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Cellucor
C4 Original
Our analysis — editorial take, not from the label
The gateway pre-workout grew up: the 2024 fifth-generation formula raised caffeine to 200 mg, roughly doubled the scoop, and dropped the proprietary blend entirely. Still cheap, still everywhere — now with every dose on the label.
- Caffeine
- 200 mg
- Citrulline
- 2.4 g
- Beta-alanine
- 2 g
- Servings
- 30
Price tier: Budget · relative cost per full serving across this database
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Classic candy-style flavors plus licensed collabs; artificially sweetened and dyed; sold almost everywhere.
Label verified: July 2026 · View supplement facts image
Label data
Per full serving · 30 servings per container · from the manufacturer's panel
| Caffeine | 200 mg |
|---|---|
| CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine | 2 g |
| Velox (L-Citrulline + L-Arginine) | 2.4 g |
| Creatine Nitrate (NO3-T) | 1 g |
| Proprietary blend | No |
Primary label source: Cellucor — official product page · verified July 2026
Cautions
- Key doses sit under studied ranges — gentler, but less backed
- The label says not to use it continuously for more than 8 weeks
- Old 150 mg-caffeine stock still circulates — look for the Velox and PeptiPump rows to confirm the current label
Formulated for healthy adults — not intended for anyone under 18. Performance studies use roughly 3–6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight, which puts 200 mg at the studied amount for a 33–67 kg adult. Full health & safety notes
Product details
Where this label sits
Cellucor C4 Original sits in the moderate stim tier of the Scoop Sense pre-workout database, which spans 0–400 mg of caffeine per serving. Every active ingredient on the panel is listed with its own dose — nothing is hidden inside a blend total. It runs 30 servings per container at the full labeled serving. Everything on this page comes from the manufacturer's supplement facts panel as of July 2026 — never from the marketing page.
Key ingredients & studied doses
- CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine · 2 g. Below the 3.2–6.4 g/day range used in beta-alanine research — mild tingles still possible.
- Velox (L-Citrulline + L-Arginine) · 2.4 g. A fully disclosed 1.2 g / 1.2 g split — well under the 6–8 g used in citrulline studies.
- Creatine Nitrate (NO3-T) · 1 g. Well below the 3–5 g standard used in creatine research.
Flavors & sweetener
Classic candy-style flavors plus licensed collabs; artificially sweetened and dyed; sold almost everywhere.
Who it's best for
Most regular gym-goers — the caffeine dose is in the range of about two cups of coffee. A reasonable pick when cost per serving matters. Derived from the label figures above — not medical advice.
How we log this label
Every entry is built the same way: we read the current supplement facts panel, log each disclosed dose, compare it against the amounts used in published research, flag proprietary blends, and state the cautions plainly. The full methodology explains each step.
This label against the research
How we evaluate labelsEach bar shows the amount commonly used in published human research, and where this label's dose falls against it. Research amounts are context, not a recommendation — they are not doses, and nothing here is medical advice.
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Beta-alanine2 g
63% of the low end of the studied range0studied range 3.2 g–6.4 g7 g
Studied as a daily loading protocol of 3.2–6.4 g taken for four weeks or longer. A single serving below that range still counts toward the daily total, but one scoop is not a studied dose on its own.
Source: Rezende et al., Frontiers in Physiology 2020 — “It seems that substantial amounts of BA are required to increase MCarn, with most studies using doses of ~3.2–6.4 g·day−1, for periods ranging from 4 to 24 weeks.”
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Citrullineundisclosed
This label does not state citrulline on its own — it sits inside “Velox (L-Citrulline + L-Arginine)”, disclosed only as a combined 2.4 g. A combined total is not a dose of anything named inside it, so there is nothing here to compare against the research. Studied amounts run 6 g to 8 g.
Source: Gough et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology 2021 — “The most commonly employed dose of CM is a single acute 8 g dose”
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L-arginineundisclosed
This label does not state l-arginine on its own — it sits inside “Velox (L-Citrulline + L-Arginine)”, disclosed only as a combined 2.4 g. A combined total is not a dose of anything named inside it, so there is nothing here to compare against the research.
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Creatine nitrate1 g
Creatine nitrate carries less creatine per gram than monohydrate and has no separately established studied dose, so the 3–5 g monohydrate figure does not transfer to it.
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Caffeine200 mg
At or above the studied amount0studied range 200 mg–400 mg450 mg
Performance studies most often use 3–6 mg per kg of body weight, which works out to roughly 200–400 mg for most adults. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in healthy adults.
Source: Guest et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2021 — “Caffeine has consistently been shown to improve exercise performance when consumed in doses of 3–6 mg/kg body mass.”
What other people say
Why we don't rate productsTwo different things, side by side: the rating the seller publishes on its own store, and what independent users write in public threads. Scoop Sense writes neither and collects no reviews of its own. Neither is evidence that a product works — they describe what people experienced and expected, not what the research shows.
On the seller's page
4.7 / 5
56 ratings
The brand's own storefront, read July 2026. A seller's rating is collected and moderated by the seller — treat it as a marketing figure, not an independent one.
What people actually report
Community sentiment on the classic C4 formula skews negative among experienced lifters, who call it underdosed and knock the flavor, while a few say it's a fine low-caffeine starting point.
- negative Underdosed / outdated formula. Long-time users frequently call the classic C4 formula too weak or outdated compared to newer pre-workouts on the market.
- negative Flavor complaints. Taste draws recurring criticism, with some describing certain batches as unpleasant.
- mixed Fine for beginners. A few users note its lower caffeine dose makes it a reasonable starting point for people new to pre-workout or sensitive to stimulants.
Read the threads yourself
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“C4 is probably one of the worst pres you can take.”
r/Preworkoutsupplements thread, 2025
Common questions about Cellucor C4 Original
How much caffeine is in Cellucor C4 Original?
200 mg per full labeled serving — roughly 2.1 small cups of coffee. Within the Scoop Sense pre-workout database (0–400 mg per serving) that places it in the moderate stim tier. The FDA cites about 400 mg per day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults, and coffee, tea, and energy drinks count toward the same total.
Why does Cellucor C4 Original make my skin tingle?
The 2 g of beta-alanine. The prickling (paresthesia) in the face, neck, and hands is generally considered harmless, is dose-dependent, and fades on its own — typically within about an hour. Most beta-alanine studies use 3.2 g per day.
Does Cellucor C4 Original disclose every dose?
Yes — the label lists an individual amount for each ingredient, with no proprietary blends. That is what the "label fully disclosed" tag on Scoop Sense means, and it is what lets each dose be compared against the amounts used in published research.