Table of Contents
Logan Paul responds to claims of Prime drinks
Logan Paul is normally said to be described as a “forever chemical,” but it is his drinks that are being accused of carrying PFAS. In a TikTok post, the YouTuber and amateur wrestler posted a three-minute soliloquy explaining why he believes some aspects of a class action lawsuit filed against Prime Hydration, the company he co-founded, are “absolutely bull.” Prime presently sells “hydration drinks” (which sounds redundant but is okay) in Strawberry Banana, Meta Moon, and Ice Pop flavors, as well as hydration packs and vegan energy drinks.
@loganpaul Addressing the PRIME accusations #ForeverHydrated @PRIME ♬ original sound – Logan Paul
“First and foremost, anyone can sue anyone at any time; however, this does not make the lawsuit true,” Paul stated in the video. “And in this case, it is not … One person conducted a random study and has provided zero evidence to substantiate any of their claims.”
Backing up for a bit, the content producer and aspiring entrepreneur founded Prime Hydration in 2022 with his business partner KSI, also known as Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji. According to Bloomberg, the company would generate $1.2 billion in yearly sales in 2023.
Who is suing Prime Hydration?
In August of the same year, California resident Elizabeth Castillo and other US-based drink consumers filed a class action lawsuit with the Milberg law firm, claiming that independent third-party testing had discovered PFAS chemicals in the company’s grape-flavored drink. Logan’s TikTok post about the lawsuit comes one week after some case documents were made public for the first time.
According to Paul in the video, “PFAS or forever chemicals come from plastics,” therefore any PFAS in Prime Hydration would have come from the plastic bottle in which the product was created, rather than the drink’s contents.
PFAS can be found in many places, EPA says
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS compounds can be found in water, air, fish, and soil across the United States and around the world. The EPA said that PFAS can be found in drinking water, food, food packaging, fire extinguishing foam, home products, and personal care items such as shampoo and dental floss.
According to the EPA, exposure to certain PFAS “may lead to adverse health outcomes,” such as reproductive issues, developmental delays in children, an increased risk of certain cancers, a reduced immune response, higher cholesterol levels, and interference with the body’s natural hormones.
Although certain consequences of everlasting chemicals have been recorded, “research is still underway to identify how varying degrees of exposure to distinct PFAS can contribute to a range of health effects.
“Research is also underway to better understand the health effects associated with low levels of exposure to PFAS over long periods of time, especially in children,” according to the EPA.
‘This ain’t a rinky-dink operation,’ Logan Paul says
“This ain’t a rinky-dink operation,” Paul said. “We use the top bottle manufacturers in the United States. All your favorite beverage brands… use these companies. If the product is served in plastic, they make a bottle for them.”
Paul then labeled the impartial third-party PFAS testing cited in Castillo’s lawsuit “absolute bull.” “They claim that Prime has 0.06 (parts per trillion),” Paul explained. “But that’s intriguing because the EPA states that anything less than 1.1 (parts per trillion) cannot be considered reasonably accurate. They lack the necessary tools and resources to even establish their claims.
“If/when this plaintiff wants to come forward with a production number, we will retain samples from that batch and conduct our own independent study,” he went on to say. “We’re putting out better-for-you products.”
Paul’s allegation, of course, is in direct contrast to Castillo’s. According to a statement released in August 2023 by the Milberg legal firm, Castillo “purchased Prime Hydration on multiple occasions but says she would not have bought it at all if the product had been accurately marketed and labeled as containing PFAS.” Though Castillo is not currently known to be wounded or in physical pain, the Cut has reached out to Milberg for comment and will update this piece if we receive a response.
This case is still evolving, so we’ll let you know how the drinking drama plays out.
Stay updated on all of the latest news by subscribing to the ITP Live newsletter below and by clicking the push notifications.