The latest generation of hydration products aim to elevate how we replenish our electrolytes. One of these products, Buoy Hydration Drops, is particularly popular on TikTok, with influencers praising Buoy’s potential benefits for mental alertness, skin health, muscle function, and more.
As a registered dietitian, I was curious to try these drops for myself. Although Buoy doesn’t quite measure up to the best electrolyte powders for me, I can see why people enjoy mixing it into their morning coffee or juice. Read on to learn more about Buoy and decide whether it’s a good option for your hydration needs. I’ll discuss:
- How Well Does Buoy Hydrate?
- Are Buoy Drops Worth a Try?
- What Is Buoy?
- Purported Health Benefits
- Ingredient Breakdown
- Quality and Safety
- Cost Analysis
- Taste Review
- Why I Choose Live it Up Vital Minerals
Buoy Hydration Drops Quick Facts
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Key ingredients:
- Purified water
- Electrolytes from sea salt (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium) and other trace minerals
- Citric acid, proprietary antioxidant blend, B-vitamin complex
- Flavor options: Unflavored (has a slight mineral taste)
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Notable nutrition facts per serving (one short squeeze = 1.5 mL):
- 0 calories
- 0g carbs
- 0g sugar
- 40%DV Vitamin B1, 30%DV Vitamin B5, 30%DV Vitamin B6
- Recommended use: Stir one serving into 4 - 7 beverages daily
- Health claims: Electrolyte & mineral replenishment, energy, cognition, recovery, and skin support
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Cost:
- $39 ($0.33/serving) for a one-month supply (120 servings)
- $30.03 ($0.25/serving) for a monthly subscription
- Shipping: Free for all purchases
Formula Snapshot: How Well Does Buoy Hydrate?
When looking at electrolyte formulas, I focus my attention more on the amounts of electrolytes and their relation to each other, rather than just the minerals themselves. Buoy Hydration Drops feature five essential electrolytes:
- 50mg sodium (2%DV)
- 10mg potassium (1%DV)
- 80mg chloride (3%DV)
- 0.5mg magnesium (<1%DV)
- 0.5mg calcium (<1%DV)
However, these are tiny serving amounts for electrolyte replenishment, which is probably why the company recommends 4-7 servings per day. At the maximum daily amount, this would bring you to 350mg of sodium and 70mg of potassium.
Quantities aside, my largest complaint about Buoy’s formula is actually the ratios. I typically look for a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of sodium to potassium, which is shown to help move fluid in and out of cells. Buoy has a 5:1 ratio, with not nearly enough potassium to hydrate optimally.
Bottom Line: Are Buoy Drops Worth a Try?
Buoy helps increase your electrolyte intake with its unflavored Hydration Drops, which can be added to any beverage. However, despite Buoy’s admirable commitment to clean, high-quality ingredients, I was disappointed by the formulation, which requires at least 4 servings a day, is light on electrolytes, and has imbalanced sodium and potassium, leading me to question its ability to support daily hydration needs.
Instead, I prefer the carefully balanced ratio of sodium and potassium in Live it Up Vital Minerals. It also features coconut water powder, vitamin C, no added sugar, and natural fruit flavors, making this vegan electrolyte mix tasty enough to drink with water alone.
What Are Buoy Drops?
Buoy was launched in 2020 by friends Eddie Zelenak, Daniel Schindler, and Cole Puchi. According to the manufacturer, Buoy seeks to make “hydration accessible and easy to obtain in any drink.” The company prioritizes clean, unprocessed ingredients without sugar, artificial flavors, or sweeteners.
Unlike most hydration products, Buoy Drops are designed to be mixed with any drink, not just water. In addition to the classic Hydration Drops, Buoy also has an extra-strength version (Rescue Drops), along with products focused on immunity, energy, brain health, and gut health. The company offers a lifetime discount to individuals with a chronic illness.
Buoy Drops Pros
- Can add to any beverage with relatively little impact on flavor
- Provides large doses of vitamins B1, B5, and B6
- No calories, carbohydrates, sugars, flavors, or sweeteners
- “Pre-dissolved” electrolytes offer good bioavailability
- Includes 87+ ionic trace minerals and several antioxidants
- Third-party tested
- Free shipping
Buoy Drops Cons
- Imbalanced ratios of sodium and potassium
- Requires taking 4-7 servings a day
- Negligible amounts of calcium and magnesium
- Slight metallic taste
- No vitamin C to help with heat tolerance
Buoy Drops Purported Benefits
Buoy suggests that their Hydration Drops contribute to a wide range of potential benefits, from optimal cellular hydration and enhanced recovery to cognitive support, improved energy, and skin appearance. Considering that the formula consists primarily of sea salt, with few other ingredients, I wanted to investigate the scientific basis of these claims.
