Pepsi Zero Sugar Ingredients: What’s in the Black Can (2026)

Last reviewed: October 2026. Reflects the current U.S. 12 fl oz Pepsi Zero Sugar label, photographed in store. Pepsi Zero Sugar was reformulated in early 2023; this post describes the current can.

Pepsi Zero Sugar is the black can that used to be Pepsi Max, and for most of its life it had a reputation for being the strong one: 69 mg of caffeine, nearly double a regular Pepsi, and a sweetener blend built to taste like the sugared original rather than like a diet soda. In 2023 PepsiCo quietly reformulated it, cut the caffeine almost in half, and changed the taste, and a lot of what’s written about Pepsi Zero online still describes the old can. Here’s all the Pepsi Zero Sugar ingredients on the current one, what changed, and how it stacks up against Diet Pepsi and Coke Zero.

Quick answer: what’s in Pepsi Zero Sugar?

The full Pepsi Zero Sugar ingredients list

Three things to notice. Aspartame is fourth, ahead of the flavor, which means it’s doing most of the sweetening; Ace-K comes after the preservative, as the supporting sweetener. The caffeine line on the can says 38 mg, not the 69 mg still quoted across most of the web. And unlike Diet Pepsi and Pepsi, there’s EDTA at the end — a chelator that stops the benzoate from reacting with trace metals and forming off-flavors, and that also happens to suppress the benzoate-benzene reaction.

Pepsi Zero Sugar ingredients explained

Carbonated water Fine

Water with dissolved CO₂. Mildly acidic on its own; the acids below do the real work on teeth.

Caramel color Flagged, low concern

The brown. Class IV caramel, made by heating sugars with ammonium and sulfite compounds, which creates a byproduct called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI). California’s Prop 65 listed 4-MEI as a carcinogen in 2011 based on high-dose mouse studies, and the cola makers reformulated to stay under the warning threshold. The FDA’s position is that current levels pose no concern; a can is a fraction of the amount that caused tumors in mice. Our caramel color breakdown has the full story.

Phosphoric acid Flagged, for teeth

The cola tang, and the ingredient with the clearest harm on the list: it’s what makes cola acidic enough (pH around 3) to soften enamel. The bone and kidney research at heavy intake is mixed and covered in our phosphoric acid breakdown. Sip less, rinse after, don’t brush for 30 minutes.

Aspartame Flagged

The main sweetener, 200 times sweeter than sugar. The most-studied food additive in existence: approved by the FDA, EFSA, and every major regulator, with an acceptable daily intake you’d need about 15 cans to reach. The 2023 WHO/IARC classification as “possibly carcinogenic” (Group 2B — the same tier as pickled vegetables and aloe) was based on limited evidence and didn’t change the ADI. The one hard rule: people with phenylketonuria can’t metabolize the phenylalanine it breaks into, which is why the can carries the warning. Our aspartame breakdown covers each study.

Natural flavor Undisclosed

The Pepsi profile — citrus, spice, and vanilla notes, in a proprietary blend. Plant-derived; no detail on the label.

Potassium benzoate Flagged, low concern

The preservative, a potassium salt of benzoic acid; Pepsi uses it instead of the sodium benzoate in Dr Pepper to keep sodium down. Safe at this level by every regulator. The known quirk — benzoate plus vitamin C plus heat can form trace benzene — doesn’t apply here, because there’s no ascorbic acid on the label and the EDTA at the end suppresses the reaction anyway. Our sodium benzoate breakdown explains the chemistry.

Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) Flagged

The second sweetener. Ace-K is almost always paired with another sweetener because it has a bitter aftertaste alone; with aspartame, the two cover each other’s edges and produce a rounder, more sugar-like curve. That pairing is the whole difference between Pepsi Zero (aspartame + Ace-K) and Diet Pepsi (aspartame alone). Not metabolized, approved everywhere, with thinner long-term human data than aspartame. Our Ace-K breakdown covers it.

