The science of better protein

Our innovation is powered by continuous research into protein quality. We study every layer of the formula — from individual ingredients to the finished product — so every scoop is built with your biology in mind.

The result? Nuscle is more than a clear protein. It’s easy to digest and packed with 50% more muscle-building essential amino acids per gram than whey.

Built on decades of protein trials

Nuscle is formed from a large body of research showing that protein quality matters just as much as quantity — and that better-formulated proteins can give us more benefit, with less powder.

Not all protein is created equal

Protein sources aren't equally effective. Most are just things with protein that we can eat, they have weaknesses for human nutrition. This is why pre-digestive processes like hydrolysis are useful.

Protein in meals

Regular plant proteins

Collagen protein

Whey protein

Other dairy and animal protein

Most Clear proteins

Plant proteins aren't built for humans.

Plants build their bodies to survive, not to be eaten. That's why nearly every whole plant protein — and most animal proteins — falls short on absorption, on amino acids, or on both.

The plant protein gap

33%
of whole plant protein is never absorbed, high-quality proteins are almost entirely absorbed
75%
of plant-based adults miss protein recommendations, once you count quality, not just grams
20%
less lean mass in athletes on plant-based diets, compared to high-quality proteins

Ciuris, C. et al. (2019). Nutrients. Point Loma Nazarene University. DOI: 10.3390/nu11123016
Karpinski, M., et al. (2022). Frontiers in Nutrition. Arizona State University. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.996541
Vanacore, D. et al. (2018). Journal of Cellular Physiology. University of Campania. DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26427

whey protein in a measuring scoop on a white background

Whey set the bar

Whey comes from milk, so unlike most other proteins, it's actually designed for animals. It's built to grow newborns fast, so it does three things muscles need better than almost any other protein.

1. Delivers all 9 EAAs
Good amounts of every essential amino acid, especially leucine, to switch muscle building on.

2. Digests fast and fully
Amino acids reach your blood within about 30 minutes, with little left unabsorbed.

3. Rises, holds, then clears
Levels stay high for the roughly three hours muscles respond to a typical dose, then clear so muscle can reset.

So we formulated Nuscle to be better.

Key ideas explained

Key terms: EAA, EAA threshold, muscle support window, protein quality and digestibility?

Essential Amino Acids (EAAs)
Your body needs 9 specific amino acids it cannot produce on its own — these are the essential amino acids. They are required to trigger bodily processes, and create proteins and other non-essential amino acids.

Without all 9 in your blood at high levels, your body can't fully use protein you consume to recover, maintain or build muscle effectively.

EAA Thresholds
Your body doesn't just need essential amino acids for muscle support, it needs them to create proteins and amino acids for many other crucial bodily processes.

Your body keeps only small reserves of essential amino acids, and it protects them. Critical functions come first.

So it watches blood levels for signals of abundance. Below that threshold, muscle building stays minimal — your body isn't going to spend scarce resources on it.

Cross thresholds on all nine, particularly leucine, and the switch flips. How far past it you go, and how long you stay there, decides how much muscle you build.

Muscle Support Windows
When amino acids enter the bloodstream, muscle protein synthesis switches on — but only for a limited window to prevent excess muscle preservation or growth.

After about three hours, your muscles stop taking amino acids in and have to reset. This 'muscle-full effect' preserves resources when food is short. Anything left over that isn't found a job is usually used for energy, stored as fat.

More amino acids in the blood at this point simply go toward other processes, are used for energy, or stored as fat, regardless how much protein you've consumed.

Protein Quality
Protein quality goes beyond the number of grams on the label. It describes how useful a protein actually is to the body — taking into account both its digestibility and whether it contains all the essential amino acids in effective amounts and ratios.

A high-quality protein is one the body can fully absorb and immediately use for muscle repair, growth, and recovery.

Non-milk proteins are not designed for animal consumption, so most other proteins have lower protein quality than whey, with almost all plant proteins much lower. This occurs because they lack or are low in one or more essential amino acids, and generally have lower total EAA contents — which is exactly the problem EAA enrichment is designed to solve.

Digestibility
Not all protein reaches your muscles. Digestibility measures how much of the protein you consume actually gets broken down and absorbed — rather than passing through unused. The higher the better.

Poorly absorbed protein releases fewer amino acids overall.

Slow-digesting protein has a different problem: plants and meats release over three to nine hours. Too gradual to trigger anything — and much of it lands after your muscles have already stopped absorbing them. Which can then blunt the response to future doses.