#1: Replenishes Electrolytes and Trace Minerals
Buoy describes their electrolytes as highly bioavailable, citing a manufacturer-sponsored study that found the drops to be 64% more hydrating than water alone and 49% more hydrating than a competitor.
It’s worth noting that even with the recommended daily dose of roughly 5 servings, the electrolyte content of Buoy’s Hydration Drops is surprisingly minimal, providing 10% of the daily recommendation for sodium, 15% for chloride, and 5% for potassium. The calcium and magnesium content is just 1% of the daily recommendation for each of these crucial minerals.
Of course, Buoy’s Hydration Drops are intended to supplement a typical diet that naturally contains substantial amounts of electrolytes. The modest sodium content could provide a slight daily electrolyte boost, but users are unlikely to notice drastic changes.
#2: Helps Support Energy Levels
Although electrolytes are not sources of energy themselves, sufficient fluid and electrolyte intake is crucial for numerous metabolic functions. Buoy says their Hydration Drops help regulate the body’s energy levels by promoting normal cellular function. Indeed, if you stay hydrated with an optimal balance of water, electrolytes, and carbohydrates, your body will be more efficient at energy production and better equipped to deliver oxygen and nutrients through your blood.
Notably, the electrolyte magnesium is a critical cofactor for the enzyme reactions involved in producing and utilizing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the main energy source in cells. I found it surprising that Buoy Hydration Drops include only a negligible amount of magnesium for this claim.
In addition to electrolytes, Buoy Drops feature substantial doses of vitamins B1, B5, and B6. These water-soluble B vitamins are essential for utilizing carbs, fat, and protein, serving as coenzymes that help facilitate crucial energy production processes, including cellular respiration.
#3: Aids Cognitive Function
There are many reasons why people experience temporary “brain fog,” including stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep. Dehydration is also a major cause of grogginess, difficulty focusing, and mental fuzziness.
Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium are often touted for their ability to help with mental fatigue and support normal cognitive function, including focus, learning, and memory. Modest quantities of these minerals are found in Buoy Hydration Drops, though without the assistance of nootropics like ginseng and ginkgo, which are included in Buoy’s cognition-supporting product, Brain Health Drops.
#4: Supports Athletic Recovery and Performance
It’s well-known that electrolytes are essential for optimal athletic performance, affecting everything from cellular fluid balance and to muscle contraction and tissue repair. Yet exercise depletes the body’s sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium levels, impairing muscle function and potentially leading to muscle fatigue and cramps. For this reason, it’s imperative to hydrate before, during, and after a workout, especially for high-intensity exercise.
While Buoy Hydration Drops contain the major electrolytes involved in muscle function, I’m not confident the limited quantities of these minerals support athletic performance to the same extent as other electrolyte products.
Buoy Drops Ingredients
Here’s a closer look at the ingredients in Buoy’s leading electrolyte product, Hydration Drops.
- Ocean electrolytes: Buoy emphasizes that they harvest their electrolytes from deep ocean water to maintain a complete mineral matrix.
- 87+ ionic trace minerals: Although the Supplement Facts don’t detail the precise quantities, Buoy Drops provide trace minerals like boron, manganese, selenium, copper, and silica to serve as enzyme cofactors and support fluid balance, immune function, and energy metabolism.
- Proprietary antioxidant blend: Organic blood orange extract, organic acacia, rosemary, anise, and citrus. According to Buoy, these fruit and herbal extracts keep the drops fresh without the use of synthetic ingredients, while also helping to protect cells from oxidative stress and damage.
- B vitamin complex: Five squeezes of Buoy Hydration Drops (the suggested daily dose) provide 150% of the recommended daily value for vitamin B5 and vitamin B6 and 200% of the DV for vitamin B1.
- Non-GMO citric acid: A small amount is included to improve the product’s shelf stability.
What won’t you find in Buoy’s ingredients? Sugar, sweeteners, fillers, or any artificial additives.
Buoy Drops Quality and Safety
Buoy appears to have a clear commitment to clean ingredients and safe manufacturing processes. The Hydration Drops are major allergen-free, and there are no artificial ingredients, sweeteners, flavors, colors, or sugars. The brand uses filtered but unprocessed sea salt as its major electrolyte source, with testing to ensure it is free from microplastics.
Buoy states that its products are vegan, non-GMO, and third-party tested, although they do not disclose which organization conducted this testing. They also describe their products as “FDA compliant,” but don’t mention whether they are made in Good Manufacturing Practice-certified facilities.
Buoy Drops Cost Analysis
Determining whether Buoy Hydration Drops are a “good buy” largely depends on your expectations for electrolyte content and how many servings you plan to consume each day.
