Chlorine is a naturally occurring gas. Its compounds, such as sodium chloride (table salt) and magnesium chloride, are amply found in soil, rocks, and water. Municipal authorities also use it to disinfect public water.
However, most bottled water brands don’t contain it. There’s little or no chlorine in the water sources used by spring or mineral water brands. Other water brands, on the other hand, rigorously purify their water to ensure there’s no chemical residue inside it, including chlorine.
Still, it’s good to know which chlorine-free bottled water brands are the best. In this list, we share the best chlorine-free bottled water brands in a variety of categories.
1. Mountain Valley: The Best Chlorine-Free Bottled Water Overall
Mountain Valley is our favorite bottled water overall and our favorite bottled spring water due to its rich mineral content, neutral pH, and sodium-free makeup. You’ll also be happy to know this bottled water is chlorine-free.
The brand has been sourcing water at the Ouachita Mountains within the borders of Arkansas since 1871. The granite formations in the underground aquifers naturally filter the water.
These geological formations also enrich it with a considerable amount of minerals. It has a total dissolved solids (TDS) count of 220 mg/L, and the mineral that is most prominent in its mineral profile is calcium at 67 mg/L, which gives it a bit of a bitter taste.
Mountain Valley has a neutral pH value ranging between 7.3 and 7.7, which means it’s neither acidic nor alkaline.
The brand distributes its water mainly in glass bottles. However, lately, it has also started to utilize aluminum bottling. Both are among the most eco-friendly bottling methods.
2. Icelandic Glacial Water: The Best Low-TDS Chlorine-Free Spring Water Water
Icelandic Glacial is among the most favored bottled spring water brands globally. That’s mostly thanks to its balanced mineral makeup, alkaline pH value, and innovative bottle designs. The National Sanitation Foundation water quality report shows it’s also chlorine-free.
As can be deduced from the name, the water originates from Iceland’s vast glaciers, namely from Ölfus Springs, which reside inside lava rocks. These rocks naturally filter the water and give it its low mineral content. The natural filtration process that takes place inside these ancient geological formations lasts for thousands of years.
As a result, Icelandic Glacial doesn’t taste as bitter as high-mineral and high-TDS spring water. It only has 62 mg/L of total dissolved solids with a mineral presence ranging between zero to 11 mg/L.
Another selling point of Icelandic Glacial Water is the fact the brand has been prioritizing carbon neutrality and eco-friendliness from the get go. It only uses hydroelectric and geothermal energy to produce the bottles and bottle the water.
Lastly, despite its low-TDS makeup, Icelandic Glacial is on the alkaline side of the pH scale with a value of 8.4.
3. FIJI: The Best High-TDS Chlorine-Free Spring Water
More often than not, high-TDS spring water has a naturally bitter and crisp taste due to its robust mineral body. But that’s not the case with FIJI, as it’s one of the smoothest spring water brands on the market. It also has zero chlorine.
The water originates from rainwater that falls over one of the biggest dormant volcanoes of the Fiji Islands, Viti Levu.
The equatorial winds that blow over the islands are the first stage of Fiji’s natural filtration process. The second stage are the volcanic craters surrounding the rainforest the water passes through. The result is a high-TDS, neutral pH (7.7), and sweet-tasting water.
The water’s sweet taste is due to its mineral makeup. While Fiji naturally contains the essential minerals that make the water bitter, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, they don’t take a huge portion of its mineral count.
Rather, Fiji is known for its high silica presence of 84 mg/L. Silica gives the water a naturally smooth mouthfeel, light texture, and slightly sweet savor.
Lastly, you’ll be glad to know the brand does its share of local philanthropy, including campaigns focused on improving the life quality of the islands’ natives, running clean water initiatives, and providing healthcare and educational facilities for underprivileged communities.
4. Glaceau SmartWater: The Best Chlorine-Free Bottled Distilled Electrolyte Water
Coca-Cola owns Glaceau SmartWater, and the company gives its best to produce high-quality and nutritious water for physically active people. To achieve this, Coca-Cola’s water brand employs state-of-the-art water purification and electrolization.