Why is EAA content what matters in protein?

After we consume EAAs, in isolation or as part of protein, blood EAA levels start to rise. The faster they are digested the sooner and higher blood levels rise.

When all nine EAAs are present, two things happen: muscle protein synthesis starts up — that's the repair-and-build process — and muscle breakdown slows.

When the EAAs in blood cross individual thresholds, they signal maintenance, development and recovery to increase dramatically — continuing to increase with higher blood concentrations.

There is around a 3-hour window from when blood EAA levels rise to flood muscles with amino acids, producing and repairing muscle proteins, after that our muscles close the doors for a short period to limit growth.

Remaining amino acid abundance in the blood after that point prevents the muscle from resetting for the next protein dose, and blunts the beneficial muscle protein responses to protein until it is cleared out.

How many grams of EAAs do we need?

There is an upper limit for triggering and sustaining muscle support during the muscle support window.

From a high digestibility source this is commonly accepted to be about 12-15g of complete EAAs, or 30-50g of non-enriched complete protein depending on source, digestibility and hydrolysis.

Why not just take EAAs instead of protein?

EAAs alone are fast, efficient, and complete — but alone they aren't an adequate replacement for whole or hydrolysed proteins. Here's why:

EAAs in isolation digest fast, which is ideal for triggering muscle support, but declines before the end of the muscle support window.
Regular protein sources provide slower-digesting EAAs to keep the flow of building materials going for the full window your muscles can use them. The problem is that most proteins digest so slowly that they can barely hit thresholds or use the muscle support window. That's why we use fast-digesting hydrolysed proteins in Nuscle.
Normal proteins signal our gut-brain axis and insulin systems to better promote amino acid absorption, efficient utilisation, and satiety.
Your body burns through EAAs making the non-essential amino acids it needs. Supply some of those directly and the EAAs are spared — free to go where they matter most: muscle repair, connective tissue, and the metabolic work happening underneath all of it.

Think of EAAs as the ignition and protein as the fuel — Nuscle combines both, giving you the fast amino acid spike that triggers synthesis alongside the complete protein that sustains it for just the right amount of time.

Are other non-essential amino acids needed?

When loads of essential amino acids are present, the body can easily create other non-essential amino acids — so in practical terms, a complete and high-dose EAA profile covers all bases.

However, having a supply of dietary non-essential amino acids in the blood helps in several ways:

It spares excess EAAs from being removed from the blood and used to create other amino acids, helping sustain blood EAA levels longer to keep the muscle support switch flipped.
Sometimes under conditions of high stress — intense training, illness, caloric restriction, or recovery — other amino acids like glutamine can be consumed faster than the body can produce them. In these states, low levels of non-essential amino acids can end up limiting muscle support.

This is a big reason why Nuscle combines EAAs with fast-digesting hydrolysed protein — it delivers both a maximal dose of essential amino acids, and enough non-essential amino acids to prevent them from limiting muscle support during stress.

Why Nuscle wins

We thought it was time for a clear, plant-based, complete high‑EAA drink that gets more out of every gram.

Whey is great because it's fast. Blood levels spike early, and it releases everything before the muscle shuts-off at three hours.

We matched that, then went earlier. Free EAAs fire the signal within 15 minutes, faster than whey can. Hydrolysed protein then holds levels high for the rest of the window.

Without all 9 EAAs and loads of them, hitting the blood fast and staying there, muscle maintenance, recovery and development will always be poor.

We ensured the optimal ratio of EAAs to go far above any amino acid blood thresholds, and larger doses of 'more is better' amino acids, like critical branched-chain amino acids such as leucine.

For optimising muscle support, protein should boost EAA levels fast as a trigger, sustain that for the 3 hour absorption window, then clear the blood to allow muscles to reset.

Most proteins and meals digest too slowly to spike in this window, causing blunting of future muscle responses to protein.

Nuscle combines the different digestion speeds of free amino acids and hydrolysed protein to sustain amino acid levels over the full 3 hours.

Protein and EAA powders are a nightmare. They sit on top of the water and stick to the sides — in the end you're left with a gloopy, grainy, and sickeningly sweet mess.

We designed Nuscle using agglomeration and solubilisation techniques to make sure it mixes well, a bitter-blocking formulation, and a taste profile that's designed to be refreshing instead of sweet.

TRY NUSCLE

How it works. Start to finish.

