Is Transparent Labs Whey Protein Worthy of Olympic Gold?

Posted on May 2nd, 2016 By Allie Lewis in Protein Powder Reviews Read Time: 12 mins.

Recently updated on September 26th, 2022 at 09:49 pm

Today I’m going to take you guys on a little tour of Transparent Labs Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate. This protein is super basic but you know I’m going to flush it out into a full-blown protein review so that you can get a really good feel for the product in case you want to try it. I have reviewed a great deal of these protein powders by now and frankly I’m in the best position possible to tell you all about how good or bad they really are. I’ll start off by giving you a little bit of background on Transparent Labs and everything I know about them from my previous reviews. I’ve taken both their pre workout and their fat burner so I had a pretty good level of familiarity with their products and what I could expect from their products. So once we get into the meat of the review we will discuss  BOTH flavors of Transparent Labs Whey protein isolate, the FORMULA of Transparent Labs Whey protein isolate, and even the PACKAGING of Transparent Labs Whey protein isolate. That’s right people. I’m hardcore with these reviews. Ready to get started? Me too. Let the reviews begin.

LOL. LET THE REVIEW BEGIN! As if it’s the Olympics. Speaking of which, the Olympics are actually coming up very soon. I’m pretty stoked for them. Mostly because we get to see Michael Phelps in his sexy swim trunks. And all the rest of the hunks. Anyone else LOVE swimmers? Lol. Like. Hottest. Bods. Ever. But the thing is, they didn’t get them by accident. They TRAIN they’re butts off. They really do. I love how hard they work and how they dedicate to a goal. Where are you going with this Allie. Shh. I’m getting there.

So Olympic athletes TRAIN hard, so they NEED to recover. That’s where something like Transparent Labs Whey Protein Isolate would come into play. Protein supplements are a good way for them to recover and be the amazing athletes that they are. If I were an Olympic athlete, Transparent Labs would probably be my supplement company of choice. These guys just know how to do supplement right. As you know from my Physique Series Fat Burner review that I did just a few days ago, I really had some nice results from using their fat burner. And then of course their Preseries Lean pre workout was also a hit. I thought it tasted ok but performed quite nicely. Needless to say I was excited when my hookup set me up with BOTH flavors of Transparent Labs Whey protein. So I feel like the first thing we should discuss is the taste and which of these two flavors of protein powder tastes better. Right? I think so. Let’s jump right in. 

What’s the best flavor of Transparent Labs Whey protein? 

To me, these two flavors are almost too close to call. Transparent Labs, if nothing else, has done a nice job with having some consistency with their flavoring. I can give them that. They currently have a menu consisting of two flavors: Chocolate and vanilla. Pretty imaginative right? Lol. No. Not really. But imagination doesn’t matter until you have the basics down. And in my opinion, Transparent does have these two flavors nailed down quite nicely. The chocolate flavor has a nice level of sweetness that balances rather well with the levels of bitterness in the concoction. Some chocolate flavored protein shakes are either too sweet, or too bitter, or even sometimes too salty. But this one is just about right. You have nice texture and coloration to go along with it. It doesn’t look muddy or too dark. It’s a good, solid chocolate flavor.

I think the vanilla is almost EXACTLY on the same level as the chocolate when talking about overall quality of tastes. I think if I had to CONTRAST the two flavors, I would have to say vanilla is just a tiny bit more smooth. But some of that might just be the nature of how vanilla doesn’t have a bitter component like chocolate. The vanilla is good though. I would recommend both to be quite honest with you. The vanilla might have a just a tad more sweetness, but again, I think that’s true with all vanilla versus chocolate comparisons. Both have fantastic texture. As one comprehensive review score on taste, I give Transparent Labs an 8.5/10. It’s good. What about the formula though

Transparent Labs Whey protein Formula Grade: 8.8/10

This will be a pretty short section because Transparent Labs’ Protein is really pretty basic from an ingredient standpoint. You have just a half dozen ingredients in the ENTIRE product. Compare that to something like the Fitmiss Delight Protein or Adaptogen Tasty Whey, or even a Shakeology, and it makes Transparent Labs protein seem like it’s just a bare bones formula. Here is the ENTIRE list of ingredients in this protein supplement: 

  1. Whey Protein Isolate
  2. Cocoa (for chocolate flavor)
  3. Natura Flavoring
  4. Artificial Flavoring
  5. Stevia
  6. Sodium Chloride

Pretty simple right? I think this is the most basic protein formulation since the Clutch Bodyshop protein that I reviewed a little while ago. Actually, Dana Lynn Bailey’s RUN EVERYTHING Protein was also pretty basic. What you get with basic proteins like is also pretty basic macros. You can see that Transparent Labs has just 112 calories per serving, zero fat, relatively low sodium, and a whopping 28 grams of protein. This is about 4 grams MORE of protein than your average protein shake, which is absolutely a benefit of taking Transparent Labs protein versus something else. That’s also why I suggested that this might actually be a great protein for an Olympic athlete, because that protein content is so high that a really serious athlete would benefit greatly from it. So. That’s mostly it on formula. It’s basic. The whey Isolate is supposedly grass-fed, which is cool. And even as pessimistic of a person as I usually am, I actually believe Transparent Labs. Maybe it’s because their packaging is so simple that I just automatically have a level of trust in their brand. 

Transparent Labs Protein Packaging Grade: 7.5

Oddly enough, the same reason why I have a level of trust in Transparent Labs is also one of the only things I don’t consciously like about their products, and that’s the packaging. The appearance just does not strike me in a positive way. I feel like the designs are just, well, super boring. But you know what? If I’m Transparent Labs, I don’t change a thing. I mean. Go read the last sentence of the previous paragraph again. I TRUST their brand. I like how their packaging imparts a certain level of trust just automatically because of how simplistic it is. You don’t have a bunch of competing colors and all sorts of crazy metal flake. I swear some of these supplements are starting to look like electric rock band guitars. It’s craziness! Like. Focus on the product first. How many times have we seen products that look amazing and then just let you down so hard when it comes to performance. All the time. That’s the answer. I’ve seen it so many times. Don’t get me wrong- I appreciate looks just as much as, if not even more than the next girl. But when it comes down to it, I’d much have a protein powder with great taste, and sacrifice the appearance of the jar for the sake of having it be really a nice product. It’s the same as when choosing guys, really. Appearance is second to the quality. So. Yeah I’m giving them a low grade because as you know from my other Transparent Labs reviews this white and blue look is just boring. But I still like the product. 

Transparent Labs Whey Protein Review Summary

  • Transparent Labs Whey Protein Flavor Grade: 8.5
  • Transparent Labs Whey Protein Formula Grade: 8.8
  • Transparent Labs Protein Packaging Grade: 7.5
  • Transparent Labs Whey Protein Value Grade: 8.7

I’m actually going to score Transparent Labs’ protein an 8.9, which is even higher than the score I gave the value. Let’s be real- $60 for 30 servings of protein is just, well, a lot. But when you really think carefully about what you get for the premium price- it might just be worth it. You’re getting a high-quality protein, that has more protein per serving than most comparable proteins, and has great taste to boot. We might be looking at Transparent Labs as a very real contender for protein powder of the year in 2017.*

Transparent Labs Protein Final Review Score: 8.9

Allie Lewis

By Allie Lewis

Hi, my name is Allie and reviewing products is my hobby. I am passionate about being fit and active, so making a blog about my experience with different products that help me stay healthy made sense to me. Please contact me at any time if you would like to guest post or advertise on-site.