Air Up Water Bottle Review: We Tested the Viral Water Bottle

Nov 12, 2023

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Is this new type of water bottle with flavor pods that sit atop your water bottle worth the hype?

This story was updated in April 2023 to better explain how the Air up pods work.

You might have seen the Air Up water bottle on social media; Air up is the water bottle that utilizes flavor pods to enhance the taste of your water without actually adding any flavoring to the water itself – the pods are placed on the water bottle and when you take a sip, the flavored air bubbles travel through your mouth to your nose where your brain interprets it as flavor.

Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab tested the Air Up to evaluate the performance of the pods as well as to assess the bottle's durability and ease of use. We asked 11 consumer testers to try the bottle and give feedback on whether they thought the Air Up technology worked, what they thought of the flavors, whether the system caused them to increase their water intake and whether they thought Air Up was innovative or just a fad.

Air Up was founded by Lena Jüngst and Tim Jäger, two German university students who, during their studies, read Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters, a book by neuroscientist Gordon M. Shepherd that posits that the sense of smell is a more powerful component of flavor than previously thought.

This sparked an idea for Jüngst and Jäger and led them to create their first Air Up prototype with the mission: "Neuroscience meets design. The impetus: To make the world a healthier place, by tackling poor nutrition — inadequate hydration, to be exact." This viral water bottle is compatible with 15 Air Up flavor pods. It comes in two versions ( plastic and stainless steel ) and can be customized with colorful accessories.

According to Air Up, "the majority of what we taste comes from our olfactory receptors (part of our anatomy that plays a central role in our sense of smell)." It is believed that the average person can identify over 1 trillion different scents. The brand goes on to state:

That means u sing the science of retronasal olfaction, you will perceive scent as flavor through Air up. Intrigued? Here's what you do:

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we've tested countless water bottles over the years. We evaluate them for performance, durability and ease of use. In addition to Lab tests, we send water bottles to consumers to get their opinions on how the water bottles fare in the real world.

When it came to Air Up, we had an 11-person testing panel that consisted of consumers, dietitians, kitchen gear experts, an engineer and a chemist to gather over a hundred data points and collect some insightful feedback — including notes about taste and comfort during use. Consumers were asked to use their Air Up water bottle multiple times and to assess whether they thought the pods made them think they were drinking flavored water. They were also asked to comment on how often they reached for it, how easy it was to use and if anything changed with their hydration habits.

In our Lab, we performed drop and leak tests on both a plastic and a stainless steel model, and we tested nine different flavor pods that we rated based on flavor, longevity and strength. We also evaluated the water bottle for how easy it was to fill, carry, drink from and clean.

According to Air Up, the flavorings in the pods are made from natural flavors, extracted from plants, fruits and spices. The company noted that specific details that "relate to Air Up's [intellectual property] are proprietary."

There are currently 15 flavors available on the brand's site ranging from apple to basil-lemon to orange-vanilla. Scents are available in variety packs that let you try five of the most popular, or you can purchase three-packs of your favorite scent. Each water bottle starter set also comes with a few flavor pods as well.

In our tests, because of personal preferences, no scent was a unanimous standout. One tester said, "Smell-wise, I enjoyed the watermelon pod as I love watermelon-flavored drinks. However, in terms of the strength of the scent, I think the Raspberry Lemon was the strongest." Another tester noted, "The cherry scent was the worst to me — it reminded me so much of that artificial cherry flavor in some kids' medicines." And another said, "I am a simple person, so the lemon and cucumber were probably my favorites. I don't like too much flavor with my water."

The company claims that each pod works for about 1.3 gallons of water. Air Up also recommends that you check the "best before" date on each pod since the scent may fade over time and is best when fresh. Make sure to keep pods inside their packaging as they cannot be cleaned and should be opened only before being placed on your water bottle.

We found that if pods weren't used quickly when placed on the water bottle, the odor dissipated, reducing the "flavor" of the water. Our experts wished that the pods lasted longer — especially for the per-pod price and the fact that they can only be purchased online currently.

Did we find that our water tasted like each flavored pod? The short answer is yes. We were particularly impressed with the mango-passionfruit pod and its juicy "flavor," but we thought the orange-vanilla tasted artificial.

Parsing through data points and tester notes, we confirmed an inevitable result: Some testers didn't like a certain pod, while others loved it. People perceive scents differently, especially if they have personal ties to a scent or if their sense of smell isn't as strong as another individual's. For example, some testers didn't see themselves reaching for the Air Up water bottle after testing, but others found it to be innovative.

One tester noted, "I found that inhaling the scent did nothing for me flavor-wise to keep me drinking more water," while another reported that "it definitely isn't a gimmick. When I'm home, I have a hard time drinking water for some reason. The Air Up bottle makes it a little easier on the days when I don't want to drink plain water all day." It really comes down to how you experience scent.

Air Up is ideal for a consumer who enjoys flavored water and finds that they are able to drink more water if it is flavored. Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., NASM-CPT said, "I think people who struggle with staying hydrated would enjoy this bottle, and people who say that they hate the taste of water or think it's boring would really benefit from this product." So if you're a consumer who doesn't have time to cut up fresh produce to infuse your water, you might enjoy Air Up.

That said, Air Up is not for everyone, especially those who drink a lot of water and need a larger water bottle capacity (the plastic version holds 22 ounces while the stainless steel version holds 28 ounces). One tester said, "I wish it were available in different sizes, so I didn't have to refill it so often."

You also have to determine whether purchasing the flavor pods regularly is feasible for your budget. A three-pack of pods can be as much as $13 and works for about 3.9 gallons of water. All said, seven of our 11 testers said they would recommend Air Up to a friend or family member, which means this bottle won over the majority of our testers.

GET THE AIR UP WATER BOTTLE

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, Eva Bleyer has tested everything from blenders to kitchen scales. She tested Air Up in the Lab, and she conducted the consumer testing for the product. She holds a B.S. in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University, where she studied sustainability practices, particularly as related to food and drink products. She knows how important it is to stay hydrated and to find a water bottle that makes you eager to get your sips in.

Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva has more than 10 years of experience in the food industry, working as a food stylist, personal chef and marketing manager.

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