Just before

First sip

15 minutes

30 minutes

60 minutes

3 hours

Pick a time — breakfast?

When topping-up a meal or having a snack, a single scoop has the protein power of 15g of whey. After exercise a double scoop gets the most out of your hard work.

Man drinking berry vegan clear protein from a glass in his kitchen

Refreshed

It's light, fruity and delicious! Nuscle is very carefully flavour-masked through micro-encapsulation, bitter-suppressing compounds, and a careful balance of acidity, sweetness and salt.

Man brushing his teeth in front of a mirror

EAA trigger begins

The EAAs are digested quickly, elevating blood levels, breaking through EAA thresholds, and beginning to trigger muscle protein formation and preservation.

Man buttoning a gray suit jacket at home, ready to go to work.

Protein starts to release

Hydrolysed protein begins to release its amino acids into the blood, raising and sustaining blood levels. As well as signalling our insulin and gut to promote better amino acid absorption, utilisation and satiety.

Man adjusting his seatbelt inside a car ready to go to work, wearing a suit and glasses.

Sustained release

The peak is on, your muscle is absorbing amino acids and building muscle proteins rapidly. The hydrolysed protein will keep blood amino acid levels high for the next couple of hours maintaining the muscle response.

Man in a suit talking on a phone at work with his work laptop in front of him

Muscle full effect

After about three hours your muscles wind down. That's normal. But those three hours were productive — breakdown stays suppressed for hours afterwards, and you're reset and ready for the next dose.

Inside Nuscle

Every ingredient is here for a reason. No fillers.

We use ultra-hydrolysed pea and rice protein for its complete profile of EAAs and small amounts of all other amino acids to protect against stressful conditions. The heavy hydrolysis pre-digests it to give it a comparable bioavailability and digestion speed to whey.

We use a patent-pending amino acid profile combined with our hydrolysed protein base. It contains a research-driven ratio of EAAs, you can see amounts in the radar below. We have increased levels of several key 'more-is-better' EAAs that control the size of muscle protein responses, like the three branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, and lysine, a key driver of muscle repair.

Everything else is non-artificial and non-GMO. We use sunflower lecithin to increase the mixability of the EAAs, silica and fruit-sourced acids to minimise foaming. The rest is for taste!

No artificial sweeteners, fillers, colours or flavours — none of the hundreds of additives that are seen as normal in supplements. Long-term human data on most of them is thin. We'd rather not find out.

How Nuscle's EAAs stack up

A protein's effectiveness is mostly about its EAA profile. See how 20g of Nuscle compares to 20g of other proteins.

NuscleComplete and with a very high-EAA content. Nearly twice the leucine content of whey and higher levels of dose-responsive EAAs, with a fully-balanced research-driven EAA profile. Very fast digestion similar to whey (~30 minutes) resulting in very high blood EAA levels.

*Values shown as grams per 20g of protein/amino acid content.
**EAA profile data drawn from research-consensus — Gorissen, S. & Crombag, J. et al. Amino Acids Journal, 2018. Maastricht University Medical Centre.

Why more of some EAAs?

For some essential amino acids and some populations, more is better.

Leucine content is the primary trigger for muscle responses
Isoleucine and valine work to improve recovery alongside leucine in the optimal 2:1:1 ratio
Lysine, an EAA many plant proteins are short on, is important for muscle, bone and collagen synthesis

Why it works

Plants and animals don’t design themselves to be eaten. Even whey from milk is made for calves, not human adults. So for humans, most proteins come up short on quality, either in amino acids or in how well we absorb it.

Lower quality means you need more protein to make up for it, sometimes a lot more. And even then, some gaps never close.

Plant proteins often run low on essential amino acids overall, or on one or two in particular, and can be hard to digest. Even whey is only around 45% EAAs.

Nuscle closes those gaps. Every scoop is broken down before you drink it, complete with all 9 essential amino acids, and 70% of its protein is the EAAs that build and maintain muscle.

In short: efficient protein. More from every scoop, with nothing artificial.

Builds more. Breaks down less.

Muscle protein responses from full or half doses of EAA-enriched protein vs complete protein.

Muscle protein formation

EAA-enriched12.6g 7.6
EAA-enriched6.3g 3.1
Complete protein12.6g 1.3

Muscle breakdown reduction

EAA-enriched12.6g 4.4
EAA-enriched6.3g 0.8
Complete protein12.6g 1.8

Even at half the dose, EAA-enriched protein more than doubled the muscle response of twice as many grams of complete protein.

