Every Water Explained in 8 Minutes

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Fiji. Founded in 1996, Fiji water is sourced from a natural artisian aquifer beneath the Yakara Valley on Vit Levu, Fiji's largest island. Rainwater takes up to 450 years to filter through layers of volcanic rock before collecting in the aquifer, picking up silica along the way, giving Fiji water a naturally soft, smooth taste with a low mineral content.

[00:00:28]It is never exposed to air until the bottle is opened. The square bottle was designed because the shape fits more efficiently on cargo pallets and airplane beverage carts, which is where Fiji water first built its reputation in the late 1990s. Evian, naturally filtered through the French Alps over a minimum of 15 years, Evian is sourced from a glacial aquifer in Evian Lesban, a small town on the southern shore of Lake Geneva. The filtration process draws water through layers of glacial sand and rock, giving it a balanced mineral profile, low in sodium with a neutral pH of 7.2. The brand was founded in 1826 after a French nobleman named Marque de Laser began bottling water from a local spring, believing it had improved his kidney health. Evian is owned by Danon, the French food conglomerate that also owns Volulvvic, meaning Danon owns both ends of the French natural water market. The soft, almost tasteless Vulvvic and the mineral balanced Evian and profits regardless of which one you reach for. Perriier carbonated at a natural spring in Veres in southern France. Perier has been bottled commercially since 1863.

[00:01:42]What most people do not know is that the carbonation and the water come from two separate underground sources on the same site. They are extracted independently and recombined during bottling. The bottle shape is green asymmetric modeled after an Indian club juggling pin.

[00:02:01]Nestle acquired Perier in 1992.

[00:02:05]San Pelgro sourced from a spring in the Lombardi region of Italy and bottled since 1899 was acquired by Nestle in 1997.

[00:02:15]Dani launched by Coca-Cola in 1999.

[00:02:19]Dani is not spring water or mineral water. It is purified municipal tap water drawn from local city supplies, filtered through reverse osmosis, and remmineralized with magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt. The process strips the water of everything, then adds a precise blend of minerals back in to produce a consistent taste regardless of where it is bottled. Dani is bottled in over 30 facilities across the United States, meaning the water in a bottle purchased in Atlanta comes from a different source than one purchased in Los Angeles. It is one of the bestselling bottled waters in the United States. Regularly outselling brands sourced from actual springs and aquifers. Aquafina launched by PepsiCo in 1994. Aquafina is purified municipal tap water processed through a seven-step purification system. PepsiCo calls hydro7 a combination of reverse osmosis, ozone sterilization, and carbon filtration.

[00:03:24]Like Dani, it begins at a local municipal water supply. In 2007, under pressure from the activist group Corporate Accountability International, PepsiCo acknowledged this publicly and changed the Aquafina label to read public water source. So Lifewater, also owned by PepsiCo, follows the same municipal water model, but adds vitamins and natural flavors, positioning itself as an enhanced water rather than a purified one. Poland Spring, founded in 1845, Poland Spring takes its name from a resort town in Maine, where a local spring was believed to have medicinal properties. The water is sourced from multiple springs across Maine with a naturally balanced pH between 6.5 and 7.5. It is owned by Blue Triton Brands, a company formed in 2021 when Nestle sold its North American water portfolio.

[00:04:19]Blue Triton also owns Deer Park, Arrowhead, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Zephr Hills, and Primo Water. All regional spring water brands, each name to feel local. A bottle of Deer Park in Virginia and a bottle of Poland Spring in Maine come from different sources, but leave the same boardroom. Smart Watered by Glacio in 1996 and acquired by Coca-Cola in 2007. Smart Water is vapor distilled water, meaning it is heated until it evaporates, then condensed back into liquid, stripping it of everything naturally present. Calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and potassium bicarbonate are then added back in.

[00:05:08]These are the same category of minerals removed during distillation reintroduced in controlled amounts to replicate what the process eliminated. The name refers to the distillation method which mimics the way clouds form evaporation condensation collection. It is the same process that produces rain.

[00:05:28]Core launched in 2012. Core water is purified municipal tap water filtered through reverse osmosis and rebalanced to a pH of exactly 7.4.

[00:05:40]The electrolytes added to achieve it include calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and potassium bicarbonate, the same blend used in Smart Water. The brand became recognizable for its tall ergonomic bottle designed to fit naturally in the hand, helping position Core as a premium wellness water alongside brands like Essentia. Essentia founded in 1998.

[00:06:05]Essentia is an ionized alkaline water with a pH of 9.5 or higher. Achieved through a proprietary process that first purifies municipal tap water through reverse osmosis, then runs it through an ionization chamber that strips out acidic ions and concentrates the alkaline ones. Electrolytes including sodium bicarbonate, dipotassium phosphate, and magnesium sulfate are added back after ionization. It is the bestselling alkaline water brand in the United States, outselling every other alkaline water brand by a significant margin.

[00:06:44]Voss, founded in 2000, Voss is sourced from an artisian well in Vatistrin. The water is naturally protected by layers of rock and ice, giving it an exceptionally low mineral content and a total dissolved solids count of less than 44 parts per million, among the lowest of any major bottled water brand in the world. It has a naturally balanced pH of approximately 6.0.

[00:07:12]The cylindrical glass bottle was designed and built before the brand had fully established its source or distribution. Voss became heavily associated with luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, and celebrity culture during the 2000s, helping turn premium bottled water into a global status symbol.

[00:07:32]Liquid Death, founded in 2019 by Mike Ceerio.

[00:07:38]Liquid Death is mountain water sourced from the Alps in Austria, canned in tallboy aluminum cans, and marketed with heavy metal imagery, aggressive slogans, and the tagline, "Murder your thirst."

[00:07:51]Cerio built the brand after noticing that non-drinkers at music festivals had nothing to hold that looked like a beer.

[00:07:58]The aluminum can was a deliberate choice since aluminum is infinitely recyclable unlike plastic. The water itself is naturally high in total dissolved solids and has a pH of approximately 8.0.

[00:08:13]Waka founded in 2012 by Ryan Emmens. Waka is sourced from snow melt and rainfall on the slopes of Monaloa on the big island of Hawaii. The water filters through approximately 14,000 ft of porous volcanic rock before reaching the aquifer, picking up silica, magnesium, and potassium along the way and emerging with a naturally alkaline pH of 8.2.

[00:08:38]It has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any bottled water brand due to its proximity to renewable energy sources on the island. Yaka was the first bottled water brand in the world to be certified as carbon neutral in 2018.