Water with a pH of less than 6.5 is naturally acidic.
However, while acidic water is safe to drink, unless the pH levels go below 5, it’s not associated with any health benefits.
So, why do people drink acidic water? Well, sometimes it’s because their preferred brand just happens to be acidic.
Due to its mineral content, natural carbonation potential, and the underground waterways of the water springs it’s sourced from, bottled water can sometimes be acidic.
Additionally, some brands heavily treat their water with multi-step filtration, often including reverse osmosis. As reverse osmosis is known to decrease the water’s pH, such water brands sell acidic water.
Below, we’ll list seven of the most acidic water brands on the market based on their pH levels.
1. Voss – pH 5.5
You may have come across Voss, the Norwegian artesian water brand, quite a lot because it’s considered one of the best bottled water brands due to its light taste and iconically remarkable bottle design.
What most don’t know is that Voss is also one of the most acidic drinking water brands on the market.
The brand sources its water on the south coast of Norway, in the Iveland area. The remoteness and thin population of the region protect the source and the rock and ice formation surrounding it from external contamination.
In addition, the underground rocks through which the water journeys are mainly solid granite. Solid granite naturally filters potential contaminants, but not many minerals dissolve in the water because the granite is solid. As a result, Voss’s water only has 44 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS), half of it bicarbonates.
When the water emerges to the surface, it’s naturally acidic, with a pH of 5.5.
Voss also produces artificially carbonated (i.e., sparkling) water with an even lower pH of 4.8.
2. Perrier – pH 5.5
When the French bottled mineral water brand Perrier entered the United States market in 1977, it revitalized the almost-dying bottled water industry by offering a classy drinking water choice particularly appealing to yuppies.
The positive response the brand received was justified, too, as Perrier has a balanced mineral content that gives its water a smooth taste and makes it a healthy choice.
Yet, it’s also as acidic as Voss, with a pH of 5.5.
Perrier originates from the Vergeze territory of France. The water’s underground journey naturally eliminates potential impurities while enriching it with minerals. As such, its total dissolved solids count is 475 mg/L, while calcium makes up the biggest portion of its electrolyte content with 147 mg/L.
The water is also naturally carbonated since its underground passage is rich in carbon dioxide gas. However, the brand collects its water and gas separately and blends them before bottling. That way, it ensures the water is ideally carbonated.
The water’s acidic nature is primarily due to the carbonation process.
3. Ice Age Glacial Water – pH 5.5
Unlike many other natural spring water brands, the Ice Age Glacial Water doesn’t spurt out of the Earth’s surface. Instead, it just stands in a lake surrounded by ancient glaciers at the Great White North, Canada, away from humans and industrial activities and protected by the government of British Columbia.
The water is a natural result of glacial snowmelt. The glacial formations around its source naturally filter potential contaminants.
Another aspect distinguishing Ice Age from other water brands is its TDS count of less than 5 mg/L. While most spring water comes with a natural mineral makeup, Ice Age doesn’t contain minerals that would give water a slightly bitter taste (like calcium and magnesium).
Ice Age’s acidic pH of 5.5 is its only content value worth reporting.
Finally, you’ll be happy to know that the brand does everything to protect its awe-inspiring source by engaging in eco-friendly and sustainable production and prioritizing carbon neutrality.
4. San Pellegrino – pH 5.6
Although acidic drinking water is not associated with health benefits, the case is not the same for acidic bathing water. Acidic bathing water has antibacterial effects and can relieve dry and itchy skin.
So, it’s no surprise that the water source of one of the world’s most popular mineral water brands, San Pellegrino, was a spa renowned for its healing water, something that’s likely due to the spring water’s acidic body (pH 5.6).
During the 19th century, spa visitors would fill bottles with this water and carry them home, which inspired the owners to start bottling it commercially — and the rest is history.
The San Pellegrino water comes from the Italian Alps through snowmelt and rainfall. It passes through porous rock formations that naturally filter it and give it its unique mineral makeup.
Unlike Perrier, San Pellegrino has a medium to rich mineral makeup with 1,109 mg/L of TDS. Sulfates make up the largest portion of its mineral content, with 549 mg/L, which is why the water is so digestive-friendly. It has healthy calcium levels, too, with 208 mg/L.
San Pellegrino’s overall mineral content gives it a chalky texture and slightly bitter taste favored by many.
5. Perlage – pH 5.5
Perlage, hailing from the Lublin Plateau of Poland, is low-sodium mineral water sourced directly from the spring. The brand has been active for 250 years, providing water to people with cardiovascular issues who benefit from the low sodium content and healthy mineral makeup of this mineral water.
The water has a natural pH of 5.5.
Before reaching the spring, the water makes a 400-year voyage through mineral-rich underground rock formations with natural filtration properties. Thanks to all the minerals it picks up during its journey, it has a delicate and fizzy quality reminiscent of sparkling white wine.
Thanks to that, the Fine Water Society has recognized the brand for its water’s taste and quality in 2016, 2018, 2021, and finally, in 2023 again.
6. Vytautas – pH 5.4
Vytautas, a Lithuanian mineral water brand, is one of the most mineral-rich options available on the market. It’s also one of the most acidic, with a pH of 5.4.
The Vytautas Spring lies on the outskirts of the Lithuanian town of Birstonas. The area is considered a natural sanctuary by the government and protected from external contamination sources (such as humans and industry).
Due to the mineral-richness of the underground formations the water passes through, it has a TDS count of a whopping 7,200 mg/L when it emerges. As such, it has lots of electrolytes (healthy minerals), including chloride (3,437 mg/L), calcium (534 mg/L), and magnesium (254 mg/L).
The calcium and magnesium levels are half our daily calcium and magnesium intake recommendations.
7. Magnificat – pH 5.1
It’s rare for non-mineral artesian spring water to have low pH levels. Still, Magnificat is probably the most acidic spring water brand on the market, if not the most acidic bottled water brand overall. Its pH level of 5.1 is just one step away from being dangerously acidic.
The water comes from the volcanically rich area of the Archipelago of Azores that sits far out of Portugal in the North Atlantic Sea. The naturally filtering capacities of the volcanic craters, the geological formation of the area, and its distance from human populations make the place a sanctuary.
Thanks to the volcanic nature of its source, the water is naturally carbonated. Additionally, the mineral content of the underground rock formations gives it 241 mg/L of total dissolved solids.
Yet, unlike other high-TDS spring water, Magnificat doesn’t taste bitter. On the contrary, it has 85 mg/L silica, giving the water a smooth texture and slightly sweet mouthfeel.
Does San pelligrino contain fluoride?
Yes, it has a very small amount of naturally occurring fluoride.