We Tried 27 Bottled Water Brands And This Was The Worst
If you think cola is America's go-to drink, think again. In 2017, the Beverage Marketing Corporation found that the top-purchased packaged beverage in the U.S. was bottled water. It hasn't changed over time either, with the International Bottled Water Association saying water retail sales reached more than $50 billion in 2024, reflecting the highest volume growth rate across the category. You're likely one of these H2O-loving shoppers, since more than half of Americans consume bottled water every week (via YouGov).
Most water fans know bottled waters aren't created equal, so they have a go-to brand. To find the best, Mashed contributor Steven Luna tasted and ranked 27 bottled water brands. And while Acqua Panna was named the best bottled water brand, you may be surprised at the lowest-ranked option. According to Luna, Ethos was the worst bottled water brand he tasted.
You've likely seen Ethos bottles at Starbucks, which acquired the company in 2005. The brand's claim to fame is that part of your purchase (specifically, 5 cents) supports clean water access to children in need around the globe. Benevolent? Sure. Tasty? No.
"Ethos bottled water tastes like tap water. Not filtered tap water, either, just whatever comes out of the spigot when you turn the handle," Luna reports. He likes that the brand inspires awareness of the Western privilege of having clean water at our fingertips, but "if Ethos gave just a little more effort to the water in the bottle, it would be a no-brainer."
What does the public think of Ethos bottled water?
If you've never had Ethos before, you may be wondering whether Luna's opinion is a fluke. It turns out there are plenty of folks who agree, and the public critique of Ethos goes far beyond how the water tastes.
Starbucks claims that as of 2015, they've raised more than $12 million in funds for water accessibility projects. But there's a dark side to that number. Starbucks used to get a lot of its Ethos water from private springs in Baxter, California and groundwater in nearby Merced. Both were once categorized as "exceptional drought" locations by U.S. Drought Monitor, meaning the company was taking from a dwindling source (via Type Investigations).
Customers have also criticized the plastic packaging, which seems counterintuitive for a brand touting conservation. Others feel Ethos water is a capitalistic tool for virtue signaling disguised as altruism. On a simpler level, some see it as a generally bad purchase for consumers.
Even Starbucks baristas have tried to deter customers, one taking to Reddit to tell consumers to stop buying them: "They're around $3 a piece and a complete waste of money. We will literally give you FREE water if you just ask us for it. If you really need [it] in a bottle, go to the grocery store and save yourself the money."