Caffeine — 38 mg A third of a coffee

38 mg per 12 oz, the same as regular Pepsi, a little more than Coke Zero (34) and less than Diet Coke (46). About a third of a cup of coffee. This is the number that changed in 2023; see below.

Citric acid Fine, more acid

A second acid for brightness, which regular Pepsi also has and Coke doesn’t. Adds to the enamel load slightly.

Calcium disodium EDTA Fine

A chelating agent that binds trace metals so they don’t cause off-flavors or degrade the benzoate. Used in tiny amounts; safe by regulatory assessment, and the same ingredient in 7 Up and Powerade.

The 2023 reformulation: what changed

Pepsi Zero Sugar launched in the U.S. in 2007 as Pepsi Max, built as a “maximum taste, maximum caffeine” cola: 69 mg of caffeine, ginseng extract, and a sweetener blend tuned to the sugared original. It was renamed Pepsi Zero Sugar in 2016 and kept that formula. In early 2023 PepsiCo relaunched it with a new taste and a new caffeine number — 38 mg, matching regular Pepsi — and dropped the ginseng. The company said the change was about taste; it also brought the can in line with Coke Zero, which had always been in the 34 mg range.

The practical point: most of the “Pepsi Zero has 69 mg of caffeine” content online, including older versions of comparison charts and some retailer listings, describes a can that hasn’t been sold since 2023. The current label says 38, and that’s the number to use. If your can says 69, it’s old stock.

Pepsi Zero Sugar nutrition facts

Pepsi Zero vs. Diet Pepsi vs. Coke Zero

Pepsi Zero vs. Diet Pepsi: the difference is Ace-K. Diet Pepsi uses aspartame alone and tastes like a diet soda; Pepsi Zero adds Ace-K and tastes more like Pepsi. Caffeine is nearly identical (38 vs 35). If you’d rather have one sweetener than two, Diet Pepsi; if you want it to taste like the original, Zero. Neither is meaningfully healthier.

Pepsi Zero vs. Coke Zero: these are now the same product from two companies. Same two sweeteners, same preservative, same caramel color, 38 vs 34 mg of caffeine. The only label differences are that Pepsi adds citric acid and EDTA, and Coke adds potassium citrate. Pick by taste; there’s nothing on the ingredient panel to choose between. Our Coke Zero breakdown goes line by line.

Is Pepsi Zero Sugar bad for you?

The concerns, ranked by evidence:

1. Teeth. Two acids; the one well-documented harm. Rinse, don’t sip all day.
2. Aspartame and Ace-K. Safe at any realistic intake; ongoing research on gut bacteria and appetite is why moderation makes sense.
3. Caramel color. 4-MEI at levels below the California threshold; low concern.
4. PKU. Not a concern for most people; a hard no for anyone with phenylketonuria.
5. Caffeine. 38 mg is a mild dose; a problem only if you’re stacking cans.
6. Benzoate and EDTA. Non-issues at these amounts; no vitamin C to pair with.

Pepsi Zero Sugar for keto, pregnancy, and kids

Keto: yes — zero carbs, and the sweeteners don’t affect ketosis.

Pregnancy: aspartame and Ace-K are considered safe in pregnancy at normal intake by the FDA and ACOG; 38 mg of caffeine is well under the 200 mg daily guidance. One or two cans is fine; not a reason to avoid it.

Kids: no caffeinated soda is a good habit for children, and the AAP recommends against routine artificial sweeteners for kids pending better long-term data. The 38 mg of caffeine is the main reason to say no.

Cleaner alternatives

For a zero-sugar cola with one sweetener: Diet Pepsi (aspartame only) or Diet Coke. For no artificial sweeteners: Zevia Cola (stevia, no caramel color, no phosphoric acid). For a cola with real sugar you drink rarely: the regular Pepsi, which at least has no preservative. For your teeth: anything through a straw, and water after.

This article is for informational purposes and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian about your individual nutrition needs.