Overall Score
- Effectiveness 75%
- Flavor 75%
- Ingredients 100%
Key Takeaways
Excellent Pick for Endurance Exercise
The formula is specifically designed to support long distance endurance activity.
Only Real Sugar and Fruit Ingredients
Reviewers could taste the difference compared to other companies using artifical ingredients.
Lab Optimized Formula
The founder worked with professional cyclists to develop the best ratio of electrolytes and sugar.
Endurance Aid
Kosher
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Overview
Skratch Labs creates sports nutrition products for professional athletes and everyday users out of their Boulder, Colorado HQ. Skratch employs an impressive team of athletes and scientists, including the founder, Dr. Allen Lim. Skratch got their start when Dr. Lim was working as a sports scientist and coach for a professional cycling team. Frustrated with the available sports nutrition products in the market, he set out to make his own version. Dr. Lim created a formula without artificial ingredients and more balanced levels of salt and sugar appropriate for the athletes he was training. His formulas were well-received and eventually he decided to start offering his products on a commercial scale1.
Skratch has more sugar than other brands we tested because the sugar serves a different purpose. It is intended to be a source of energy for endurance exercise, not just as an accompaniment to sodium for better water absorption. The cyclists that Dr. Lim trained while optimizing his formula were probably training for 6+ hours/day and needed to refuel on the go. Our review team validated this use case, achieving the best results during extended workouts.
Skratch cautions that there will likely be some powder left undissolved because of the presence of natural ingredients and asserts that it does not impact the effectiveness. As expected, our reviewers found mixing to be challenging and were never able to fully dissolve all of the powder.
Our reviewers were impressed with Skratch, citing noticeable results, balanced sweetness and good flavor. If you are looking for a hydration mix to take while working out, you should try out Skratch.
Effectiveness
Reviewers followed the suggested use case and only tried this product while working out. The results were towards the top of all reviewed hydration mixes. One reviewer took the product before early morning lifting sessions, finding a noticeable boost in performance during the workout compared with workouts earlier in the week. Interestingly, his log stated he was able to push back his breakfast time an additional hour. The HydrationReview team attributes this to the higher carbohydrate content (8g) compared to other electrolyte mixers. This might be helpful for users who are trying to condense their daily meal schedule or limit calories during breakfast.
Another reviewer was wary of the sugar content (19g) and felt that it would be an overwhelming amount considering her naturally low sugar diet. After some hesitation, she started her trial of Skratch and changed her tune after the first use. Her notes indicated that the flavor wasn’t nearly as sweet as she had expected and the sugar content didn’t cause any unwanted physiological effects like a sugar rush. Instead, she reported improved performance during her endurance exercises, especially morning runs.
In several other review logs, reviewers cited performance improvements even after putting themselves in a compromised state with big meals and alcohol consumption the night before a workout. In every case, it was reported that Skratch was easy to drink and, as advertised, was easy to digest.
Flavor
Skratch offers five flavors: Lemon & Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Orange, and Matcha Green Tea with Lemon. The HydrationReview team has only tried Lemon & Lime and liked the real fruit flavors that were present. Based on user feedback, the taste is more subtle compared to similar electrolyte mixers like Liquid IV, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. We expect the other flavors to be similarly subtle given the brand’s focus on physical performance enhancement and easy digestion.
Ingredients
Skratch was founded on the premise that the artificial ingredients and excessive sugar found in conventional sports drinks were hurting athletic performance, so it’s no surprise that its ingredient list is squeaky clean. As mentioned earlier in the article, Skratch does contain sugar as a fuel source for workouts, so keep that in mind when purchasing. The HydrationReview team would also like to call out that even though Skratch Labs has a higher sugar content than other electrolyte mixers we’ve tested, it still is much lower (about half) when compared to the traditional sports drinks. All the major electrolytes were present in sufficient quantities and the real fruit juice flavoring was appreciated.
References
1Skratch Labs. “About Us.” Skratch Labs, www.skratchlabs.com/pages/about-us. Accessed 25 Aug. 2021.
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