Don't Believe This Scary LaCroix Myth
Yes, it is perfectly safe to drink LaCroix seltzer water. The beloved bubbly drink is as safe as any other seltzer water or sparkling water on the market today, and that means it's a hydrating, refreshing drink without any appreciable side effects other than perhaps a bit of gassiness and an almost negligible effect on the enamel of your teeth. So why all the sudden flurry of interest in whether or not it's OK to drink LaCroix? It's all because of one unfounded but truly gross rumor started by an ultimately frivolous lawsuit.
In the suit, which was later retracted, a plaintiff asserted that the sparkling waters manufactured by National Beverage Corporation under the LaCroix brand name contained potentially harmful chemicals. In the most attention-grabbing part of the filing (and intentionally so), the claim was made that some of the chemicals found in the drinks were also found in cockroach insecticide, according to Delish.
It was from this assertion that many people made the illogical conclusion that there was insecticide in the drinks, when what is the actual case is much simpler and not at all nefarious or concerning: a few of the same ingredients may go into both the sparkling water and the insect killer. And these chemicals, such as limonene, linalyl propionate, and linalool, are recognized as safe and natural by the FDA and are sourced from things like orange peels, ginger, lavender, and other perfectly safe and common naturally occurring components used in myriad products.
Why concerns over ingredients are often unfounded
There is a logical fallacy that often follows when one hears of an ingredient being found in a dangerous substance, and that's that anything said ingredient is found in is therefore also dangerous. You would never guzzle a caustic household cleaning solution packed with synthetic chemicals, would you? Among the many dangerous ingredients you might find listed on the back of that bottle of cleaner may be dihydrogen monoxide, or DHMO, a substance that is also found in LaCroix seltzer waters and that can lead to death. But guess what? That death has to come from drowning, and you are far more likely to die without DHMO than because of it, because dihydrogen monoxide is better known as H2O, and even better known as ... water (via FiveThirtyEight).
If the same flawed logic that was applied in the failed and retracted lawsuit against LaCroix were used in other cases, you'd be able to "safely" eat or drink very little, according to Delish. After all, casein is a protein found in cow's milk, but also in glue, so is dairy milk off limits? Is sodium chloride, also known as salt, to be considered unsafe because deadly chlorine gas is manufactured using the same base substance as a material (via NCBI)?
The answer is no in both of these cases and so many more. And again, the answer as to whether LaCroix is safe to drink is yes. But do be forewarned that it can be quite addictive.