Liquid I.V. vs LMNT: Which Has More Sodium and Sugar?

TL;DR: Per stick, LMNT (6 g, per Open Food Facts) lists 1,000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium and 0 g sugars. Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version, 16 g) lists 510 mg sodium, 380 mg potassium and 11 g sugars, with no magnesium figure in its Open Food Facts entry. The sugar-free Lemon Lime stick (13 g) lists 530 mg sodium and 380 mg potassium, with allulose and stevia leaf extract in place of sugar.

Per stick	LMNT (6 g)	Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier, sugar version (16 g)	Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Lemon Lime (13 g)
Sodium	1,000 mg	510 mg	530 mg
Potassium	200 mg	380 mg	380 mg
Magnesium	60 mg	Not listed in Open Food Facts entry	No magnesium ingredient listed
Sugars	0 g	11 g	5 g carbohydrate, no sugar ingredient listed
Sweetener	Stevia leaf extract (Citrus Salt flavor)	Rebaudioside-A (stevia leaf extract)	Allulose and stevia leaf extract (Rebaudioside A)
Serving weight	6 g	16 g	13 g

Key takeaways

• The Open Food Facts entry for a 6 g LMNT stick lists 1,000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium and 60 mg magnesium, with 0 g sugars.
• Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version) lists 510 mg sodium, 380 mg potassium and 11 g sugars per 16 g stick.
• Both products use stevia leaf extract, but only the Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free version lists allulose. The Open Food Facts ingredient list for the 6 g LMNT stick names Stevia Leaf Extract as its sweetener.
• One LMNT stick is about 43% of the 2,300 mg sodium Daily Value, and one 16 g Liquid I.V. sugar version stick is about 22%.
• Both Liquid I.V. versions list 380 mg potassium per stick, compared with 200 mg for LMNT.

Liquid I.V. vs LMNT: Which Has More Sodium Per Stick?

LMNT has more sodium per stick. The Open Food Facts entry for a 6 g LMNT stick lists 1,000 mg sodium, compared with 510 mg for one 16 g Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version) stick and 530 mg for one 13 g Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Lemon Lime stick. For sports drinks, see Gatorade vs Powerade: Sugar, Sodium and Electrolytes.

The sodium sources also differ. LMNT's ingredient lists name Salt (Sodium Chloride) as the sodium source. The Liquid I.V. lists include Salt along with Sodium Citrate, so sodium appears in more than one form. LMNT's FAQ gives the do-it-yourself equivalent of one stick as 2,500 mg sodium chloride for the 1,000 mg of sodium.

For more on where sodium appears on labels beyond table salt, see Sodium Beyond Salt: 6 Scanned Labels With Sodium Additives.

How Much Sugar Is in Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Original vs Sugar-Free?

The original Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version) lists 11 g sugars per 16 g stick. Its ingredient list begins with Pure Cane Sugar and Dextrose, and the Open Food Facts entry lists 13 g carbohydrate per stick. The label panel shows how much of the 11 g is added sugars, so check it before comparing the figure with the FDA added sugars Daily Value of 50 g per day.

The sugar-free Lemon Lime stick is different. Its Open Food Facts entry for a 13 g stick lists 5 g carbohydrate, 530 mg sodium and 380 mg potassium, and its ingredient list names no sugar ingredient. Liquid I.V. describes the sugar-free version as providing hydration 'without any sugar,' which is manufacturer wording. The label panel is the place to confirm the exact sugar and carbohydrate figures on the package you are holding.

Does LMNT Have Sugar, and What Sweetener Does It Use?

The Open Food Facts entry for a 6 g LMNT stick lists 0 g sugars, and LMNT's product page says 'NO SUGAR.' The sweetener entry in the Open Food Facts ingredient list for that stick is Stevia Leaf Extract, listed after Natural Flavors.

The flavor matters for reading the label. LMNT's FAQ lists the Raw Unflavored ingredients as Salt (Sodium Chloride), Magnesium Malate and Potassium Chloride, with no stevia leaf extract named. Sweetener content therefore depends on the flavor you buy.

Does Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Have Stevia, and What Is Allulose?

Yes. The Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Lemon Lime ingredient list includes Stevia Leaf Extract (Rebaudioside A) alongside Allulose. The original Hydration Multiplier also lists Rebaudioside-A (Stevia Leaf Extract), so both Liquid I.V. versions and LMNT's flavored mixes use stevia leaf extract.

Allulose is a different ingredient. It is listed only in the sugar-free Liquid I.V. stick, and it is one of the sweetening ingredients the label names. The FDA states that it has no questions on GRAS notices for D-allulose under its intended conditions of use. GRAS stands for 'generally recognized as safe,' a status that is determined through the FDA notice process.

