We could all do with drinking more water.
Our bodies need it to stay optimally hydrated, healthy, and athletically fit, but it’s not exactly the most exciting drink, unless you’re one of those lucky souls who naturally enjoy an icy glass of H2O.
However, in recent years, the trend of adding an ‘enhancer’ to your recommended eight glasses of water a day, whether for exercise benefits, extra vitamins, or just some more appealing flavor options, has become increasingly popular.
We’ve conducted all the heavy research to compile a list of the top five enhancers available now, with options to suit every customer’s needs and preferences, making your decision even easier.
Our buyer’s guide details the various water enhancers available on the market to suit a range of purposes, each claiming to offer health benefits and increase the amount of water you drink by seducing your tastebuds with flavor boosts.
Any remaining queries, befuddlements or concerns may be allayed by our frequently asked questions section, wherein we’ve gathered some common queries from those considering water enhancers and answered them all in one place.
Top 5 Water Enhancers
OUR TOP PICK
If you’re keen to get more water in your diet ASAP without wasting time debating which enhancer is best, we’d recommend the Stur multipack, boasting five of their most popular fruity flavors to suit any and all palates.
There’s enough deliciousness condensed into each miniature bottle to rejuvenate over a hundred eight-ounce glasses of water, with a single drop mixing instantaneously in your glass or bottle, to avoid those unpleasant powdery surprises.
Unlike other drink-mix brands, Stur uses real fruit extracts, sweetened with uniquely steeped Stevia, so both the taste and the color of your enhanced water is all-natural - no nasty chemicals hiding here! Just goodness all around. Created by a father to encourage his family to love water, there’s zero sugar, no calories, plenty of vitamin C per serving, and all of the flavors, from Orange Mango to Strawberry Watermelon, are kosher and keto-friendly!- All-natural fruity taste - no chemicals
- Vitamin C in every serving
- Plenty of flavor choices
Cons
- Caffeine-free (but great for kids!)
EDITORS CHOICE
One of the most affordable water enhancers on our list - so a great choice if you’re looking to try them out but don’t want to break the bank - is a mix and max package from SweetLeaf, whose natural drops are sweetened with Stevia.
Promising to hydrate your family and get kids and adults alike drinking more water, without resorting artificial sweetener, this variety pack is sugar-free, gluten-free and can be stored outside of the fridge - handy to throw in your bag for use on the go!
You’re able to control your flavors accurately, adding as much or as little as you like for maximum satisfaction, and you won’t feel guilty for giving your little ones an extra drop or two as there’s no danger of e-number related hyperactivity!
Whether raspberry lemonade, lemon-lime, peach mango or strawberry kiwi is your cup of tea (or water!) there’s a taste to suit you, and each bottle now comes with fifty percent more liquid as standard, so you really will save a fortune on soft drinks!
Pros
- Fifty percent more in every bottle
- Affordable but high quality
- Stevia-sweetened, so no sugar!
Cons
- May not be keto friendly
BEST VALUE
Featuring four of their most popular flavors, this variety pack from Mio has four 1.52 fl oz bottles to deliver refreshing flavor for your plain water in every single squeeze, each serving a different purpose: extra vitamins, more energy, sports enhancement or a burst of tasty fruit.
Sugar-free and an excellent alternative to soda, with just one squeeze of your bottle, you’ll pack enough taste punches for eight ounces of water; buying in bulk means that not only do you have a range of flavors to try, but you won’t run out suddenly either!
According to the ingredients, there are no carbohydrates, so it’s suitable for bringing some flair to your keto diet, although the community argues amongst itself about whether sucralose counts as a carb or not.
Each serving offers 60mg of caffeine, so if you’re trying to cut down on your coffee consumption but still need a hit of the good stuff to get through your day, this could be the perfect solution.
Pros
- Caffeinated for a delightful energy boost
- Added vitamins to help fuel your body
- Keto and kosher friendly
Cons
- Not be suitable for children
RUNNER UP
With their sleek, stylish packaging - born from a product makeover that produced an entirely new design - you’ll feel like a mad scientist when you drop these sports drink tablets into your water and mix it up before working out.
Sweetened with high-quality Stevia, keto-friendly and utilizing only complete electrolytes alongside natural ingredients, you can keep a tube of your favorite flavor in your gym bag, purse, car or anywhere else you might need a boost!
Six tubes offer sixty servings in total, with a whole host of tasty treats to choose from, like Lemon Lime, Tri-Berry and Strawberry Lemonade, each enhancing your exercise or just putting some pep in the step of your average day.
At only fifteen calories with a single gram of sweetener - and suitable for a kosher, vegan, or keto diet - they’re an excellent rival to Gatorade, Powerade, and other sports drinks that are packed full of unhealthy sugars.
Pros
- Great pre or post-workout drink
- Packed with electrolytes
- Quick-dissolve powder
Cons
- Not ‘zero-calorie’ like competitors
RUNNER UP
Boasting a superfruit extraction process free of sugar, calories, caffeine and artificial sweeteners, if you’re looking to enhance your water as naturally as possible whilst still attaining a delicious result, consider the Pure Inventions Drops.
