‘Mass drinks hysteria’ among young people is seeing €15 energy drink Prime Hydration sell out in shops all over Ireland.

The drink is backed by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul who have built up a massive following online.

Some shops in Ireland are charging as much as €15 for the drinks – and still selling out of it. 

Irish Independent journalist Saoirse Hanley told Newstalk Breakfast how the pair broke into the energy drinks market.

“KSI and Logan Paul are two YouTube personalities first and foremost who dabbled in boxing,” she said. 

“[They] had this huge controversial boxing fight that was going to be the biggest event in internet history and was touted as such and was a big deal among their… 40 or 50 million followers combined. 

“So, they have a ready-made audience for all of their high jinks and the high jinks just turned to this drinks company. 

“It seemed to kind of come from nowhere but… they have these energy drinks... that don’t seem very different from the likes of Lucozade or one of the Red Bulls with a funny flavour and they just exploded.” 

Various flavours of the energy drink Prime for sale in a shop window on 30th March 2023 in London, United Kingdom.

One Dublin store is selling 1,000 of the drinks a week - cashing in  €15,000 a week in total - but demand is well ahead of supply. 

Dunnes Store, which sells them for €2.99, limited customers to four bottles each and still quickly sold out.  

Prime Hydration is now a global phenomenon and €15 is not even the highest price people pay for them. 

“I took a little look this morning and in South Africa they just started stocking them and their worth [there] is the equivalent of €20 that they’re on the shelves,” Ms Hanley said.  

“Everywhere it seems to be, they’re pushing them at this price and they’re selling them out.” 

Speaking to the BBC, KSI said reaction to their product had been “crazy” and Logan Paul said they  "honestly didn't expect it".

Main image: Logan Paul and KSI. Picture by: Alamy.com