Kim Kardashian’s UPDATE Obsession: The Caffeine-Free Energy Drink Redefining the Category
How UPDATE Is Setting a New Standard for Caffeine-Free Energy in 2026
Photo courtesy of : UPDATE
When Kim Kardashian calls something “my obsession drink,” it doesn’t enter culture quietly. UPDATE, the caffeine-free energy drink she now co-founded, is stepping into 2026 with the momentum of a product touched by someone who understands modern desire better than most. It’s sleek, sculptural, and built on a formula people are already searching for: an energy boost that feels refined rather than abrasive.
UPDATE is anchored by paraxanthine, a compound the body naturally produces from caffeine. The effect is noticeably more streamlined, designed for people who want an energy drink without the overstimulation that defines so much of the category. It’s part of a growing shift toward functional beverages that look and feel elevated — the kind of drink that sits comfortably in a beauty fridge or beside a luxury gym bag.
Kardashian didn’t arrive as a figurehead. She became a fan first. She discovered UPDATE in 2023 and immediately began doing what she always does: noticing details, interrogating nuances, and shaping the experience with a creative eye. “I would reach out and give them unsolicited feedback on the flavors, the formulations, and the packaging,” she says. That instinct turned into a partnership, then into a co-founder role for the brand’s 2026 reintroduction.
The result is an energy drink with a distinctly polished identity. UPDATE’s new packaging feels as curated as the interior of a well-designed makeup bag. The color tones are intentional. The typography is crisp. Nothing feels loud. Nothing feels performance-oriented for the sake of spectacle. It looks like a drink someone with taste would reach for — a rarity in this space.
Photo courtesy of : UPDATE
For the market, the rollout is substantial. Starting March 1, UPDATE will be available nationwide at Walmart, launching with five flavors and more scheduled throughout the year. That distribution footprint positions UPDATE as one of 2026’s most accessible new energy drinks — a strategic advantage for a product already gaining momentum online.
Why Kardashian’s Partnership Matters
Her most successful ventures share a through-line: she transforms everyday categories into objects of desire. With UPDATE, she brings that same sensibility — the eye for packaging, the instinct for what images well, and the understanding of how modern consumers fold products into their routines. UPDATE doesn’t feel like an energy drink trying to be glamorous. It feels like a lifestyle accessory that happens to deliver energy.
Photo courtesy of : Kim Kardashian/Instagram
A New Direction for the Energy Drink Market
UPDATE enters a space long dominated by high-caffeine formulas and aggressive branding. This drink moves differently. It’s built for someone who wants their choices to feel intentional. Someone who wants utility, but not at the expense of aesthetics. Someone who moves between beauty appointments, workouts, deadlines, and late nights, and wants an energy companion that looks at home in that world.
With Kardashian placing her name, taste, and influence behind it, UPDATE positions itself as the energy drink to watch in 2026 — a beverage that merges function with design, and performance with desirability. The kind of product that doesn’t compete for attention so much as earn its place on the counter, in the bag, and in the daily rhythm of people who curate their lives with intention.
If she’s calling it her obsession drink, there’s a reason. And the market is already listening.