FDA's food additives guidance describes steviol glycosides as 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar. It also states that FDA has not questioned GRAS conclusions for high-purity steviol glycosides with a minimum purity of 95%, including Rebaudioside A. Neither product's listing states the purity of its stevia.

Liquid I.V. vs LMNT Potassium: How Do the 380 mg and 200 mg Stick Doses Compare?

Liquid I.V. lists more potassium per stick, with 380 mg for each version against LMNT's 200 mg. Confirm the figure on the package label, since that is the final reference.

The potassium sources differ. LMNT lists Potassium Chloride, and its FAQ gives a do-it-yourself equivalent of 385 mg potassium chloride for one stick. Liquid I.V. lists Potassium Citrate and, in the original, Dipotassium Phosphate. The form of potassium affects how the ingredient is listed, not just the milligram amount.

For context on potassium chloride appearing on food labels, see FDA Salt Substitute Rule: Look for Potassium Chloride on Labels.

Does Liquid I.V. Have Magnesium, and How Does It Compare to LMNT's 60 mg?

The original Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version) has no magnesium figure in its Open Food Facts entry, and its ingredient list names Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate and Dipotassium Phosphate but no magnesium source. The package panel is the place to confirm.

The sugar-free Lemon Lime ingredient list contains no magnesium ingredient. LMNT lists 60 mg magnesium per stick, and its ingredient list names Magnesium Malate. The DIY equivalent in LMNT's FAQ is also magnesium malate, which shows the magnesium source being named directly.

How Much Sodium Is in LMNT and Liquid I.V. Relative to the FDA Daily Value?

One LMNT stick provides about 43% of the Daily Value for sodium, which FDA sets as less than 2,300 mg per day. One Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version) stick, at 510 mg, is about 22% of that Daily Value. The sugar-free Lemon Lime stick, at 530 mg, is about 23%.

Because the Daily Value is a reference figure for a whole day, these percentages describe a single labeled serving. They do not account for other foods eaten that day, and the Daily Value is not a personal recommendation. The Nutrition Facts panel on each package states the serving size used for its own percentage.

What Ingredients Make Up Each Stick, and How Do the Label Lists Differ?

The ingredient lists show what each product is built from. Use them as a checklist.

• LMNT Citrus Salt (per FAQ): Salt (Sodium Chloride), Citric Acid, Magnesium Malate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors, Stevia Leaf Extract.
• LMNT 6 g stick (per Open Food Facts): Salt (Sodium Chloride), Citric Acid, Magnesium Malate, Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavors, Stevia Leaf Extract.
• Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier (sugar version), 16 g: Pure Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Salt, Potassium Citrate, Sodium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Silicon Dioxide, Rebaudioside-A (Stevia Leaf Extract), Vitamin C, Natural Flavor, Vitamin B3, Flavor, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12.
• Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Lemon Lime, 13 g: Allulose, Citric Acid, L-Glutamine, L-Alanine, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Natural Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Silicon Dioxide, Stevia Leaf Extract (Rebaudioside A), Vitamins C, B3, B5, B6, B12.

Two differences stand out. Liquid I.V. lists vitamins and amino acids such as L-Glutamine and L-Alanine in the sugar-free version, while the LMNT ingredient lists above do not. LMNT names magnesium and potassium salts, while Liquid I.V. names potassium citrate and dipotassium phosphate. Flavor names also vary between the FAQ and the Open Food Facts entry, so check the exact wording on the package.

Which Label Details Should You Check Before Buying Either Product?

Check these details on the package you are holding:

• Serving size and stick weight, since the figures here cover 6 g, 13 g and 16 g sticks.
• Total sugars versus added sugars, and whether the sugar figure is per stick or per serving.
• Sodium, potassium and magnesium in milligrams, along with the Daily Value percentage printed on the panel.
• Sweetener names, including stevia leaf extract, Rebaudioside A and allulose.
• Potassium and magnesium salt names, since potassium chloride, potassium citrate and magnesium malate are different ingredients.
• Whether the flavor you bought lists stevia, since some LMNT flavors do not.
• Whether LMNT is sold as a dietary supplement or as a food.

Limitations: the figures here come from Open Food Facts entries and the manufacturers' own pages, and they do not always match. This comparison cannot confirm the values on every batch or package, so the current package label is the final reference.

Liquid I.V. and LMNT are both sold as single-serve sticks, but the labels differ on sodium, sugar, sweeteners and minerals. To see what each ingredient on the stick in your hand does, scan its barcode with the Aurascan app.