Kim Kardashian has sparked a frenzy after releasing an energy drink in Australia, with fans already reporting the product is “sold out”, despite only just hitting shelves.
Kim partnered with Alani Nutrition to create Kimade, a strawberry-lemonade flavoured caffeinated drink which was initially released in the US back in July.
Now the product has landed on our shores, being sold for $4.50 in Woolworths stores across the country.
Packaged in a bubblegum pink tin with hot pink writing, Kimade by Kim K is taking full advantage of the Barbie trend. The drink itself is even pale pink, Kidspot reports.
Some fans have described it as “tasty”, while others have called the drink “too sweet”. Plenty were just plain confused at Kim’s partnership with a fitness and nutrition brand.
“Well, this is disappointing,” one person wrote on Kim’s Instagram post promoting the drink.
“Desperate, I see,” said another person.
“This is insulting towards REAL fitness influencers and the fitness community in general,” another declared.
Some even claimed they would boycott Alani Nutrition over the collaboration, stating: “To represent yourselves as a fitness brand through someone with major amounts of plastic surgery is beyond disgusting.”
Others roasted the promotional campaign which shows Kim sat on a weight bench, carrying small dumbbells while wearing sky-high heels.
“Yeah, I ALWAYS work out in my high heels,” one scoffed.
“This woman isn’t even exercising properly, yet your company partners with her. Insanity,” another raged.
Prime Energy Drink vs. Kimade
Any parent who watched the Prime craze take place, with empty branded bottles selling for $35 on Facebook, might worry that a Kardashian-branded product might cause a new wave of insanity at schools.
But even though both Prime and Kimade have borderline “dangerous” levels of caffeine, making them unsafe for kids under 18, there’s one difference between the two drinks: Prime was marketed at kids and Kimade isn’t.
The energy drink is sold as a healthier alternative to other energy drinks. It’s vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free with fewer than 10 calories in each tin.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Kim, who is such an amazing female powerhouse and entrepreneur,” influencer and founder of Alani Nu, Katy Hearn wrote on Instagram.
“Kim’s dedication to both her family and creating innovative brands perfectly align with our brand values, making this partnership such a natural fit.
“We are so excited for everyone to try this flavour, which we know is going to be one of our best yet!”
Although the marketing, branding and flavours are different, the nutrition facts in Kimade and Prime are pretty similar.
Both contain 200 milligrams of caffeine, both have 10 calories and 0 grams of fat. Kimade has a lot more sodium: 180 milligrams versus Prime’s 55.
In Australia, Prime Energy is now available for sale now after the drink formulation was changed to suit Australian regulations.
All energy drinks in Australia must meet requirements before they can be sold. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) code restricts how much caffeine can be added to drinks. The maximum amount of caffeine in a drink is 32mg per 100ml. Each can (355ml) of Prime Energy contains 110ml of caffeine.
Despite the backlash to Kim’s collaboration, the drink is already proving very popular in Australia.
One user shared her surprise at finding it on supermarket shelves after looking everywhere for it following its recent release.
“This has been sold out everywhere, I could not find it,” the user revealed.
“Run, don’t walk.”
Others shared their thoughts on the flavour, with some describing it as a “sweet Sprite”.
“It’s so yummy,” one added.
“I could drink it all day,” someone else mused.
— With Kidspot