RXBAR now has 3 different product lines — and they're not all created equal. The Classic bars still have relatively simple ingredients (only "natural flavors" is questionable). But their Nut Butter & Oat line contains sunflower oil (a seed oil) and honey. And their High Protein line has 15g of added sugar from agave nectar. That's All Protein delivers what RXBAR's "No B.S." slogan promises — across ALL our products. Trusted by 75+ verified reviews.
This comparison breaks down each RXBAR product line honestly, shows where they've compromised, and helps you decide if they still fit your clean eating standards.
🏆 Quick Answer: That's All Protein Wins
Clean Label Standard™ Score: That's All Protein scores 50/50 vs RXBAR's 46/50 (Classic line). RXBAR's Oat line scores lower due to sunflower oil, and High Protein line has 15g agave syrup.
Quick Verdict:
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Best truly clean protein bar: That's All Protein (zero seed oils, zero "natural flavors" in ANY product)
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Best for avoiding seed oils: That's All Protein (RXBAR Oat line contains sunflower oil)
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Best for avoiding added sugar: That's All Protein (RXBAR High Protein has 15g agave)
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Best protein quality: That's All Protein (grass-fed whey vs egg white/pea protein)
Winner: That's All Protein
⚠️ Important: RXBAR Has 3 Different Product Lines
Not all RXBARs are the same. Here's what you need to know about each line:
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Classic Bars (12g protein): Still relatively clean. Only issue is "natural flavors"
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Nut Butter & Oat Bars (10g protein): Contains sunflower oil (seed oil) + honey + coconut sugar
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High Protein Bars (18g protein): Contains agave nectar — 15g added sugar per bar
If you're buying RXBAR, check which line you're getting. The "No B.S." promise only partly applies to the Classic line.
Clean Label Standard™ Scores
| Product |
Score |
Key Issues |
| That's All Protein |
50/50 ✅ |
No issues — all organic whole foods, 15g grass-fed whey |
| RXBAR Classic |
46/50 ⚠️ |
"Natural flavors" (-4 points) |
| RXBAR Oat Line |
38/50 ❌ |
Sunflower oil + honey + natural flavors |
| RXBAR High Protein |
32/50 ❌ |
15g agave syrup + natural flavors + pea protein |
According to the Clean Label Standard™ scoring methodology, which evaluates protein bars on 10 criteria including seed oils, artificial sweeteners, organic certification, and protein quality.
Breaking Down RXBAR's 3 Product Lines
RXBAR built a loyal following by being different. Their packaging proudly listed core ingredients: "3 Egg Whites, 6 Almonds, 4 Cashews, 2 Dates. No B.S." But since Kellogg's acquired them in 2017 for $600 million, they've expanded to 3 distinct product lines with very different formulas.
1. Classic Bars (12g protein) — Chocolate Sea Salt
Ingredients: Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Chocolate, Cocoa, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt
Verdict: Still relatively clean. "Natural flavors" is the only questionable ingredient. No seed oils.
2. Nut Butter & Oat Bars (10g protein) — Dark Chocolate PB
Ingredients: Oats, Honey, Peanut Butter, Egg Whites, Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Brown Rice, Chocolate, Avocado and/or High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Coconut Sugar, Oat Fiber, Cocoa, Sea Salt, Natural Flavors
Verdict: Contains seed oil (sunflower) + multiple added sugars. Not what "No B.S." promised.
3. High Protein Bars (18g protein) — Vanilla Peanut Butter
Ingredients: Peanut Butter, Agave Nectar (15g added sugar), Pea Protein, Peanuts, Vanilla Beans, Natural Flavors
Verdict: 15g added sugar from agave (higher in fructose than HFCS). Also uses pea protein instead of egg whites.
The Kellogg's Effect
When Big Food acquires "healthy" brands, product lines multiply and ingredient quality varies. The Classic line stayed fairly true to the original formula, but the new lines (Oat, High Protein) added seed oils and sweeteners the original RXBARs avoided.
Ingredient Breakdown: What You're Actually Eating
Let's compare what's actually in each bar:
That's All Protein Chocolate Bar (7 ingredients)
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Organic dates — natural sweetness + fiber
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Grass-fed whey protein — complete protein from pasture-raised cows
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Organic cashews — healthy fats + creaminess
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Organic cacao — antioxidants + chocolate flavor
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Organic cacao butter — stable whole food fat
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Organic vanilla — real vanilla bean
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Sea salt — electrolytes + taste
✅ Every ingredient is a recognizable whole food. No vague terms.
