What's actually in Purina Beyond?
We analyzed Purina Beyond Simply 9 Adult Wild Salmon & Egg, the brand's flagship "radical transparency" product. The full main ingredient list is: salmon, oat meal, dried egg product, canola oil, fish oil, salt, potassium chloride, calcium phosphate, and choline chloride — followed by a vitamin and mineral supplement pack.
That's it. Nine core ingredients you can actually read and understand, plus the required vitamin/mineral premix. Salmon as the first ingredient is a genuine whole animal protein — not a meal, not a by-product, but actual fish. Dried egg product at position 3 adds a second animal protein source that's highly digestible. The simplicity here is real, and it's a stark contrast to the 40+ ingredient lists you see from most kibble brands, including Purina's own Purina Pro Plan (C/62). Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
Salmon first is one of the cleanest protein starts you'll find from any Purina brand. Compare that to Purina ONE (C/58), which leads with chicken by-product meal, or Purina Dog Chow (D/39), which leads with whole grain corn. Beyond is operating at a different level from its siblings.
Fish oil provides EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids — the bioavailable forms that actually support skin, coat, joint, and cognitive health. Many brands rely solely on plant-based omega-3s (like flaxseed), which require conversion to EPA/DHA that dogs do inefficiently. Getting fish oil directly is better.
The mineral supplement includes zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, and copper proteinate — all chelated (protein-bound) mineral forms. Chelated minerals are significantly more bioavailable than their oxide or sulfate counterparts, meaning your dog actually absorbs more of what's in the food. This is a premium touch you'd expect from B-grade brands, not mid-range Purina.
The not-so-good stuff
The radical simplicity that makes Beyond marketable is also its biggest nutritional limitation. With only 9 main ingredients, there's no room for fruits, vegetables, prebiotics (like chicory root), or probiotics (like dried fermentation products). These aren't marketing fluff — they provide phytonutrients, antioxidants, and gut health support that a complete diet benefits from. A formula like Blue Buffalo (B/78) includes blueberries, cranberries, and kelp alongside its protein and carb base.
Oat meal at position 2 is the sole carbohydrate source, and it's doing a lot of work. Oats are a decent grain — better than corn or wheat — but when a single grain is the only carb in the formula, there's less nutritional variety. Most quality kibbles use two or three complementary carb sources to broaden the nutrient profile.
There's also no named preservative system. The ingredient list doesn't mention mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, or any other preservation method for the fats. Canola oil and fish oil both need protection from oxidation, and the absence of a stated preservative is an odd gap in an otherwise transparent formula.
How it compares
Purina Beyond's C grade (70/100) makes it the clear winner among Purina's dog food brands. It beats Purina Pro Plan (62), Purina ONE (58), and Purina Dog Chow (39) by meaningful margins. If you're committed to feeding a Purina product, this is the one to buy.
But in the broader market, a 70 is still mid-range. It falls short of the B-grade threshold (75+) that brands like Blue Buffalo, Diamond Naturals, and Kirkland Signature clear. The missing nutritional extras — the fruits, vegetables, and prebiotics that those formulas include — are the gap. Beyond chose transparency over completeness, and the score reflects that tradeoff.
Read the full breakdown in our head-to-head comparison: Instinct vs Purina Beyond.
The bottom line
Purina Beyond Simply 9 earns a C grade (70/100) from KibbleIQ. It's genuinely the best thing Purina makes for dogs — salmon first, chelated minerals, fish oil omega-3s, and an ingredient list short enough to read in one breath. The tradeoff is that simplicity means missing nutritional components that more complete formulas include. If ingredient transparency is your top priority and you want to stay within the Purina family, Beyond is the clear choice. If you want the most nutritional bang for your buck regardless of brand, the B-grade options above it deliver more for a similar price. Shop on Amazon →