- A one-time purchase of 3 bottles (120 servings) is $39, which comes to $0.33 per serving.
- With a monthly subscription, it’s $30.03 ($0.25 per serving).
- All purchases come with free shipping and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- However, Buoy recommends having 4-7 servings of their Hydration Drops throughout the day, making the daily cost with a subscription between $1.00 and $1.75.
For those who have 5 or more Buoy Hydration Drops per day, this is equal to or more expensive than LMNT, one of the pricier electrolyte supplements on the market ($1.30 per day). By comparison, the cost of Live it Up Vital Minerals, my go-to electrolyte mix, is less than $1 per day.
Buoy Drops Taste Review
Made without sugar, sweeteners, or flavors, Buoy Hydration Drops are designed to be added to any hot or cold beverage without affecting the flavor. Customers frequently mix Buoy into coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, and soda, with many reviewers claiming that “you can’t taste it at all.”
After adding Buoy to some of my favorite drinks, including coffee and flavored sparkling water, I found that the beverages were still palatable even with a squeeze of electrolyte mix stirred in, if slightly saltier. I can see the appeal of this simple, unflavored approach to a market that’s often too salty, too sweet, or has too many artificial additives.
Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that Buoy Hydration Drops are not ideal for mixing into plain water, as this resulted in a faint but distinctly metallic taste. This is a common complaint in many online reviews, with one customer noting that “it’s like a weird mixture of flat soda water. It makes water taste off and other drinks taste flat.”
On Reddit, several commenters were distinctly underwhelmed by both the taste and the electrolyte content:
Why I Choose Live it Up Vital Minerals
As a registered dietitian, I’m well aware that optimal hydration doesn’t mean guzzling large tumblers full of water or stocking up on sugary sports drinks. Thanks to its TikTok popularity, Buoy has helped to popularize the importance of electrolytes. When I tried Buoy for myself, I was impressed by
- The convenience of simply squeezing pre-dissolved minerals and B vitamins into any drink.
- The taste. In certain beverages (with the major exception of plain water), it was hard to even notice.
- The company’s focus on clean ingredients and lack of unnecessary additives and fillers.
However, Buoy isn’t likely to replace my favorite hydration product anytime soon. Live it Up Vital Minerals features coconut water powder and sea salt for a tasty, convenient electrolyte drink. Like Buoy, it’s vegan, third-party tested, and free from GMOs, gluten, dairy, nuts, and soy. Both delicious flavors (Lemon Lime and Pomegranate Mango) dissolve easily in water.
Unlike Buoy, which has surprisingly limited quantities of electrolytes in its Hydration Drops, one serving of Vital Minerals provides 510mg of sodium, 300mg of potassium, and 40mg of calcium. It also includes 76% of the daily recommendation for vitamin C, a micronutrient that has been linked to heat tolerance.
This balanced formula helps people boost their daily hydration and feel their best with only one serving a day!
Buoy Drops Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re curious to learn more about Buoy, check out my answers to these commonly asked questions:
Is Buoy FDA-approved?
The FDA does not regulate dietary supplements or approve manufacturers' claims or labels. Thus, Buoy Drops are not “FDA approved” to prevent or treat any health condition, nor have they been evaluated for safety or effectiveness. However, Buoy describes their supplements as “FDA compliant” and asserts that their drops are made in FDA-approved facilities.
When should I take Buoy electrolytes?
Buoy electrolytes are designed to be taken at any time of the day, with a recommended daily dose of 4-7 servings. They are arguably most useful when taken first thing in the morning, before or after a workout, while traveling, or if you live in a warm climate.
Are there any side effects of Buoy electrolytes?
Most users do not experience side effects after consuming Buoy electrolytes. However, some reviews mention gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, gas, or bloating. Individuals with a diagnosed medical condition should check with their doctor before adding supplemental electrolytes to their diet.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice or individualized nutrition counseling. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to supplements or medications. Any product or brand mentions are for general information and don’t guarantee results.
References
- https://justaddbuoy.com/products/hydration-drops
- https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajprenal.1998.274.5.F868?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org
- https://justaddbuoy.com/pages/our-approach
- https://justaddbuoy.com/pages/buoy-clinical-study
- https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-nutrition/electrolytes-food
- https://www.onepeloton.com/blog/do-electrolytes-give-you-energy
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/magnesium-metabolism
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/vitamin-b
- https://brain.health/blog/articles/electrolytes-and-the-brain/'
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22150427/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/citric-acid
- https://justaddbuoy.com/pages/salty-about-salt
- https://www.amazon.com/live/video/0a60c2aa5a914152b75260b27e506881
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicIllness/comments/1aldxz7/new_product_anyone_actually_tried_it/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1323420/
- https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements
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