Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, also known as Coca-Cola No Sugar, commonly known as Coke Zero, is a diet soda produced by the Coca-Cola Company.[2] The drink was introduced in 2005 as Coca-Cola Zero, designed to be a no-calorie equivalent of the company's flagship cola drink, Coca-Cola,[3] with artificial sweeteners in place to imitate the sugar taste.[4] It is distinct from the company's earlier Diet Coke product which was based on an entirely different formula.[3] In 2016–2017, the drink was reformulated and the name changed to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (with language variations for some regions),[5] and the drink was reformulated again in 2021.[6]
History
Coca-Cola Zero was Coca-Cola's largest product launch in 22 years and was also important because of a dip in standard Coca-Cola sales and lackluster sales of their "mid-calorie" product Coca-Cola C2.[7] The new product was ideated at the Spanish branch, turning Marcos de Quinto into one of the key people of the company.[8] The global campaign was developed by creative agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.[9] It was marketed as having a taste that is indistinguishable from standard Coca-Cola, as opposed to Diet Coke, which has a different flavor profile.[10][11]
Branding and names
Originally the Coca-Cola Zero product packaging on cans and bottles consisted of the Coca-Cola logo in red script with white trim, with the word "zero" underneath, on a black background. The font for "zero" was the geometric typeface Avenir (or a customized version of it).
Later packagings, when the product took the name Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, swapped the colors, appearing in a red disc on a black background, as part of the company's "One Brand" wider rebranding to unify the Coca-Cola packagings closer together.[31] In overseas markets, the packaging instead matched the classic Coca-Cola red design with the addition of a black band around the top of the label with the text "zero sugar" (or non-English equivalent).[32] In 2021, after the reformulation, a new livery was introduced featuring the Coca-Cola logo in black against a red background,[33] although the color of the background changes for certain other flavors.
With the rebrands and relaunches of Coca-Cola Zero in 2016 and 2017, various names were marketed for the product depending on region. In the United States and many other countries, it was branded as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. On the other hand, in Australia it was named "Coca-Cola No Sugar", at least until 2023 when it was renamed for this market to match the international English-language name.[34]
Ingredients
Listed ingredients
All versions of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar sold in various countries are based on the same flavoring formula, and all are carbonated. One liter of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar contains 96 mg caffeine.[40] Additionally, artificial sweeteners are used. In the U.S., this includes aspartame and acesulfame potassium.[41] However, the exact combination of sweeteners and preservatives used varies from market to market. Compared to Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar contains less caffeine, and uses acesulfame potassium and aspartame as sweeteners, while Diet Coke uses only aspartame as a sweetener. In addition, Coca-Cola Zero sugar contains potassium citrate, unlike Diet Coke which contains citric acid.[42]
Scientific studies consistently confirm aspartame and acesulfame potassium can be safely consumed.[43]
Marketing
Coke Zero was originally specifically marketed to men, who are shown to associate "diet" drinks with women, and therefore[44] was primarily marketed towards young adult males.[45][46] In the US, advertising for Coca-Cola Zero has been tailored to its targeted market by describing the drink as "calorie-free" rather than "diet", since young adult males are said to associate diet drinks with women.[46] This same approach was previously taken by Coca-Cola's rival which introduced Pepsi Max in 1993 as a diet soda but marketing to males. In 2007, the male-oriented advertising was dropped in favor of the tagline "Great taste, zero sugar."[47]
US marketing also emphasized its similarity in taste to sugared Coca-Cola; an advertising campaign for the beverage focused on Coca-Cola executives who were so angry over the drinks' similarities, they were considering suing their co-workers for "taste infringement".
Sales
As of 2024, Coke Zero is the seventh best selling soda in the United States and has had the largest rise in market share in the United States among sodas since its introduction in 2005.[64]
Variants
Standard
Coca-Cola Creations
See also
- Pepsi Zero Sugar
- Sugar substitute
External links
References
- https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7257920^
- What's the Difference Between Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar? coca-colacompany.com, August 4, 2017, retrieved August 30, 2021^
- Stuart Elliott. Can’t Tell Your Cokes Apart? Sue Someone (Published 2007) The New York Times, 2007-03-05, retrieved 2025-09-07^