amber
E951
Reported migraine trigger; emerging gut microbiome concerns.
IARC Monograph Vol 134, 2023 — Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic)
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Pepsi Max
Is Pepsi Max low tox? Our scanner flagged 3 ingredients (3 in the caution tier) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
3 caution
3 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
E950
Often combined with sucralose. Mixed evidence for gut microbiome effects.
amber
E211
Implicated in childhood hyperactivity studies and reported MCAS trigger.
Full ingredients (from label)
Carbonated WaterColour (150d)Sweeteners (951, 950)Food Acids (338, 330)Preservative (211)CaffeineFlavour
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.