Do you know which brands of bottled water use reverse osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a proven method of removing contaminants from water, so you can be sure that you’re getting the highest quality product possible. It’s also the most common method of purifying drinking water.
In this article we identify 14 brands that use reverse osmosis to purify their water. We’ve also compiled information about additional treatment methods they use, which minerals (if any) they add to their water, and where their water comes from. We tested each brand to evaluate the mineral content, how good it tastes, and other important information.
Continue reading to learn more about the 14 most popular bottled water brands using reverse osmosis today!
Which Brands of Bottled Water Use Reverse Osmosis?
Most people aren’t aware that many brands of bottled water are actually using reverse osmosis to purify their water. In many cases, they’re taking municipal tap water, treating it with RO, and then adding back in minerals to make it taste good. Some brands also use other purification methods like ozonation, carbon filtration, and ultrafiltration.
There are so many different types of water available today that it can be tough deciding which one you should drink. And if you’re concerned about your health or the environment, you may want to know what goes into your water before it’s bottled up.
In this article we’ll take a look at some of the most popular brands on the market today and break down exactly how they treat their water so that you can decide for yourself which one is best suited to your needs.
Does Aquafina use reverse osmosis?
Aquafina bottled water is purified using reverse osmosis. In addition to reverse osmosis, they also use ultraviolet light disinfection and ozone sterilization to treat the water. Aquafina is owned by PepsiCo and bottled at more than 40 facilities across the US and Canada.
There are no minerals or electrolytes added to Aquafina bottled water. The bottle lists the only ingredient as “purified drinking water”.
Does Core Hydration use reverse osmosis
Core hydration bottled water is treated using reverse osmosis. They also claim their water is purified with a 7-stage process. I contacted them and was told that they also use ultraviolet light disinfection, carbon filtration, and ozonation to treat their bottled water.
The ingredients on the Core Hydration bottle indicate it contains the following:
- Purified water (purified by reverse osmosis)
- Potassium bicarbonate
- Magnesium chloride
- Calcium chloride
The last 3 ingredients are electrolytes and minerals that are added to improve the taste and provide enhanced hydration.
Does Dasani use reverse osmosis
Dasani bottled water is purified using reverse osmosis. After RO filtration they add back minerals to improve the flavor of the water. They describe their product as “purified water enhanced for a pure, fresh taste”.
Dasani water is owned by The Coca-Cola Company and bottled at 20 facilities across the US.
The Dasani bottle lists the following ingredients:
- Purified water
- Magnesium sulfate
- Potassium chloride
- Salt
The last 3 ingredients are minerals added to improve the taste.
Does Deer Park Spring Water use reverse osmosis
Deer Park Spring water is not treated with reverse osmosis. According to them, it is 100% spring water that is naturally filtered. The water is filtered using microfiltration system to remove particles as small as 0.2 microns. It is then disinfected using UV light and ozone.
Deer Park Spring does not add minerals or electrolytes to their water. The water comes from several natural springs, including Deer Park Spring.
Does Essentia use reverse osmosis
Essentia bottled water is treated using reverse osmosis. They take tap water, filter it using microfiltration, and the treat is using reverse osmosis to remove contaminants like chlorine, THMs, and disinfectant byproducts. They add a blend of electrolytes to improve the flavor and enhance hydration.
The ingredients listed on the Essentia bottle are:
- Purified water (by reverse osmosis)
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Magnesium sulfate
- Calcium chloride
The last 4 ingredients are minerals added for taste and hydration. Essentia bottled water is basically highly treated tap water with an alkaline mix of minerals added.
Does Fiji use reverse osmosis
Fiji water is not treated. Their water is described as “natural artesian water” from the islands of Fiji. They even take care to avoid any human contact with their water – it comes straight from the source directly into the bottle.
Does Glaceau Smart Water use reverse osmosis
Glaceau Smart Water does not use reverse osmosis to purify their water. It is treated by vapor distillation – a process that heats the water to vaporize it and then collects the condensed vapor. They add electrolytes to enhance hydration and improve its flavor.
Glaceau uses tap water as the source for their product. The ingredients list indicates it contains:
- Vapor distilled water
- Calcium chloride
- Potassium bicarbonate
The last 2 ingredients are electrolytes added for taste.
Does Great Value use reverse osmosis
Great Value bottled water is treated using reverse osmosis. Great Value is sold in Walmart.
I contacted the bottler but could not obtain any additional information about how they treat their water. The bottle indicates that it is purified using reverse osmosis.
The ingredients listed on the bottle are:
- Purified water
- Calcium chloride
- Sodium bicarbonate
The last 2 ingredients are minerals added to improve the taste of the water.
