The magical properties of water are no secret. From aiding in weight loss to rejuvenating your skin, the natural elixir of life has trickled its way into wellness magazines, vending machines, and mini marts around the nation. As we enter the epoch of endless choice, millennial consumers are routinely faced with many options from the likes of Aquafina, Smartwater, Dasani, FIJI, Arrowhead, Evian, and VOSS. Overly commercialized, the aesthetic of bodacious designer bottles and the pristine packaging naturally appeals to the eye, whereas a Smartwater essentially becomes a stylistic, statement piece popularized by Actress Jennifer Aniston.

However, there comes a point in your life when you realize that you’re not just buying the water that is in the bottle, you’re buying into the three C’s- convenience, coldness, and character. The vast assortment may have you on either side of the spectrum, that is, reaching for bougie, costly long and expensive looking cylinders of VOSS, or for the most affordable option with the exemption of unknown store brands.

It is important to note that each brand of water is sourced from a particular location such as the likes of natural springs, wells, and other underground sources and thus has particular characteristics according to where it comes from. The more expensive brands often depict images of lush greenery surrounding a flowing stream that weaves its way around the snowy mountaintops of Maine. Their costly pricing is reflective of advanced marketing and the means in which they are sourced.

Drinking Water, AKA Purified Tap Water is essentially water from public reservoirs that undergoes an extra treatment, like reverse osmosis or filtration to remove impurities and improve its taste.

  • Dasani→ owned by PepsiCo, this water is specifically sourced from municipal water sources in Denver, Sacramento and Las Vegas. According to it’s website, it is made “with the local water supply,” and filtered through the process of osmosis.
  • Aquafina→ purified through a vigorous 7 step HydRO-7 filtration process that includes reverse osmosis.
  • Glacéau Smartwater→ Coming from Morpeth, Northumberland, it is evaporated to remove impurities, cooled and remineralised with the electrolytes calcium chloride, magnesium chloride and potassium bicarbonate for a ‘crisp, clean taste’. However, the way it is processed makes this water no better for you than tap.
  • Nestlé Pure Life→ comes from a well or municipal source and is carbon filtered, softened, demineralized, re-mineralized, and disinfected with ultraviolet light and ozone.

Spring Water comes from an underground aquifer, from which the water rises to the surface on its own. While it passes through multiple stages of filtration to remove particles, it is more likely to be susceptible to contaminants such as toxins and bacterias that afloat above the ground, unlike it’s deep water counterparts.

  • **Arrowhead→** comes from Southern California’s San Bernardino mountains and does not include any additives. It does contain naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, fluoride, and sodium. Once it is collected, it undergoes a 2 stage filtration process and is then disinfected with an ultraviolet light and ozone process.
  • Evian→ drawn from the Cachat Spring in the French village of Évian-les-Bains, it is one of the few waters in mass distribution that meets the World Health Organization standards for drinking water quality. The WHO states that water should have 200-400 ppm dissolved solids, a pH near 7.0, calcium of 60-80 ppm, and magnesium levels of 20-40 ppm.

Artesian Water is a mineral rich water that comes from aquifers found in deep waters, making it free of toxin, bacteria, and microbes that usually dwell in more shallow locations. Highly esteemed as the best water, it is rich in essential minerals the body needs, including calcium for healthy skin and bones, fluoride for teeth enamel, and natural electrolytes which help balance pH levels and keep you feeling refreshed and energized.

  • **FIJI→** comes from the Yaqara Valley of the island of Viti Levu, containing trace amounts of Silica and bicarbonate that come from the island’s volcanic rock and make up it’s smooth and refined taste.
  • VOSS→ unprocessed and contains high levels of purity which give it its fresh, clean taste. It is sourced from an underground aquifer in the pristine natural environment of Vineland in Aust-Agder county of Southern Norway. It is unexposed to contaminants in the air  and contains a low mineral count.