Healthiest Sparkling Water: 6 Popular Cans Ranked

Most sparkling waters are refreshingly simple, which makes the healthiest sparkling water easy to find: carbonated water, maybe natural minerals, and a light flavor essence or a splash of real fruit juice. The differences show up in the drinks that market themselves as sparkling water but add sucralose, dyes, and preservatives to taste more like soda.

This ranking compares six sparkling waters sold at Walmart, Target, Costco, Kroger, and Whole Foods. Each score is an editorial estimate based only on the label: number of ingredients, sweeteners, colors, preservatives, and added sugar. Since almost every unsweetened option scores well, small details like real juice versus flavor essence separate the top spots. A high score means a cleaner can, not that one brand hydrates you better than another.

The two cues worth checking are the sweetener, which should usually be none, and any numbered colors such as Red 40. Unsweetened sparkling water is also one of the easiest swaps for soda.

How to choose a better sparkling water

Use this checklist in the beverage aisle:

• The list is carbonated water plus flavor, minerals, or real juice.
• There is no sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame potassium, unless you are fine with sweeteners.
• No artificial colors or preservatives like potassium benzoate.
• Added sugar is 0 grams, or very close.
• Mineral waters naturally contain some sodium, which is usually modest.

If you are comparing sweeteners in flavored drinks, our guide to sucralose vs aspartame explains the most common ones. Flavored waters are a great step away from soda, and plain or lightly flavored cans are the simplest daily habit. To check a new flavor in seconds, scan it with Osana.