondary reference so the classic sugar/glucose recipe is visible, with its source strength stated. The SG can (FairPrice/Shopee SG list it, origin Austria in some listings) still needs a pack photo. The Shopee SG description for a 24×250ml case states 11g sugars per 100ml and 80mg caffeine per 250ml can — that is a seller description, not a panelled pack list, and it is not quoted as one. With sugar Caffeine listed Taurine listed OFF world — not SG pack

Red Bull Energy Can Drink — Sugar Free — FairPrice abbreviated list, flagged

Pack size: 250ml · Made in: Austria (as printed)

Ingredients (FairPrice ingredient section, as published — abbreviated): Caffeine, Taurine, B-Group Vitamins, Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Alpine Spring Water.

Flag — this is not a full pack list. FairPrice publishes only these six items for this product, in this order, with no carbonated water, acids, preservatives or flavourings. That reads as a summary of the functional ingredients, not a verbatim pack transcription, so it is panelled only as "what FairPrice publishes", not as "what the can says". A second source (Desertcart Singapore, US listing) gives a fuller sugar-free list — carbonated water, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate, colors, caffeine, aspartame, acesulfame K, xanthan gum, niacinamide, pyridoxine HCl, calcium pantothenate, vitamin B12 — but that is a non-SG listing and is not panelled as the SG can. FairPrice lists origin as Austria, energy 3 kcal and sugars 0g per 100ml (see Nutrition). Sugar-free Caffeine listed Taurine listed Aspartame + acesulfame K Abbreviated list — full pack needed

Seen but not verified — do not panel until checked

Nutrition — what the numbers say

All figures in the table are as sold, per 100 ml, where the source gives per-100 ml figures. Per-serving-only figures are labelled as such and are not converted. Sugars are total sugars as printed, not added sugars, unless the source states added sugars. No official Singapore Nutri-Grade (A–D) was found printed on any energy-drink listing retrieved in this pass, so none is quoted here; no grade has been assigned.

Salt and sodium: salt = sodium × 2.5. The table shows sodium as printed (in mg) with the salt equivalent in brackets. No sodium figure was retrieved for any panelled product in this pass, so no salt equivalent is calculated anywhere on this page — sodium is "not stated", not zero, not estimated.

Total vs added sugars: Singapore packs list total sugars, not added sugars. A total-sugars figure is never labelled here as "added sugar". The ingredient list remains the evidence for added sugar (sucrose, glucose, sugar) versus sweeteners (erythritol, sucralose, acesulfame K, aspartame).

FairPrice nutrition sections take precedence where retrieved; Open Food Facts is a community database and is flagged as secondary where used. Figures marked "not stated" were not in the source retrieved; they are not estimated, borrowed from another variant, or copied across flavours. In particular, the Monster Original energy figure is not copied onto Absolute Zero or Ultra Sunrise, and the Red Bull Sugar Free sugars figure is not copied onto the original Red Bull.

ProductBasisEnergyProteinTotal fatSaturated fatCarbohydrateSugarsSodium (salt equiv.)
Monster Energy Can Drink — OriginalPer 100 ml, as sold (FairPrice nutrition section, partial)50 kcalnot statednot statednot statednot statednot statednot stated
Monster Energy Can Drink — Absolute ZeroPer 100 ml, as sold (FairPrice nutrition section, partial)3 kcalnot statednot statednot statednot statednot statednot stated
Red Bull Energy Can Drink — Sugar FreePer 100 ml, as sold (FairPrice nutrition section, partial)3 kcalnot statednot statednot statednot stated0 gnot stated

Observed numbers, no verdict: Monster Original lists 50 kcal per 100 ml, Monster Absolute Zero lists 3 kcal per 100 ml, and Red Bull Sugar Free lists 3 kcal and 0 g sugars per 100 ml. No other per-100 ml figure was verified in this pass for any panelled product. Caffeine and taurine amounts in mg are not in this table: none was stated in the FairPrice ingredient/nutrition sections retrieved for the panelled products, and the 80 mg caffeine / 800 mg taurine figures in the garbled Red Bull Pineapple Lemon text and the 80 mg caffeine figure in a Shopee SG seller description are not panelled figures.