RXBAR Classic Chocolate Sea Salt (8 ingredients)
- Dates — natural sweetness
- Egg whites — protein source (conventional)
- Almonds — healthy fats (conventional)
- Cashews — healthy fats (conventional)
- Chocolate — processed (conventional)
- Cocoa — chocolate flavor (conventional)
-
Natural flavors — vague chemical compounds
- Sea salt — electrolytes
⚠️ Classic bars don't have seed oils, but "natural flavors" doesn't belong in a "No B.S." bar. Note: RXBAR's Nut Butter & Oat line DOES contain sunflower oil.
The "No B.S." Promise — Partially Broken
RXBAR's Classic line is still relatively clean — no seed oils, no artificial sweeteners. The main issue is "natural flavors," a catch-all term that can include hundreds of chemical compounds. However, their Nut Butter & Oat line contains sunflower oil, and their High Protein line has 15g added sugar from agave. The "No B.S." promise only applies to part of their lineup.
The Seed Oil Problem: RXBAR's Oat Line
Good news: RXBAR Classic bars (like Chocolate Sea Salt) do NOT contain seed oils. However, their Nut Butter & Oat line contains sunflower oil — a processed seed oil that clean eating advocates specifically avoid.
What's Wrong with Sunflower Oil?
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High omega-6 content: Sunflower oil is ~65% omega-6 linoleic acid — one of the highest of any oil
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Inflammatory potential: A review in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism discusses how excessive omega-6 consumption may promote inflammation
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Highly processed: Commercial sunflower oil is refined using chemical solvents, bleaching, and deodorizing
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Oxidation risk: Polyunsaturated fats like sunflower oil are prone to oxidation, especially during processing
Why Companies Add Seed Oils
Simple: they're cheap. Sunflower oil costs a fraction of whole food fats like cacao butter or coconut oil. When Kellogg's bought RXBAR for $600 million, expanding product lines often means ingredient compromises.
That's All Protein: Zero Seed Oils (In Every Product)
We use organic cacao butter — a whole food fat that's stable, antioxidant-rich, and has been consumed for centuries. Plus organic whole nuts for additional healthy fats. No sunflower oil, no canola oil, no palm oil — ever, in ANY of our products.
| Fat Source |
That's All Protein |
RXBAR Classic |
RXBAR Oat Line |
| Primary fat |
✅ Organic cacao butter |
✅ Whole nuts |
❌ Sunflower oil |
| Seed oils |
✅ None |
✅ None |
❌ Has sunflower oil |
| Omega-6 load |
✅ Low |
✅ Low |
❌ Higher |
The "Natural Flavors" Issue
RXBAR's ingredient list now includes "natural flavors" — a term that sounds innocent but hides a lot.
What Are "Natural Flavors"?
According to the FDA, "natural flavors" can be derived from plant or animal sources, but the term covers a wide range of processed chemical compounds. A single "natural flavor" can contain:
- Solvents
- Emulsifiers
- Preservatives
- Dozens of individual flavor compounds
The word "natural" is regulated, but it doesn't mean "simple" or "whole food." It means the original source was natural — not that the final product is.
Why Companies Use "Natural Flavors"
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Cost reduction: Flavor compounds are cheaper than real ingredients
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Consistency: Lab-created flavors taste the same batch-to-batch
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Masking: Can cover up off-flavors from lower-quality base ingredients
That's All Protein: Zero "Natural Flavors"
Our chocolate flavor comes from organic cacao. Our vanilla flavor comes from organic vanilla bean. Every flavor-contributing ingredient is listed by name — no vague terms, no chemical compounds, no hiding behind "natural flavors."
The Transparency Test
Can you buy every ingredient at a grocery store? With That's All Protein: yes. With RXBAR: you can't buy "natural flavors" — because it's not a single ingredient, it's a proprietary blend of processed compounds.
Protein Quality: Grass-Fed Whey vs Conventional Egg Whites
Beyond the seed oil and natural flavor issues, there's also a protein quality difference:
Grass-Fed Whey (That's All Protein)
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Source: Milk from pasture-raised, grass-fed cows
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Better fatty acid profile: Research in the Journal of Dairy Science shows grass-fed dairy contains 2-5x more omega-3 fatty acids
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No hormones: Grass-fed cows aren't given rBGH growth hormones
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Complete protein: All essential amino acids in optimal ratios
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15g per bar: Meaningful protein dose for muscle synthesis
Conventional Egg Whites (RXBAR)
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Source: Conventional egg production (likely caged hens)
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Complete protein: Contains all essential amino acids
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12g per bar: Lower protein than That's All Protein
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Taste: Some customers report an "eggy" flavor
Verdict: That's All Protein provides 25% more protein (15g vs 12g) from a higher-quality source (grass-fed whey vs conventional egg whites).