*Change in muscle protein synthesis and breakdown (nmol/min) over 4 hours. Park S., Church D.D. et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2020. University of Arkansas. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-0340-5

Higher-quality protein built nearly twice the muscle

Protein quality isn’t just about being complete. Total essential amino acids, the balance between them and how well a protein digests all play a part.

In a 9-month University of Connecticut study, adults doing supervised strength training took equal amounts of either a higher- or lower-quality protein daily. Those taking the higher-quality protein gained nearly twice the lean muscle, despite both proteins being complete.

Researchers pointed to the higher-quality protein’s leucine content, around two-thirds higher, as a key reason.

Same training. Nearly twice the muscle.

Lean muscle gained over 9 months of supervised strength training, taking higher- or lower-quality protein daily.

1.8kg

3.3kg

Lower protein quality

Higher protein quality

Both are complete proteins. The difference researchers pointed to was leucine: the higher-quality protein had around two-thirds more.

*Volek J.S. et al. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2013. University of Connecticut. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2013.793580

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Blending two plant proteins until they’re complete wasn’t enough for us. We set out to get total EAA content, EAA ratios and digestibility right too, with nearly double the leucine of whey, so none of that research went to waste.

Most plant proteins have a weak link

Your body can only build muscle as far as the essential amino acid you have least of allows. Run short on just one, and the excess gets burned for energy or stored as fat instead.

That’s why completeness matters. Most plant proteins run low on at least one EAA, like methionine in pea or lysine in rice. Over time, the impact of this adds up.

No weak links.

Protein quality is measured by DIAAS^1,2, which combines how well a protein digests with how strong its essential amino acid profile is. A score of 80 means it does about 80% of the job of a complete protein, gram for gram.

Complete: 100

Rice proteinShort on lysine 37
Pea proteinShort on methionine 82
Soy proteinShort on methionine 90
Whey proteinNo shortfall 109
Milk proteinNo shortfall 118
Nuscle³No shortfall 123

Pea runs short on methionine, rice on lysine. Pre-digested, blended together, and topped up with added essential amino acids, they cover each other's gaps, creating a plant protein that rivals dairy.

1Whey, milk, soy and pea protein from Mathai, Liu & Stein, British Journal of Nutrition, 2017. Rice protein from Rutherfurd et al., Journal of Nutrition, 2015. Compiled in Phillips S.M., Frontiers in Nutrition, 2017.
2All scores use the FAO (2013) reference pattern, the strictest standard pattern.
3Nuscle's score is calculated from Nuscle's free essential amino acid content, and an average digestibility of 94% for its hydrolysed protein (measured for pea protein in humans: Guillin et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2022).

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Nuscle combines a complete, hydrolysed pea and rice protein base with added EAAs in balanced ratios, so no single amino acid holds the others back. By our calculation, that gives it a DIAAS of 123, putting it alongside the best dairy proteins.

And unlike most plant proteins and EAA-only supplements, Nuscle also includes a small store of all 11 non-essential amino acids. Your body can make these itself, but stress, ageing, dieting, hard training and poor sleep can slow production. Having them all there means that even when things aren’t perfect, there’s nothing silently holding you back.

Hydrolysed plant protein digests faster and further

Digestibility is one of whey’s biggest strengths, and one of plant protein’s biggest weaknesses.

Researchers at the University of Leeds looked at ways to make pea protein behave more like whey. In a stomach digestion study, hydrolysed pea protein broke down significantly faster and further than standard pea protein, from the first few minutes right to the end of the measuring window. This results in faster and more complete release of trapped amino acids.

Hydrolysis breaks proteins into smaller pieces called peptides before you drink them, effectively pre-digesting the tough structures your gut would otherwise have to work through.

Broken down sooner. Broken down further.

How much of the protein was broken down over 2 hours of simulated stomach digestion, for hydrolysed and standard pea protein.

Hydrolysed pea protein Standard pea protein

27%

46%

0 30 min 1 hr 90 min 2 hrs

Hydrolysed pea protein started out already partly broken down, pulled further ahead within minutes, and stayed ahead for the full 2 hours.

*Degree of hydrolysis (%) during simulated stomach digestion. Elbira A., Hernández-Álvarez A.J., Boesch C. Foods, 2025. University of Leeds. doi: 10.3390/foods14193306

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Nuscle’s protein base is hydrolysed, so more of it arrives already broken down and its amino acids are ready to absorb sooner, within the window when your muscles respond most.

