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Bottled water gained popularity in the late 20th century, evolving from medicinal mineral waters in the 1700s to a global industry worth billions today, driven by concerns over tap water quality and clever marketing strategies.
We’ve put together a short timeline of bottled water to tell its story.
The first water bottling occurs at the Holy Well in the United Kingdom.
Jackson's Spa in Boston becomes the first to commercially distribute bottled water in America.
Carbonated water was accidentally discovered in 1767 by Joseph Priestley when he suspended a bowl of water above a beer vat at a brewery in Leeds, England, leading to the creation of the soft drink industry and earning Priestley the prestigious Copley Medal from the Royal Society.
Johann Jacob Schweppe, a German watchmaker turned amateur scientist, revolutionized the beverage industry by inventing the process for manufacturing bottled carbonated water in 1783, inadvertently creating the world's first commercially produced soft drink and founding the Schweppes company.
Joseph Hawkins is issued the first U.S. patent for "imitation" mineral water.
Evian bottled water’s origins trace back to 1829 when it was founded as "Societe des Eaux Minerales" near Évian-les-Bains on the south shore of Lake Geneva in France.
Evian became officially French in 1860 when Savoy was incorporated into France under the Treaty of Turin.
Saratoga Springs in New York becomes a popular destination for its bottled mineral waters. Saratoga Springs is producing more than 7 million bottles of water annually 20 years later.
Polish Vichy Water gains popularity in Europe.
Perrier, originally sourced from a naturally carbonated spring in Vergèze, France known as Les Bouillens ("The Bubbles") since Roman times, was popularized in 1898 when British visitor St John Harmsworth purchased the spring.
He renamed it Source Perrier, and began bottling the water in distinctive green bottles shaped like the Indian clubs he used for exercise.
Ozarka Spring Water is founded in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Salutaris water is introduced in Mexico.
Calistoga Mineral Water Company is founded in California.
Perrier begins aggressive marketing in the United States.
Vittel mineral water is launched in France.
Clearly Canadian flavored sparkling water is introduced.
The plastic bottle, made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), was invented in 1973 by Nathaniel Wyeth and patented by DuPont, revolutionizing the beverage industry.
PET itself was first patented in 1941 by John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson in England.
Though it wasn't used for bottles until Wyeth's invention over 30 years later, which rapidly led to widespread adoption for packaging beverages and other liquids.
Poland Spring (founded in 1845) is acquired by Perrier Group.
Evian enters the U.S. market.
Nestlé acquires the Perrier Group, including Poland Spring.
The FDA defines "bottled water" and establishes regulations.
Aquafina, PepsiCo's purified bottled water brand, was first introduced in Wichita, Kansas in 1994, and despite its meteoric rise to become the top-selling bottled water in the US by 2009.
It faced a $1.26 billion lawsuit in 2009 when two men claimed PepsiCo stole their idea—a judgment that was quickly vacated when it was discovered PepsiCo had simply misplaced the lawsuit paperwork.
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Introduced in 1996 as "Ice Mountain Spring Water," Smartwater evolved into a billion-dollar brand owned by Coca-Cola, featuring distilled water with added electrolytes.
It controversially won anti-awards in Germany and the Netherlands for "the most brazen lie in food advertising" due to its claims of superior benefits despite being "ordinary water."
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Dasani, Coca-Cola's bottled water brand launched in 1999, faced a disastrous UK rollout in 2004 when it was revealed to be purified tap water and subsequently recalled due to bromate contamination.
Nestlé launches Pure Life, its first global bottled water brand.
Bundanoon, Australia becomes the first town to ban bottled water sales.
Concord, Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. town to ban single-serve PET water bottles.
The bottled water market in the U.S. reaches $14.2 billion in sales.
Bottled water consumption in the U.S. surpasses carbonated soft drinks for the first time.
The World Health Organization launches a review into microplastics in bottled water.
Global bottled water market value reaches approximately $217.66 billion.
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