The news: Alex Cooper’s Unwell Beverage Co. is shutting down after less than two years, per Bloomberg.

Zooming in: Cooper sought to create a new category with Unwell, positioning it as a hybrid sports and functional wellness beverage containing electrolytes, vitamins, and caffeine, before expanding into protein and energy formats.

Cooper positioned the brand against category leaders that market primarily to men, telling The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in 2024 that existing energy drinks are “all made for men, by men, marketed to men.”

The drinks regularly appeared on camera during Cooper’s podcast, and the brand launched a limited-edition flavor exclusively at Target as recently as May. But that exposure wasn’t enough to sustain sales or the retail partnership.

Zooming out: Cooper isn’t the first creator whose beverage, snack, or apparel brand hit a wall after an initial surge.

• Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Hydration burst onto the market when it launched in 2022, but sales began to decline less than two years later, with 2024 US sales falling 40% YoY, per Numerator data cited by Business Insider.
• MrBeast’s Feastables saw US sales volume growth slow to 13% in 2025, down from 33% the prior year, according to an internal presentation dated May 2026.
• Fashion influencer Arielle Charnas’ Something Navy generated $32 million in revenues in its first year but saw sales falter within a few years, per Business Insider.

The pattern highlights the limits of creator-led brands. Fame can generate awareness and trial, but it doesn’t guarantee repeat purchases.

Implications for brands and marketers: Building a CPG brand is hard. Creators may have a built-in advantage in generating awareness and trial, but long-term success depends on giving consumers a compelling reason to keep buying once the novelty wears off.

Unwell tried to differentiate itself by creating a sports drink and wellness hybrid aimed at women, but differentiation only works when it addresses a meaningful consumer need. In a crowded beverage category dominated by entrenched players with deep retail relationships, creator reach can open the door, but product-market fit and repeat demand determine whether a brand stays on the shelf.

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