Does Harris Teeter use reverse osmosis
Harris Teeter bottled water is treated using reverse osmosis. No additional treatment information is available from them. The bottle indicates that minerals are added for taste.
Harris Teeter is a supermarket chain that is owned by the Kroger Company. Their private label bottled water is treated and bottled by Triton Water company.
Does Iceland Glacial Natural use reverse osmosis
Iceland Glacial Natural is not treated using reverse osmosis. According to their website, they do not filter or treat their water in any way.
It comes from the Ölfus Spring on the southwest coast of Iceland.
Does LifeWTR use reverse osmosis
LifeWTR bottled water is purified using reverse osmosis.
The LifeWTR ingredients are:
- Purified water (purified by reverse osmosis)
- Magnesium sulfate
- Potassium bicarbonate
These last two ingredients are electrolytes that are added for taste.
Does Member’s Mark use reverse osmosis
Member’s Mark bottled water is treated using reverse osmosis. This is the Sam’s Club brand.
The water is taken from a municipal water supply and treated using RO. Minerals are added to improve the flavor of the water.
Ingredients listed on the Member’s Mark bottle are:
- Purified water
- Calcium chloride
- Sodium bicarbonate
The last two ingredients are minerals added to improve the taste of the water.
Does Nestlé Pure Life use reverse osmosis
Nestlé Pure Life is treated using reverse osmosis.
The bottler, Nestle Pure Life, indicates that they use a 12-step process to purify the water. The water is filtered using activated carbon and then treated using reverse osmosis. They add minerals for flavor and then filter using microfiltration. Prior to bottling, they disinfect the water using UV light and ozone.
The source of water for Nestle Pure Life is municipal tap water. The ingredients on the Nestle Pure Life bottled water indicates it contains:
- Purified water
- Calcium chloride
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Magnesium sulfate
The last three ingredients are minerals that are added to improve the taste and quality of the water.
Does Penta Water use reverse osmosis
Penta Water uses reverse osmosis to treat their bottled water. Their water is first treated with reverse osmosis, followed by UV light disinfection and then oxygen.
Penta bottled water comes from an aquifer and is treated before being bottled.
Does Propel Fitness Water use reverse osmosis
Propel Fitness bottled water is treated by reverse osmosis filtration.
Propel Fitness Water is made by the company that makes Gatorade. This sugar-free sports drink is made from tap water that is filtered with reverse osmosis. It contains a long list of ingredients. Some of them are electrolytes to enhance hydration. It also contains artificial sweeteners and flavors for taste.
Does Voss use reverse osmosis
Voss does not use reverse osmosis to treat their bottled water. Voss water is “artesian water” and is not purified or treated before being bottled.
The source of the Voss water is an underground spring in Norway.
Does BodyArmor Sport Water use reverse osmosis
BodyArmor Sport Water is treated by reverse osmosis filtration. The bottle lists “reverse osmosis water” as the first ingredient in their product.
This sport drink is alkaline adjusted to raise the pH to 9+. It is marketed to health-conscious people who want to replace electrolytes while exercising.
The BodyArmor Sport Wateringredients are:
- Reverse osmosis water
- Potassium bicarbonate
- Calcium chloride
- Magnesium chloride
Which Bottled Water Brands Add Minerals to Their Water
Many bottled waters are purified using reverse osmosis. RO treated water can often taste strange because all of the minerals have been removed. To enhance the flavor of their RO purified water, many brands add back some of the minerals that the treatment process removes.
The following table is list of bottled waters that add minerals to their water.
BrandCalcium
chlorideMagnesium
chlorideMagnesium
sulfatePotassium
bicarbonateSodium
bicarbonateAquafina — — — — — BodyArmor Yes Yes — Yes — Core Hydration Yes Yes — Yes — Dasani — — Yes — — Deer Park Spring Water — — — — — Essentia Yes — Yes — Yes Fiji — — — — — Glaceau Smart Water Yes — — Yes — Great Value Yes — — — Yes Harris Teeter — — — — — Iceland Glacial Natural — — — — — Life WTR — — Yes Yes — Member’s Mark Yes — — — Yes Nestlé Pure Life Yes — Yes — Yes Penta Water — — — — — Propel Fitness Water — — — — — Voss — — — — — BodyArmor Sport Water Yes Yes — Yes —
What Is Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is a water purification process that uses a semipermeable membrane to remove dissolved minerals, bacteria, and other impurities from water. The process is called reverse osmosis because it works through the process of osmosis – is the natural movement of solvent molecules through a permeable membrane into a more concentrated solution.
