Gwyneth Paltrow could do the alkaline water category more harm than good

Another day, another Gwyneth Paltrow headline. This time, it’s not down to a dubious gem of wisdom on Goop. Instead, the controversy surrounds her backing of Canadian alkaline water brand Flow. Posing with a bottle of the stuff at a sunny-looking outdoor pool – next to some lemons, as if to emphasise her wholesome credentials – she is now the face of the ‘100% natural alkaline’ brand.

This weekend’s Daily Mail article focuses on the cost – £1.60 for 500ml at Planet Organic – and efficacy of said water. Flow says its mix of alkaline pH and minerals delivers ‘ultra hydration’, while its electrolytes ‘electrify’ your fitness recovery. The article’s dietician is having none of it. “Your body is usually perfectly capable of regulating pH itself,” says Kaitlin Colucci, a member of the British Dietetic Association.

Who is right or wrong in this debate is almost irrelevant. Because regardless of the science, alkaline water is doing a roaring trade in the US. Flow is one of the brands benefiting, alongside rivals such as ’ionised’ water Actiph, which named alkaline water “the fastest-growing water category” Stateside.

The UK market is still relatively new by comparison. Actiph launched on these shores just two years ago, when the US market was already worth $156m (£129m). At the time, founder Jamie Douglas-Hamilton described it as “the birth of a whole new category”.

Since then, Douglas-Hamilton has been invited to talk about his brand at the 2019 Bottled Water Conference in London. With a lineup that included such heavyweights as Coca-Cola and Danone, it showed the potential for the alkaline water concept.

That potential has clearly convinced Flow, which made its UK debut at the tail-end of last year. Still, it has to be careful in how it treads these waters. Many UK consumers still don’t understand the concept of alkaline water or its purported benefits. So a successful communications plan is vital.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a somewhat controversial figure to lead this communication. Yes, she may have earned dedicated followers with her wellness ethos. But she has also attracted heavy criticism for allegedly making pseudoscientific claims – which could make articles such as this weekend’s Daily Mail piece all the more likely. Because where Gwyneth goes, scepticism typically follows.

Saying that, if Flow is simply looking for someone to pull off the whole lemons-and-swimming-pool lifestyle, it has the right woman.