The carbonated soft-drinks industry is one of the most profitable industries in the UK. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, the cost of producing carbonated drinks, such as cola and lemonade, costs the producer a fraction of the item's selling price to make. For this reason, the cost to profit ratio is high. Secondly, carbonated soft-drinks are purchased by the largest cross-section of society. Not only are soft-drinks popular amongst children and teen-agers, they are a common addition to alcoholic beverages and often chosen by adults wishing to avoid alcohol. For this reason, the large target-audience of soft-drinks is one factor which contributes to the profitability of such products. Finally, research suggests that certain carbonated soft-drinks contain certain chemicals which have a mildly addictive quality. An example of this is caffeine. Therefore, many consumers of carbonated drinks are likely to be affected by such substances, leading to repeat purchases and even dependence. Such factors are to the advantage of the industry and lead to the increased profitability of their products.