Every ingredient has a reason. Scientifically backed.
There is a difference between a formula that has been assembled and a formula that has been engineered. Plenty of products on the market contain a long list of ingredients — some dosed too low to do anything meaningful, some with no clear rationale, and some that exist purely for the label. P90 Labs was not built that way.
Every ingredient in our 30ml gel has a specific function, a specific target, and a specific reason for being included. This blog breaks down exactly what is in the formula, how each ingredient works, and why — together — they represent something genuinely different in soccer nutrition.
Maltodextrin & Fructose: The Dual-Carbohydrate Engine
The foundation of the formula is a precisely calibrated ratio of Maltodextrin to Fructose. This is not an arbitrary combination — it is grounded in decades of sports science research into how the gut absorbs carbohydrates under exercise conditions.
Maltodextrin is absorbed via SGLT1 transporters in the gut wall. Fructose uses a completely independent pathway — GLUT5. By combining the two sources, the formula saturates both transport systems simultaneously, achieving a carbohydrate absorption rate that a single-source gel simply cannot reach. The result is faster glycogen replenishment, more sustained energy delivery, and significantly less gastrointestinal discomfort — one of the most common complaints with single-carbohydrate gels, where gut transporters become saturated and unabsorbed carbohydrate causes bloating.
For soccer athletes, this is most relevant in two key windows: pre-match, when glycogen stores need to be topped up ahead of kickoff, and at half time, when partially depleted reserves need rapid restoration before the second half begins. In both cases, absorption speed and gut comfort are equally important — and the dual-carbohydrate system delivers both.
Cognizin® Citicoline: Fuelling the Brain
Most energy gels stop at carbohydrates. P90 Labs does not. The inclusion of Cognizin — a patented, clinically studied form of citicoline produced by Kyowa Hakko through a proprietary fermentation process — is what places this formula in a different category entirely.
Citicoline is a naturally occurring compound found in every cell of the body, with the highest concentrations in the brain. It supports three critical neurological functions: it increases ATP production within brain cells, providing the energy needed for sustained focus and rapid information processing; it raises levels of phosphatidylcholine, the structural compound that maintains the integrity of neuron cell membranes and the speed of communication between them; and it supports the synthesis of acetylcholine and dopamine — the neurotransmitters responsible for attention, working memory, and decision-making speed.
In soccer terms, this translates directly to sharper game reads in the second half, faster reactions when physically fatigued, and sustained tactical awareness when the body is under maximum pressure. Clinical research on Cognizin specifically — as distinct from generic citicoline — has demonstrated improvements in psychomotor speed, sustained attention, and brain energy metabolism in healthy adults, making it the standard of evidence in its category.
Importantly, Cognizin achieves all of this without caffeine. There is no stimulant dependency, no jitter effect, and no mid-match energy crash. It works by supporting the brain's own biological systems — which is precisely what a sport requiring sustained, high-precision cognitive performance across 90 minutes demands.
Dimagnesium Malate: Cramp Prevention and Energy Support
Magnesium is one of the most consistently depleted minerals during intense exercise. Sweat loss, elevated cortisol, and the cumulative demands of repeated muscle contractions all draw down magnesium reserves rapidly. When levels drop, the consequences are well documented: cramping, neuromuscular fatigue, impaired ATP production, and reduced cognitive sharpness — a combination that is particularly damaging in the later stages of a match.
The formula uses Dimagnesium Malate — a specific form of magnesium bonded to malic acid — chosen for its high bioavailability compared to cheaper forms of the mineral. More of what is consumed is actually absorbed and put to work. The malate component is not simply a delivery vehicle either: malic acid is a key intermediate in the Krebs cycle, the metabolic pathway through which the body produces ATP from carbohydrates. In other words, the malate simultaneously supports energy metabolism and enhances magnesium absorption — a genuinely dual-function ingredient.
For players competing in congested fixture schedules — where cumulative fatigue, electrolyte depletion, and compressed recovery windows compound across matches — magnesium replenishment is not an optional extra. It is structural.
L-Citrulline Malate: Oxygen, Blood Flow, and Sustained Power
L-Citrulline Malate is an amino acid compound that supports the body's production of nitric oxide — a vasodilator that relaxes and widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow and the rate at which oxygen and nutrients are delivered to working muscles. Where most energy products focus exclusively on fuel delivery, L-Citrulline addresses the vascular side of performance: how efficiently the body uses the fuel it has.
For soccer athletes, enhanced nitric oxide production means more sustained power output during high-intensity efforts, faster recovery between sprints, and reduced accumulation of the metabolic by-products that contribute to peripheral muscle fatigue. This is particularly relevant in the context of modern high-press soccer, where the physical demands in the 60th to 90th minute are as high as any other period of the match — and where the ability to maintain explosive output late in the game is often the decisive physical differentiator.
The vegan fermented form used in the formula ensures both purity and quality, with the malate component contributing independently to aerobic energy metabolism in the same way it does in the magnesium malate formulation.
Vitamin B5 & Vitamin B6: The Efficiency Layer
B vitamins are not glamorous ingredients. They do not headline a formula or make a bold claim on the front of a pack. But they are essential to the formula functioning at its highest level — and their absence would undermine everything else in the gel.
Vitamin B5 — Pantothenic Acid — is a critical cofactor in the conversion of carbohydrates into usable ATP energy. Without adequate B5, the carbohydrate system in the formula cannot be metabolised as efficiently. It is the enzyme support that ensures the energy engine runs without bottlenecks. Vitamin B6 — Pyridoxine — operates across two performance dimensions simultaneously: it supports energy-yielding metabolism and it contributes to the synthesis of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine. In doing so, it reinforces both the physical energy system and the cognitive performance dimension of the formula.
Together, these vitamins act as the biochemical support layer that makes every other ingredient in the gel work more effectively. They are included because completeness matters — and a formula that ignores cofactor nutrition is a formula that leaves performance on the table.
The Formula as a Whole
What makes P90 Labs different is not any single ingredient — it is the fact that every ingredient was selected to address a specific, documented gap in how soccer athletes are currently fuelled.
The dual-carbohydrate system addresses energy and glycogen replenishment. Dimagnesium Malate addresses cramping, neuromuscular function, and ATP support. L-Citrulline Malate addresses vascular performance and oxygen delivery. Cognizin addresses the cognitive dimension that conventional sports nutrition consistently overlooks. And the B vitamins ensure that the entire system is running at maximum efficiency.
It is also caffeine-free by design. Not because stimulants have no place in sports nutrition — they do — but because a product built for sustained cognitive clarity across 90 minutes of high-stakes decision-making does not benefit from the instability that caffeine introduces. Cognizin delivers the mental edge cleanly, without the dependency.
The single-serve sachet is the final piece: consumed in seconds, digested comfortably, engineered to fit the two windows where matchday fuelling matters most. No liquid sloshing. No discomfort during play. Just a complete, purposeful formula — built specifically for the demands of competitive soccer.