Nutrition Facts Comparison
| Nutrient |
That's All Protein (Chocolate) |
RXBAR (Chocolate Sea Salt) |
Winner |
| Calories |
230 |
210 |
RXBAR (slightly) |
| Protein |
✅ 15g |
12g |
That's All |
| Fat |
11g (whole food fats) |
9g (includes seed oil) |
That's All (quality) |
| Carbs |
22g |
23g |
Similar |
| Sugar |
14g (dates) |
13g (dates) |
Similar |
| Fiber |
3g |
4g |
RXBAR (slightly) |
Analysis: Similar macros, but That's All Protein delivers more protein (15g vs 12g) from better sources, without the seed oils.
That's All Protein Is What RXBAR Used to Be
We're not here to trash RXBAR entirely. They genuinely pioneered ingredient transparency in the protein bar category. The original RXBAR — before Kellogg's, before sunflower oil, before "natural flavors" — was a clean, simple bar.
That bar doesn't exist anymore.
That's All Protein is what RXBAR promised to be:
| The Promise |
Original RXBAR |
Current RXBAR |
That's All Protein |
| Simple ingredients |
✅ Yes |
⚠️ Compromised |
✅ Yes |
| No seed oils |
✅ Yes |
❌ Has sunflower oil |
✅ Yes |
| No vague terms |
✅ Yes |
❌ Has "natural flavors" |
✅ Yes |
| Truly "No B.S." |
✅ Yes |
❌ No longer |
✅ Yes |
If you fell in love with RXBAR's original mission, That's All Protein is carrying that torch.
Final Verdict: Which Bar Should You Choose?
🏆 Winner: That's All Protein
That's All Protein wins on every meaningful measure: cleaner fats (cacao butter vs sunflower oil), transparent ingredients (no "natural flavors"), better protein (grass-fed whey vs conventional egg whites), and organic certification.
RXBAR today is not the RXBAR that built the brand. The addition of sunflower oil and "natural flavors" breaks their core promise. It's still better than Quest or Barebells — but it's no longer truly "No B.S."
Choose RXBAR if you:
- Need something available at any grocery store
- Prefer egg-based protein
- Don't mind the seed oil and natural flavors additions
Choose That's All Protein if you want:
- What RXBAR used to be — truly simple ingredients
- Zero seed oils
- Zero vague "natural flavors"
- Grass-fed protein from organic sources
- The cleanest protein bar available
Frequently Asked Questions
Did RXBAR change their ingredients?
Yes. RXBAR now contains sunflower oil (a seed oil) and "natural flavors" — two ingredients they didn't originally use. Some flavors also contain added sweeteners like agave nectar beyond dates. These changes likely occurred after Kellogg's acquired RXBAR in 2017.
Does RXBAR have seed oils?
It depends on the product line. RXBAR's Classic bars (like Chocolate Sea Salt) do NOT have seed oils. However, their Nut Butter & Oat line DOES contain sunflower oil. Always check which RXBAR product line you're buying. That's All Protein contains zero seed oils in any product.
What does "natural flavors" mean in RXBAR?
"Natural flavors" is a vague FDA term that can cover dozens of processed chemical compounds. Despite the word "natural," these aren't whole food ingredients. RXBAR's original appeal was transparent labeling — adding "natural flavors" contradicts that promise.
Is RXBAR still healthy?
RXBAR is healthier than most protein bars — they still avoid artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. However, the addition of sunflower oil and "natural flavors" makes them less clean than they used to be. For the cleanest option, That's All Protein uses only whole food ingredients.
What is a good alternative to RXBAR?
That's All Protein is the best RXBAR alternative. It delivers what RXBAR originally promised: simple, whole food ingredients with no B.S. Zero seed oils, zero "natural flavors," grass-fed whey protein, and organic ingredients.
Why did RXBAR change their formula?
RXBAR was acquired by Kellogg's in 2017 for $600 million. When large food corporations acquire smaller "healthy" brands, ingredient quality often suffers due to margin pressure. Seed oils are cheaper than whole food fats. This pattern has repeated with many acquired health food brands.
Is That's All Protein better than RXBAR?
Yes. That's All Protein uses grass-fed whey (vs conventional egg whites), organic ingredients (vs conventional), zero seed oils (RXBAR has sunflower oil), and zero "natural flavors" (RXBAR has them). That's All Protein is what RXBAR used to be before the formula changes.
Why We Built That's All Protein
We loved what RXBAR represented. Simple ingredients. No B.S. Transparent labeling.
Then we watched them get acquired. And we watched the ingredient list change. Sunflower oil. "Natural flavors." The slow slide that happens to every health brand that prioritizes margins over mission.
So we built the bar RXBAR should still be.
Our bars contain just 4-7 ingredients:
- Grass-fed whey protein (15g per bar)
- Organic dates (natural sweetness)
- Organic nuts (cashews, almonds, or peanuts)
- Organic cacao and cacao butter
No sunflower oil. No "natural flavors." No acquisition by Big Food. No compromises.
That's all.