Seen but not verified (nutrition): no per-100 ml nutrition panel was verified in this pass for Monster Ultra Sunrise, Monster Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red, Red Bull Energy Drink (Original), or any product in seen-but-not-verified (Red Bull 25% Less Sugar, Red Bull Pineapple Lemon Sparkling, Red Bull Kratingdaeng, Monster Ultra white, Monster Ultra Rosa, Monster Pipeline Punch, STING Berry Blast, STING Gold Rush, Carabao Original, Rockstar, Shark, M-150, Lipovitan, Celsius). Their ingredient panels (where panelled) are unchanged; their nutrition figures are not estimated here.

How to read an energy drink label — the jargon, in plain English

Caffeine
A stimulant, listed as an ingredient. The amount in mg per can is usually on the pack or in the nutrition/claims section — if the source you are reading does not state it, do not borrow another market's figure.
Taurine
An amino-sulfonic acid added to most energy drinks. It is listed by name; the amount (often 800–1000 mg per can in some markets) is pack-specific and is not assumed here.
Ginseng / guarana
Plant extracts added for the "energy blend" claim. Guarana itself contains caffeine, so a drink listing both caffeine and guarana extract may contain caffeine from both sources — the label's total caffeine figure, where printed, is the one to use.
Inositol / D-glucuronolactone / L-carnitine
Other "energy blend" ingredients in Monster's lists. They are not sweeteners, caffeine or taurine — they are part of the brand's blend, and their presence differs by variant (L-carnitine appears in Ultra Sunrise, not in Original/Absolute Zero as retrieved).
Erythritol / sucralose / acesulfame K (acesulfame potassium) / aspartame
Sweeteners used instead of sugar in zero/sugar-free drinks. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol; sucralose, acesulfame K and aspartame are intense sweeteners. Aspartame is a source of phenylalanine — the UK Carabao list states this explicitly, and it is why aspartame-containing drinks carry that warning on the pack.
E150d / caramel, grape skin extract, Allura Red AC, Sunset Yellow FCF, beta-carotene
Colours. Grape skin extract colours Monster Original/Absolute Zero; Allura Red AC and Sunset Yellow FCF colour Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red; beta-carotene colours Ultra Sunrise. Their presence is a marker of a flavoured/coloured drink, not of juice content — none of the panelled drinks lists fruit juice.
"Zero sugar" vs "sugar-free" vs "25% less sugar"
Zero sugar / sugar-free means no sugar is listed as an ingredient (sweeteners do the sweetening instead). "25% less sugar" means less sugar than the original — sugar is still in the drink. Check the ingredient list, not just the front-of-can claim.
Kratingdaeng vs Red Bull
Kratingdaeng (Krating Daeng) is the Thai original, sold in Singapore as a separate product (150ml bottles, Thailand origin). It is not the same product as the Austrian Red Bull Energy Drink can, and its list must not be copied across.

What this page is not

Sources and method

Checked 5–6 November 2026 from: FairPrice ingredient/nutrition sections (Monster Original, Monster Absolute Zero, Monster Ultra Sunrise, Red Bull Sugar Free, Red Bull 25% Less Sugar, Red Bull Pineapple Lemon Sparkling, Red Bull Kratingdaeng — search-indexed pages; direct page fetches failed with a local worker error, so the search-index text is the source as retrieved, with garbled/truncated text flagged rather than cleaned up); The Candy Store Singapore (Monster Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red, Monster Ultra Rosa); Shopee Singapore seller descriptions (Red Bull 24×250ml case, Carabao Original 250ml, Monster Pipeline Punch, STING Vietnam/Thailand stock — descriptions only, truncated where stated, not panelled as verbatim lists); Open Food Facts world entry (Red Bull original, secondary, flagged non-SG) and Open Food Facts entry for STING Gold Rush (fragment only, not panelled); MiddleClass SG launch article on STING Energy Boost in Singapore (October 2026, flavours and contents summary only). Rate-limit gap: a second search batch (Red Bull original SG, Rockstar, Shark/M-150/Lipovitan, Celsius, FairPrice energy-drink category) returned 429 Too Many Requests on 5 November 2026 and was not retried in this pass. Full per-fact source list is in the accompanying research notes. Nutrition section added 5–6 November 2026: figures are standardised to per 100 ml where the source gives per-100 figures; per-serving-only figures are labelled as such and are not converted; sugars are total sugars as printed, not added sugars, unless the source states added sugars; salt = sodium × 2.5 (no sodium retrieved, so no salt equivalent is calculated). Where a full pack list could not be verified, the product is in seen-but-not-verified instead of being panelled.