There is no single “healthiest” water brand, because what makes water healthy depends on a few measurable factors: mineral content, contaminant levels, and pH. The good news is that most bottled water sold in the U.S. is safe. The differences that matter come down to what’s in the water beyond H2O, specifically beneficial minerals like calcium and magnesium, and how free it is from unwanted chemicals and plastic particles.
Why Minerals in Water Matter
Water isn’t just hydration. It can be a meaningful source of calcium, magnesium, and potassium, minerals your body uses for bone health, muscle function, and heart rhythm. Epidemiological research from the U.S., Europe, and Russia suggests health benefits start at around 20 to 30 mg/L of calcium and 10 mg/L of magnesium in drinking water. Many popular brands fall well below those thresholds, while mineral-rich waters exceed them by a wide margin.
The total dissolved solids (TDS) number on a bottle gives you a rough idea of mineral density. A higher TDS generally means more minerals, though it can also mean more sodium. Here’s how some well-known brands compare:
- Acqua Panna: 188 mg/L TDS (low mineral)
- Fiji: 210 mg/L TDS (low to moderate)
- Evian: 357 mg/L TDS (moderate)
- Perrier: 475 mg/L TDS (moderate)
- San Pellegrino: 1,109 mg/L TDS (high mineral)
- Gerolsteiner: 2,527 mg/L TDS (very high mineral)
Gerolsteiner, a German sparkling water, consistently ranks among the most mineral-dense bottled waters available. It delivers substantial calcium and magnesium per liter. Evian and San Pellegrino sit in the middle ground, offering a meaningful mineral boost without the strong mineral taste some people dislike. If you’re looking for water that does more than just hydrate, brands in the moderate-to-high TDS range are a better choice than purified or distilled options, which strip minerals out entirely. The World Health Organization has warned against relying on distilled water as your only source, since it lacks the magnesium and calcium your body expects from drinking water.
Spring, Artesian, Purified: What’s the Difference
The source of bottled water shapes both its mineral profile and its contamination risk. Spring and artesian water come from underground aquifers, where rock layers naturally filter the water and add minerals. Mountain Valley Spring Water, for example, has been sourced from granite-based aquifers in the Ouachita Mountains since 1871 and contains naturally occurring calcium, magnesium, and potassium with a balanced pH. The tradeoff is that spring water is not purified, so quality depends heavily on the specific source and how well it’s protected from surface contamination.
Purified water goes through processes like reverse osmosis or distillation to remove contaminants down to fewer than ten parts per million. Brands like Aquafina and Dasani fall into this category. The water is extremely clean, but the purification strips out beneficial minerals along with the bad stuff. Some brands add minerals back in afterward, though usually in small amounts.
For most people, the sweet spot is a well-sourced spring or mineral water that retains its natural minerals without carrying significant contaminants. If purity is your top concern, purified water wins on cleanliness but loses on nutrition.
pH Levels Across Popular Brands
You’ve probably seen “alkaline water” marketed as healthier, but pH alone doesn’t determine how good water is for you. That said, mildly alkaline water (pH 7.0 to 8.0) is closer to your body’s natural blood pH and is generally less acidic on tooth enamel. Here’s where common brands land:
- Aquafina: pH 5.5 (acidic)
- Dasani: pH 5.6 (acidic)
- Arrowhead: pH 6.8 (near neutral)
- Poland Spring: pH 7.2 (neutral)
- Fiji: pH 7.3 (neutral)
- Evian: pH 7.9 (mildly alkaline)
- Icelandic: pH 8.4 (alkaline)
- Essentia: pH 9.4 (highly alkaline)
Aquafina and Dasani are notably acidic, which surprises many people given how widely they’re sold. Fiji, Poland Spring, and Evian cluster in the neutral-to-mildly-alkaline range, which is perfectly fine for everyday drinking. Brands like Essentia and Alkalife TEN (pH 10.0) push alkalinity far above what occurs naturally, and there’s limited evidence that extremely alkaline water provides meaningful health benefits beyond what neutral water offers.
Contaminants Worth Worrying About
Two contamination concerns stand out in bottled water: PFAS (often called “forever chemicals”) and microplastics.
The FDA tested 197 bottled water samples collected from U.S. retail locations between 2023 and 2024, covering purified, artesian, spring, and mineral waters. Only ten samples had detectable PFAS levels, and none exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant limits for drinking water. Of those ten, eight were domestic brands (either purified or spring water) and two were imported artesian waters. That’s reassuring overall, but it shows that no water type is automatically PFAS-free.
Microplastics are a bigger and more universal problem. A study highlighted by the National Institutes of Health found that a liter of bottled water contains roughly 240,000 tiny plastic particles on average, with about 90% of them being nanoplastics, fragments so small they can potentially cross cell membranes. That number is 10 to 100 times higher than earlier estimates, which had focused on larger particles. This applies to water sold in plastic bottles regardless of brand. If microplastics concern you, glass-bottled water or a home filtration system paired with a reusable glass or stainless steel bottle dramatically reduces your exposure.
Which Brands Come Out Ahead
Putting it all together, the “healthiest” bottled water checks three boxes: a solid mineral profile, neutral-to-slightly-alkaline pH, and minimal contamination risk. A few brands consistently perform well across these criteria.
Evian delivers moderate mineral content (357 mg/L TDS), a pH of 7.9, and comes from a protected Alpine source. It’s widely available and a reliable everyday choice. Mountain Valley Spring Water offers a naturally balanced mineral profile with calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and it’s one of the few brands widely sold in glass bottles, which sidesteps the microplastic issue entirely. For anyone wanting maximum mineral intake from their water, Gerolsteiner packs more calcium and magnesium per liter than almost any other brand on the market, though its strong mineral taste isn’t for everyone.
Fiji sits in a comfortable middle ground with a TDS of 210 mg/L and a neutral pH of 7.3, though it ships from the South Pacific, which raises environmental concerns for some buyers. On the budget end, Poland Spring (pH 7.2) is a decent spring water option without the premium price tag.
Brands to think twice about if mineral content and pH matter to you: Aquafina and Dasani are purified waters with low mineral content and acidic pH levels in the mid-5 range. They hydrate you perfectly well, but they’re essentially empty water compared to mineral-rich alternatives.
The Practical Bottom Line
If you drink bottled water regularly, choosing a mineral-rich spring or mineral water in glass packaging gives you the best combination of nutrition, purity, and low plastic exposure. If you’re buying plastic bottles for convenience, any reputable spring water with a TDS above 200 mg/L and a pH near 7.0 is a solid choice. And if you’re open to moving beyond bottled water altogether, a quality home filter attached to your tap can remove contaminants while preserving minerals, at a fraction of the long-term cost and without the microplastic load that comes with every plastic bottle.