According to the Monster Energy website, the product line varies from country to country. While in the UK, there are 6 product lines. On the U.S website, there are 10 product lines.
Not surprising, since Monster Energy originated in the US.
For the sake of keeping this blog more informative, I’ll refer mostly to the Monster products selling in the United States (though, I make mention of one line that is widely available in the UK). The Monster product lines include:
- Classic Monster Energy
- Rehab
- Ultra
- Juice Monster
- Punch Monster
- Java Monster
- Dragon Tea
- Muscle Monster
- Monster Maxx
- Hydro
The ingredients may vary from country to country, so I recommend you always read the entire product label to confirm that fact. It might be different for some products but not always.
Before delving into each product line, let’s first go over some of the more questionable and common ingredients present in energy drinks.
Monster Energy Drink Ingredients
Across the different Monster drinks, as well as other energy drinks, you’ll find a few typical ingredients — some of which, may or not be vegan.
Are Natural Flavors Vegan?
Are all natural flavors vegan? Not quite.
Some natural flavors may come from animals, and others may come from plants.
In fact, according to the US FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations, natural flavors are created from substances extracted from the following animal and plant sources:
- Fruit or fruit juice
- Vegetables or vegetable juice
- Spices
- Edible yeast, herbs, bark, buds, root leaves or plant material
- Meat, poultry or seafood
- Dairy products, including fermented products
- And even eggs.
All of which can be obtained by heating the animal or plant-based material.
If you are unsure whether the product has natural flavors derived from animals, you can question the company or manufacturer to be 100% sure.
Added flavors can appear as just “Natural Flavor”, or they can have a specific name. For example, a common natural flavor is “Castoreum”. That name represents a slightly sweet substance found in the anal secretions of beavers.
I’ve mentioned “Castoreum” as an example, but the majority of natural flavors are made from plant-based sources.
Does Taurine Come From Bulls?
Taurine is an amino acid that occurs naturally in our bodies.
However, it’s not an essential amino acid. Our body makes taurine, unlike cats that need to consume taurine to keep their retinas healthy.
Contrary to popular belief, this amino acid is not extracted from bull urine or bull semen. The name derives from the Latin word Taurus, which means ox or bull. Hence the reason for confusion.
Additionally, the Taurine present in supplements and energy drinks is usually created in laboratories and doesn’t derive from animals. In other words, it’s vegan.
Other sources of taurine include animal foods such as meat, fish and dairy, as well as a restricted range of plant-based foods.
What About L-Carnitine?
L-carnitine (also known as carnitine and acetyl-L-carnitine) is a non-essential amino acid made in the liver and kidneys. It’s also found in animal products, and it exists in small amounts within plant-based sources.
Carnitine is needed to burn fat, so supplement companies often promote carnitine supplements for weight loss.
Like Taurine, they can also make this ingredient in labs.
Artificial Colors Were Tested On Animals.
Artificial colors are made from isolated chemicals or a byproduct of petroleum.
However, they are also a byproduct of animal testing because researchers conduct tests on animals to prove the safety of these ingredients. As a result, you have vegans that shun products that contain artificial colors.