With over fifteen flavors to choose from, including a special Night blend for hydrating just before bed, these enhancers deliver powerful antioxidants and polyphenols, sweetened by Stevia Leaf and Lo Han for maximum taste and zero calories.
Airport friendly, environmentally sound and made in the good old USA, these tiny, aesthetically pleasing little bottles are incredibly handy to pop in your purse, bag or briefcase, able to revitalize sixteen ounces of water with just one or two drops.
Developed by trained and trusted nutritionists, Pure Inventions drops are diabetic-friendly, and low glycemic, a great way to mimic the sodas you know and love - and cannot have - by adding to carbonated water and tossing in some ice. Throw a lemon in there, get fancy!
Pros
- Widest variety of flavors
- Sweetened naturally, so diabetic friendly
- Night-blend for bedtime hydration
Cons
- More expensive than other offerings
Best Water Enhancers Buying Guide
Taste
Of course, tricking your brain into enjoying water more than you already do is going to be a difficult feat if the booster you add doesn’t taste good - remember that flavor is subjective, and one customer might hate what you actually love!
You can find just about anything replicated in an enhancer - fruit, your favorite sodas, even childhood candies. Should you desire to cut down on carbonated beverages or sweets, you could try and find a healthier alternative to sate that sugar fix.
If your goal is to drink more water every day, you aren’t going to achieve it any time soon if you don’t like the flavor of the enhancers; all of the products we’ve listed are variety packs, allowing you to road-test each taste before committing to one or two.
Portability
One of the biggest perks of this new trend is the convenience that drops, tablets and powders bring to your life - instead of stopping to buy a coffee or a soda and spending half your paycheck on beverages, keep a pack of enhancers on you!
Usually, the packs are small enough to toss in your bag, pocket, or car and you can simply add them to your bottle of water, shake and enjoy. It’s much easier and cheaper than having to go to the store or queue in Starbucks, and better for you too!
Never again will your kids turn their nose up at a bottle of water on your long road trip, when you can whip out one of your trusty enhancer packs and instantly boost it with their favorite flavors, so no more pulling in at expensive rest stops!
Sugar, salt, calories… oh my!
Even enhancers that claim to be sugar-free or zero-calorie water additions can have sneaky hidden ingredients, ranging from unhealthy to outright dangerous, with some having been found to contain antifreeze and thickening agents reserved for ink!
When improving your health by drinking more water is your goal, it’s important to avoid an enhancer that simply replaces your sugary soda with an unhealthy drink disguised as water but better.
Especially if you’re making an effort to cut down on soda, but in general, you should try to opt for a product that doesn’t utilize additives or e-numbers, as these can be just as bad for your health.
Benefits of drinking
Are you a gym bunny looking for a workout boost? Maybe you’re lacking in energy or feel yourself getting peakier in the winter months when the sun is less frequent? If you could use a pick me up, consider an enhancer with health benefits.
Boasting a variety of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, there are options to suit various ailments or just provide a natural energy boost without relying on unhealthy sugars and fats that will only cause you to crash.
Formula
Typically, water enhancers come in three formats: powders, tablets and liquids. If you aren’t a fan of bits in your drink, you might want to avoid those that need to dissolve to prevent a shock when you reach the end of your bottle.
However, using powder makes finding the perfect ratio of water and enhancer for you a lot easier, as you can trial and error using different amounts without too much fuss, whilst liquid drops tend to be much more concentrated and this proves difficult.
Diet-friendly
Vegans, vegetarians, and those following the Keto plan, for instance, might have specific dietary requirements, but not all of the enhancers on the market will be appropriate for everybody.
Those that are suitable for varying diets tend to advertise this in their product description, so it’s easy to find out, but important not to overlook; if not, it’s always worth checking the ingredients list and, failing that, contacting the manufacturer.
Likewise, if you’re diabetic, though these products are advertised as sugar-free and therefore presumably safe, it’s wise to check with your doctor or a nutritionist before you make them a regular part of your diet.
Shelf Life
Whilst we’re not expecting decades of use from these enhancers, as the goal is to be drinking plenty of them on a regular basis, when buying in bulk you should aim to find a product with a stable use-by date that allows you plenty of time to slurp up.Frequently Asked Questions
Does adding an enhancer to your water still count as one of your eight glasses a day?
You might feel like a cheater by adding something to your bottle or glass of water in order to improve its taste and encourage yourself to drink more of it, but so long as you make a responsible choice of enhancer, there really is no problem.
It certainly counts as one of your eight glasses a day no matter what you add to it, because at the end of the day, you’re still drinking water, but adding enhancers with sugars and other unhealthy ingredients can prove counterproductive.
Is using water enhancers better than drinking soda?
Of course it is - provided, of course, that the enhancer you choose is a healthy option without any of those counterintuitive ingredients we talked about earlier - not only does it reduce your sugar and calorie intake, but you’ll feel better in yourself, too.
Equally, water is far better for your teeth than soda, so from a dental perspective you’re doing yourself a disservice if you opt for fizzy drinks over flat but flavorful ones; your dentist and your mouth will thank you for making the switch!