Though Logan Paul himself could be classified as a “forever chemical,” in this case, it is his drinks that are being accused of containing PFAS. In a TikTok Wednesday, the YouTuber and amateur wrestler posted a three-minute-long soliloquy detailing why he finds some elements of a class-action lawsuit brought against the company he co-founded, Prime Hydration, to be “absolute bull.” Prime currently offers “hydration drinks” (which feels repetitive, but okay) in flavors like Strawberry Banana, Meta Moon, and Ice Pop, as well as hydration packets and vegan energy drinks.
“First off, anyone can sue anyone at any time, that does not make the lawsuit true,” Paul said 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.”
@loganpaul Addressing the PRIME accusations #ForeverHydrated @PRIME
♬ original sound - Logan Paul
Thanks for explaining lawsuits, Logan. Backing up for a moment, per USA Today, the content creator and budding entrepreneur launched Prime Hydration in 2022 alongside his business partner KSI, also known as Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji. According to Bloomberg, the company raked in $1.2 billion in annual sales in 2023. In August of that same year, California resident Elizabeth Castillo and other U.S.-based consumers of the drink launched a class-action lawsuit with the help of the Milberg law firm, claiming that independent third-party testing had identified PFAS chemicals in the company’s grape-flavored drink. Logan’s TikTok addressing the suit comes one week after some of the case documents were made public for the first time.
In the video, Paul maintains that “PFAS or forever chemicals come from plastics,” so any PFAS in Prime Hydration would have come from the plastic bottle the product is manufactured in, as opposed to the contents of the drink itself.
“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 called the independent third-party PFAS testing referenced in Castillo’s suit “absolute bull.” “They’re claiming that Prime has 0.06 (parts per trillion),” Paul continued. “But that’s interesting because the EPA says anything under 1.1 (parts per trillion) cannot be deemed as reasonably accurate. They don’t have the right tools or resources to even prove what they’re claiming.”
“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 added. “We’re putting out better-for-you products.”
Paul’s claim, of course, stands in direct opposition to Castillo’s. In an August 2023 statement from the Milberg law firm, Castillo reportedly “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 injured or in physical pain, the Cut has reached out to Milberg for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
This case is still unfolding, so we’ll let you know how the drink drama nets out. In the meantime, if you’re looking for “better-for-you” hydration, might I recommend New York tap water?