Free EAAs reach the blood faster and higher than whey

About three hours after a protein dose, your muscles stop responding, even while amino acids are still in your blood. It’s called the muscle-full effect, which makes that window count.

Good protein does three things. It lifts blood EAAs fast, sending a strong signal to muscle. It keeps a steady supply through the window, to slow breakdown. Then it clears, ready for your next dose.

Whey fits this curve. Whole plant protein and slow-digesting blends mostly don’t: they arrive late and trickle in, and a slow trickle triggers a weaker response.

Faster in. Higher peak.

Essential amino acids in the blood over 4.5 hours after free EAAs, whey, or a protein-rich meal.

Free EAAs 14g Whey 30g Meal protein 70g

Leucine threshold

1.4

2.1

3.2

0 1 hr 2 hrs 3 hrs 4.5 hrs

14g of free EAAs peaked sooner and higher than 30g of whey, stayed elevated for more of the absorption window, and went far above a 70g-protein meal.

*Ferrando A.A., Wolfe R.R. et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2023. University of Arkansas. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2023.2263409

**Sharp M.H. et al. Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, 2019. Applied Science & Performance Institute, Florida. doi: 10.1177/1178638819827970

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Nuscle runs at two speeds at once. Its free EAAs need no digestion, so they lift blood levels fast and switch muscle building on. Its complete hydrolysed protein follows close behind, keeping a steady supply going through the window before the muscle-full effect kicks in.

Plant protein matched to whey’s EAAs matches whey

More essential amino acids mean a stronger signal to build and repair muscle, and more of the raw materials to do it.

In a McMaster University study, plant protein enriched with EAAs to the same level as whey, and no more, matched whey’s effect on muscle building and outperformed a regular plant protein blend.

Same EAAs. Same results.

Plant protein enriched with essential amino acids to the same level as whey, and no more, matches whey's effect and outperforms regular plant protein blends.

+140%

+203%

+212%

Base level

Complete plant protein

Whey protein

EAA-enriched plant protein

Protein works because of its essential amino acids, especially leucine. Match them, and plant protein matches whey and beats regular plant protein. Nuscle starts where whey stops: 70% of its protein is EAAs, with nearly double the leucine of whey.

*Lim C. et al. Current Developments in Nutrition, 2024. McMaster University. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.103769

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Matching whey was our starting point, not the goal. Nuscle has over 50% more EAAs than whey, and double regular pea protein, so less powder delivers more of what your muscles actually use.

It’s balanced too, with:

Nearly double the leucine of whey
The classic 2:1:1 BCAA ratio
Extra lysine, the amino acid rice and grain proteins run shortest on
Small stores of all 11 non-essential amino acids

This matters even more as we age, train hard or come under stress, when muscles need a stronger signal to respond.

Half the dose of enriched protein raises levels nearly twice as high

Whole plant protein is slow and hard to digest. In meals, roughly one in every three grams of whole plant protein goes unabsorbed and unused. Powders are a bit better, but fibre and natural compounds in plants still get in the way, so a meaningful share passes through unabsorbed, and what does arrive comes slowly.

This is an issue. Fast spikes of essential amino acids in your blood are what switch on muscle building and slow breakdown. Muscle isn’t your body’s top priority (your heart and brain come first), so it only invests in building when it senses plenty to spare. A quick, high spike sends that signal clearly. A slow trickle doesn’t.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas compared protein enriched with free EAAs against the same amount of complete protein. The enriched protein lifted blood EAAs far higher, and even half the dose went nearly twice as high.

Same protein. Higher peak.

Essential amino acids in the blood over 4 hours after drinking EAA-enriched or complete protein.

Enriched 12.6g Enriched 6.3g Complete 12.6g

0.7

1.3

1.9

0 1 hr 2 hrs 3 hrs 4 hrs

From the 12.6g dose, EAA-enriched protein lifted blood EAAs to more than two and a half times the peak of complete protein. Even half the dose went almost twice as high.

*Blood essential amino acid concentration (mmol/L) over 4 hours. Park S., Church D.D. et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2020. University of Arkansas. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-0340-5

What did this mean for Nuscle?

Nuscle is built for these spikes, with the digestion already done for you. Its complete protein base is broken down and filtered before you drink it, and its free-form EAAs need no digestion at all, passing straight into your bloodstream.

The result is faster, fuller absorption, because there’s little left for your gut to do. More like whey than typical plant protein.