The Bottled Water Brand Americans Like The Most

Research data firm YouGov recently released a report showing which soft drink brands people consider picking up when thinking about their options. One subcategory is for people who don't prefer anything added to their drinks and instead stick with classic bottled water. One bottled water brand took the top spot when it came to national preferences, and it's a ubiquitous one that's not generally considered super flashy, nor does it tout any lifestyle benefits like many other types of water you'll find at the grocery store. That brand would be Aquafina, which is owned by PepsiCo. 

In YouGov's poll, when people considered buying bottled water, 20.6% of respondents said that Aquafina came to mind. In second place is Smartwater at 18.9%, while VitaminWater takes third place at 15.9%. VitaminWater is a curious one to me, since all of their products are technically flavored and sort of qualify as "wellness" drinks. The remaining brands in the top 10 are Dasani, Pure Life, Fiji, LaCroix, Poland Spring, Deer Park, and Perrier. Evian, sort of the bottled water status symbol of my youth, doesn't actually make an appearance on this list at all, which is somewhat surprising.

That toss-up between Aquafina and Smartwater for the top two spots was a lot closer than you'd probably imagine. Men considered Aquafina (22.1%) and women considered Smartwater (21.1%) the most when thinking of bottled water brands. Gen Z and Baby Boomers both go with Aquafina as their top considered choices (wild how bottled water bridges generational gaps), while Millenials and Gen Xers tended to think about Smartwater the most when making their purchases. 

The only real outlier is that Boomers think of Dasani as their second thought when it comes to bottled water, with Smartwater coming in third for their brand consideration when thinking about the bottled water category. I'm still shocked at the lack of Evian on this list, because the brand makes significant marketing efforts like partnering with celebrities such as Dua Lipa (in 2021) and, most recently, Spanish tennis superstar Carlos Alcaraz. I will note that Aquafina (which comes from public water sources) is usually one of the more affordable options in most convenience and grocery stores, aside from generic store brands. That may explain some of its popularity, but the YouGov report doesn't mention price points. If you find yourself grabbing Aquafina when picking up some bottled water real quick, just know you're part of a pretty big cohort that prefers that brand. Though, we do highly recommend you just use a reusable bottle, since bottled water is just trash waiting to happen, despite the packaging's supposed recyclability. Just remember to wash your reusable water bottle frequently to keep it clean, safe, and in good condition.