Glaceau SmartWater collects water from municipal sources (regular tap water) and subjects it to vapor distillation. Once the water is vaporized in the distillation process, the chemical molecules, including chlorine, can’t find any water molecules (H2O) to cling to and are removed. The end result is water that is free of chlorine, among other impurities.
Although it bears no relevance to the chlorine content of the water (as it’s simply null after distillation), the brand further purifies its water through a proprietary microfiltration stage.
In the post-microfiltration period, it also adds electrolytes, meaning essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium, to the water. Not only do these electrolytes make the water more athlete-friendly, but they also give it a fresh taste.
Glaceau SmartWater comes in two pH options: neutral and alkaline. While the neutral version has a pH value of 7 to 7.5, the alkaline option’s pH is 9.5.
5. Essentia: The Best Chlorine-Free Alkaline and Reverse Osmosis Bottled Water
The principle behind Essentia is very similar to that of Glaceau SmartWater. The brand aims to provide ultimate hydration for athletes, dancers, and actors.
However, Essentia’s preferred filtration methods differ from the purification process Glaceau SmartWater employs. Essentia employs reverse osmosis instead of distillation. Since reverse osmosis is one of the most effective methods for removing chlorine from water, the end product is completely chlorine-free.
That being said, reverse osmosis has its problems — it removes essential minerals from the water and makes it acidic.
To tackle the adverse effects of reverse osmosis, Essentia adds electrolytes to its water post-filtration. These electrolytes are mainly mineral salts of sodium bicarbonate, dipotassium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, and calcium chloride.
Then, they use ionization to make the water less acidic. The added electrolyte content and the ionization together do a good job of raising its alkalinity. As a result, when bottled, Essentia has a pH value of 9.5, making it one of the most alkaline water brands on the market.
6. Voss: The Best Chlorine-Free Acidic Bottled Water
Voss, a Norwegian brand, is one of the most popular bottled water brands on a global scale. Most of its fame is due to its iconic and remarkable bottle design and the light taste of its water. Voss water is also chlorine-free and one of the most acidic bottled water brands out there, with a pH value of 5.5.
Voss water originates from the Iveland area of Norway. The area’s remoteness (it’s a considerable distance from human populations and industrial activities) and the Norwegian state’s steadfastness in protecting its natural resources are two factors that play a big role in persevering the quality of Iveland Springs.
The water in this area, including Voss water, mostly travels through solid granite. This geological formation naturally filters water (from chlorine, among many other potential impurities) and gives it a low mineral content.
Voss has only 44 mg/L of total dissolved solids, making it one of the most low-TDS spring water brands.
Finally, the brand also distributes a carbonated (sparkling) version of its water. at 4.8, its pH value is even lower than the still version.
7. Evian: The Best Chlorine-Free Mineral Water
Evian, hailing from France, is one of the most popular brands of bottled water on Earth. You can find it everywhere — from gourmet tables to fine dining restaurants to influencers’ Instagram stories. The brand’s popularity is well-deserved since it’s one of the most smooth-tasting mineral water brands you can find.
Evian is completely chlorine-free. As the water comes from the snowmelt of the French Alps, it makes a fifteen-year journey through porous glacial rocks, becoming naturally purified from chemical contaminants such as chlorine.
Despite how brief the journey is (considering most mineral and spring water takes hundreds of years to surface), it provides the water with a rich mineral makeup of 345 mg/L TDS.
Compared to other mineral water brands, Evian has a balanced mineral content. It has 80 mg/L of calcium and 26 mg/L of magnesium. In addition, it has 15 mg/L of silica, making it much smoother and sweeter than other types of mineral water. It also has a neutral pH value of 7.2.
Like Icelandic Glacial, the brand is keen on protecting its sources, and prioritizes carbon neutrality and eco-friendliness.
