”Ghost Basics was designed with stackability and affordability in mind,” Dan Lourenco, CEO and co-founder at Ghost, told NutraIngredients. “Simple is good when the quality is great.”
Founded in 2016 by Lourenco and former professional bodybuilder Ryan Hughes, the company became known for its fun and innovative approach to product, flavor and community engagement in an increasingly competitive sports nutrition market.
It quickly rose from niche start-up to leading brand, and a $1 billion deal announced in October 2024 saw Keurig Dr. Pepper acquire a 60% stake in the company, to be followed by the remaining 40% in 2028 depending on Ghost’s 2027 performance.
‘Anything but basic’
Launched on March 26 as “anything but basic” with the tagline “Simple. Effective. No BS.”, the new products are presented in just-short-of-opaque containers with black lettering and bright yellow neon tops—still bold, modern and minimalist like the brand’s other products but clearly marketed to cut through the clutter.
As anchor for the new range, Ghost Basics Fish Oil offers 2.4 g of enteric-coated omega-3 fatty acids from marine Norwegian ingredient supplier Epax (1,200 mg of EPA and 900 mg of DHA) per two-capsule serving to support brain and heart health. The formula replaces a previous version of Ghost’s fish oil.
“Ghost’s premium fish oil product has been a top seller for us over the years,” Lourenco said. “Our previous iteration featured what I believed was a great innovation called Smartprime, a patented absorption complex from the late Dr. Hector Lopez. Unfortunately, the manufacturer of this ingredient stopped making it, so we had to reformulate. We searched high and low for a new source of fish oil with highest quality/purity and amounts of EPA/DHA and believe we’ve achieved that [through] a simpler formula.”
The other Basics products also avoid compromising on quality and continue to follow the Ghost focus on premium and fully disclosed ingredients.
These include a Creapure (Alzchem) creatine monohydrate combined with AstraGin (NuLiv Science) to support muscle recovery and reduce fatigue, BioCore Optimum Complete Digestive Enzymes Blend (ADM/Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes) to aid in digestion and nutrient absorption, and a vitamin C and glutathione combination formula featuring PureWay-C (One Innovation Labs) and Setria (Kyowa Hakko) for immune support, detoxification and cellular defense.
“The goal of the line is to give our customers the ability to customize or add to their supplement regimens in an easy and affordable way without sacrificing quality or innovation,” Lourenco said. “Several of the formulas are building blocks of our more robust flagship formulas.”
Ghost Basics products are available initially direct-to-consumer on the Ghost website priced between $27.99 and $39.99, with plans for a retail rollout in the United States and abroad.