How reverse osmosis works
Reverse osmosis is a process that uses water pressure to force water through a semipermeable membrane. The membrane allows pure water molecules to pass while retaining impurities on one side of the membrane. The water that passes through the membrane is 99.9% pure of a wide range of contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride, lead, and many more.
Benefits of RO
Reverse osmosis is one of the most efficient forms of water filtration. It is capable of removing a wide range of contaminants and can be used with many types of water sources.
The main benefit to this type of purification process is its ability to remove many impurities from a wide range of water sources, including tap water and natural springs. The removal of contaminants means that the water you are drinking is much purer and safer.
What the Source of Water Listed on the Bottle Means
Bottled waters are required to list the ingredients on the label. Since water is the main ingredient, it must be listed on the bottle. However, many manufacturers provide vague and, in some cases, misleading information about the source of the water – especially if they are just bottling tap water.
Mineral water
The FDA regulates bottled water. They define “mineral water” as water containing at least 250 parts per million of total dissolved solids. The dissolved solids must come from a “geologically and physically protected underground water source.”
Spring water
Spring water means that the water comes from a groundwater source that flows naturally to the surface. The water must be collected where the springs flows to the surface or from a borehole drilled into the source.
Purified water
Purified water means the source is a municipal water supply. In other words, purified water is just tap water. The word “purified” indicates that the water has been treated. Usually, this means reverse osmosis, but it isn’t a requirement. It could mean the water was filtered or treated using activated carbon.
What Treatment Methods Are Used to Purify Bottled Water
Bottled water is treated with a variety of methods to remove contaminants, improve its taste, remove suspended solids, and to generally improve its quality. Depending on the quality of the water source, the type and level of treatment can vary widely.
Let’s review the most commonly used purification and treatment methods for bottled water.
1. Reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis is the most common treatment method for bottled water and is used to remove a wide range of contaminants. RO uses a semipermeable membrane to filter out impurities. RO is the most efficient way to purify water and can be used on many types of water sources, including tap water and natural springs.
2. Distillation
Distillation is used to treat tap water and other water sources that contain high levels of contaminants. The water is boiled, and the steam is captured and cooled. This process causes the pure water to condense and fall back into the collection container while the impurities are left behind.
Distillation can remove many of the contaminants that RO can with the exception of VOCs.
3. Ozonation
Ozonation is a disinfection method that uses ozone gas to kill bacteria and other microorganisms in the water. It is used mostly for disinfecting water supplies before they are bottled.
Ozonation does not remove contaminants like RO and distillation, but it kills any harmful microorganisms that may be present in the water.
4. Ultraviolet light disinfection
UV light is used to treat water supplies before they are bottled. It can kill many microorganisms and bacteria, but it does not remove any contaminants from the water.
UV light is often combined with other treatment methods such as carbon filtration or reverse osmosis to disinfect the water immediately before it is bottled.
5. Carbon filtration
Carbon filtration is the most common type of water filtration and is used to remove suspended solids, bad tastes and odors, and chlorine from the water.
6. Coagulation and flocculation
Coagulation and flocculation are used to remove particles from the water. In coagulation, a chemical is added to the water that causes the small particles to clump together. Flocculation is the process of adding a second chemical that makes the clumps grow larger and fall out of suspension.
Coagulation and flocculation are often a pre-treatment method used in combination with reverse osmosis or carbon filtration.
7. Microfiltration
Microfiltration is a type of filtration that uses very small filters to remove suspended solids, turbidity, and color from the water.
The size of the filter holes used can vary depending on what needs to be removed from the water. Microfiltration is often used in combination with another treatment method to improve the quality of the water.
FAQs
Is reverse osmosis water safe to drink?
Reverse osmosis water is safe to drink and is the most common type of water treatment. It removes many contaminants from the water, including lead, arsenic, and fluoride.
What are some of the benefits of drinking reverse osmosis water?
Some of the benefits of drinking reverse osmosis water include better taste, improved
Can reverse osmosis remove lead from bottled water?
Reverse osmosis can remove lead from bottled water and is the most common type of treatment for removing contaminants. It removes a wide range of contaminants, including lead, arsenic, and fluoride.
Final Take on Reverse Osmosis and Bottled Water
If you’re looking for a bottled water that is purified using reverse osmosis, check out these 14 brands. Reverse osmosis uses the principle of applying pressure to push water through semi-permeable membranes in order to remove unwanted substances like salt and nitrates.
This article has provided information on what treatment methods are used to purify bottled water as well as where each brand gets their water. We hope this blog post will help answer any questions or concerns about how your favorite brand stacks up against the industry.
