Starbucks fans are getting fairy-dusted by the new Unicorn Frappuccino but what's actually in the pink, sparkly drink?
The coffee giant describes the limited edition treat as sweet, fruity and "pleasantly sour." The bright Frappuccino even changes colors, with a blue swirl mixing into the pink base to make purple.
At no surprise, experiencing the "magic" comes with an overload of sugar. The standard 16 oz. size, known at Starbucks locations as a Grande, contains 59g of sugar if ordered with whipped cream.
That's equivalent to eating approximately 15 sugar cubes.
Skipping the whipped cream won't make much of a difference at 55g of sugar, which is only about one less sugar cube.
One Grande Unicorn Frappuccino holds about double of the recommended daily added sugar limit for both men and women, according to the American Heart Association.
Not to mention, ordering a Grande will set you back 410 calories, 140 of those calories are from fat.
The new Frappuccino is made up of seven main ingredients, eight if you add the whipped cream, but in short is just ice, milk and sugar.
Take a look at the details:
1. Ice
2. Milk
3. Creme Frappuccino Syrup. This ingredient is mainly sugar, preservatives, thickening agents and artificial sweeteners.
4. Mango Syrup. This sweetener is made mostly of sugar, passion fruit and mango juice concentrate, preservatives, thickening agents.
5. Blue Drizzle. The magical blue swirl is a mix of three components: White Chocolate Mocha Sauce, Classic Syrup and Sour Blue Powder. The White Chocolate Mocha Sauce contains sugar, condensed milk, cocoa butter and coconut oil. Classic Syrup is mainly sugar and water. The Sour Blue Powder contains sugar, artificial sweeteners and Spirulina.
6. Pink Powder. The coloring ingredient contains dextrose, which is a sweetener found in corn syrup, as well as fruit and vegetable color.
7. Sour Blue Powder. Contains sugar, artificial sweeteners, preservatives and spirulina.
8. Whipped Cream. Made of cream and Vanilla Syrup. The cream contains thickening agents and preservatives. The Vanilla Syrup is mostly sugar and water.
Depending on whether or not whipped cream is added, five to six of the main ingredients are sugar-based or are made of an artificial sweetener.
When looked at closely, the only pure ingredients in a Unicorn Frappuccino are milk and ice.
So if you're going to treat yourself with the frosty glitter-bomb, get ready for a very high sugar rush.