--- title: Crystal Pepsi Comeback Hinted at on Twitter description: Pepsi tweet hints at a Crystal Pepsi comeback canonical: https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-11T16:04:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:24.415Z og:title: Crystal Pepsi Comeback Hinted at on Twitter og:description: Pepsi tweet hints at a Crystal Pepsi comeback og:url: https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb747cfb53386efbb/6988541ae20a873de4a8bcb8/crystal-pepsi.jpg?branch=production&width=864&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 864 og:image:height: 486 og:image:alt: crystal-pepsi og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Crystal Pepsi Comeback Hinted at on Twitter twitter:description: Pepsi tweet hints at a Crystal Pepsi comeback twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb747cfb53386efbb/6988541ae20a873de4a8bcb8/crystal-pepsi.jpg?branch=production&width=864&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Crystal Pepsi Could Be Making a Comeback > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=25e2f96f-2aac-4477-ac94-ec2db85e7e6f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=25e2f96f-2aac-4477-ac94-ec2db85e7e6f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=25e2f96f-2aac-4477-ac94-ec2db85e7e6f&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: Should I Drink Seltzer Water? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Seltzer Water?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SSdTN2EQ.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2015-02-04. Seltzer -- also known as bubbly water, carbonated water, soda water and sparkling water -- comes with as many health myths as it does names. Luckily, seltzer is one of the rare instances where something you love drinking isn’t bad for you._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jun 11, 2015 4:04 PM UTC  Pepsi  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Jun 11, 2015 4:04 PM UTC People on the internet are campaigning to bring back Crystal Pepsi. In the past couple of months, competitive eater and YouTube celebrity Kevin Strahle has been one of the most vocal advocates of the “movement,” [promoting](https://www.change.org/p/pepsico-bring-back-crystal-pepsi-11) crowd-funding petitions with the hashtag [#BringBackCrystalPEPSI](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23BringBackCrystalPEPSI&src=tyah) and encouraging fans to tweet at Pepsi, President Barack Obama and late-night TV hosts to get publicity for the “cause.” On Jun. 8, he got this response: Just received this from [@pepsi](https://twitter.com/pepsi?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) on twitter a min agoIt is my duty to share it with all of you. [#BringBackCrystalPEPSI](https://twitter.com/hashtag/BringBackCrystalPEPSI?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/hyTbH5spbL](http://t.co/hyTbH5spbL) — L.A. Beast (@KevLAbeast) [June 8, 2015](https://twitter.com/KevLAbeast/status/607973601157873665?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw) While Twitter users assume the tweet means that there is going to be a Crystal Pepsi comeback, a Pepsi spokesperson would not confirm that to TIME, but added, “We do think Crystal Pepsi fans will be happy with what we have planned.” The low-sodium, caffeine-free product of the early 1990s was one of the colorless, “new age,” diet-friendly beverages that [TIME described in 1992](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,977373,00.html) as a reflection of “the nation’s pro-health, pro-environment leanings” — along with Coca Cola’s Tab Clear, 7-Up and Sprite, which were all attempts to “rival water,” the magazine joked. While Crystal Pepsi has not been seen on shelves since the early 1990s, it appears every now and then on lists of the [biggest products fails](http://time.com/13549/the-10-worst-product-fails-of-all-time/) or [history’s greatest flops,](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2096504%5F2096506%5F2096909,00.html) including [TIME’s own list](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,991230,00.html) of the “1oo worst ideas of the 20th century.” When questions are raised about whether caramel coloring in soda is carcinogenic, TIME has cited the drink’s failure to sell [as evidence](http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/06/soda-wars-can-the-color-in-your-cola-give-your-cancer/) that “soda companies wouldn’t be eager to change something as integral as color to the consumer experience of cola drinking.” And the taste? As the financial news website [_24/7 Wall St._ put it](http://time.com/13549/the-10-worst-product-fails-of-all-time/), the drink didn’t catch on because, “to many consumers it tasted just like original Pepsi.” However, TIME previously reported that a Pepsi marketing executive maintained Crystal Pepsi was [“the right idea at the wrong time,”](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1704688-1,00.html) so we’ll see if the right time is the present, given the recent enthusiasm on social media. _Read next:_ [_Pepsi’s Fat-Fighting Soda: Too Good to Be True?_](http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/15/pepsis-fat-fighting-soda-too-good-to-be-true/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/"},"headline":"Crystal Pepsi Could Be Making a Comeback","datePublished":"2015-06-11T16:04:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:48:24.415Z","description":"Will a revived interest in the clear soft drink translate into sales?","url":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Food & Drink"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb747cfb53386efbb/6988541ae20a873de4a8bcb8/crystal-pepsi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. Waxman","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb747cfb53386efbb/6988541ae20a873de4a8bcb8/crystal-pepsi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"crystal-pepsi","caption":"","creditText":"Pepsi","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/","name":"Crystal Pepsi Could Be Making a Comeback"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Drink Seltzer Water?","description":"Seltzer -- also known as bubbly water, carbonated water, soda water and sparkling water -- comes with as many health myths as it does names. Luckily, seltzer is one of the rare instances where something you love drinking isn’t bad for you.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/SSdTN2EQ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-02-04T22:52:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SSdTN2EQ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/","duration":"PT1M30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3917611/crystal-pepsi-comeback/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```