Is it possible to be over-hydrated? The amount of trips to the toilet I’ve made today would suggest so.
And it’s not because I’ve got a bladder infection, or anything nasty like that. It’s because I’ve been road-testing the viral German water bottle brand Air Up, which this week made its UK retail debut, rolling into 519 Sainsbury’s stores.
The brand claims to have invented a revolutionary new science-based way to mimic the taste of flavoured water through smell alone. Users inhale scent through specially designed pods as they sip, allowing their brains to “perceive a flavoured drink experience with plain water” via a sexy-sounding process called retronasal olfaction.
This, it says, is a breakthrough product that can help the 33% of men and 23% of women in the UK not drinking enough water meet their recommended daily intake.
“By infusing water with aroma rather than sugar or additives, Air Up has the potential to significantly improve the nation’s hydration habits without compromising on taste,” the brand boasts, describing itself as a ”one-of a kind drinking system”.
Air Up has certainly caused a stir since launching in 2019. The brand has over half a million followers on TikTok, and claims to have generated more than £100m in revenue since debuting in the UK via DTC in 2021.
It has also raised some €60m (£50m) to support its growth ambitions, and counts Ashton Kutcher and PepsiCo among its backers.
Sceptical but intrigued, I got in touch with the brand to ask if they’d mind me giving it a go. A few days later, two Air Up bottles and three packets of pods showed up on the doorstep.
So, does Air Up actually work, or is it an expensive and disappointing gimmick?
First impressions
Straight out of the box, the bottles look and feel good.
A colourful, blue plastic Gen 2 Express and a dark matte Steel Classic (both £35 at retail) are my choices (the Sipper model is £10 cheaper if paying upwards of £30 for a water bottle offends your sensibilities).
All come with in-built straw mechanism, a screw cap and a detachable plastic handle.
Starting with the more grown-up looking steel option, I tear open a pack of pods, packaged in fully recyclable cardboard, of course. There are plenty of options to choose from – from familiar water flavours like Lime and Watermelon, to more off-the-wall choices like Blue Raspberry and Chocolate Orange.
Prices start at £4.99 for three pods, which Air Up says will provide up to 15 litres of flavoured water. Following NHS water recommendations, that would cover me for a week.
Air Up: your ‘new favourite drink’
I opt for a Lemon-Lime Soda, and – after filling my bottle with ice-cold H2O – pop it on the top of the bottle. It’s sufficiently stiff that I have to refer back to the instructions to make sure I’ve done it right. Reassured, I pull the pod forward into the ‘on’ position and take a big sniff and a swig.
It tastes like water.
Disgruntled, but not deterred, another deep sniff presents a light waft of citrus. The water, however, remains resolutely tasteless.
After consuming several YouTube how-to guides, and some 480ml of water, I have a full bladder but not very much to write home about.
Air Up is keen to stress its product isn’t supposed to overpower the senses.
“Of course, your Air Up water doesn’t taste exactly like lemonade or juice. But it’s not supposed to,” reads a Q&A on the brand’s Amazon page. “It’s about 100% natural and healthy hydration with a gentle taste that turns water into your new favourite drink.”
Still, I’m not the only one a little underwhelmed by it.
“This product should be brought to the attention of trading standards,” reads a one-star Amazon review. “It is an absolute con, you can’t taste anything at all, other than water.”
Others, however, are more positive. “Son loves this. Anything that encourages him to drink more water,” says one.
“Bought for my grandson and he loves it. Quite expensive but the quality is good,” adds another.
A matter of opinion?
Perhaps whether or not you view Air Up as a genius invention that will drastically reduce single-use plastic and get adults and kids alike drinking more water, or as an overpriced con that doesn’t deliver on its revolutionary claims comes down to a matter of perspective.
A retail launch in 500-plus Sainsbury’s stores will certainly test whether or not Air Up has mainstream appeal in the UK. The launch, the brand’s CEO Chris Hauth says, will “bring our innovative hydration solutions even closer to British consumers”.
However, as a certain other viral flavoured water brand recently found out, the social media echo chamber can sometimes be an unreliable barometer of real world demand.
Personally, I can see myself using the classy steel bottle long into the future, but won’t be buying any more pods once my existing supplies run dry.
And at £34.99, that feels like a bit of a rip-off.
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