The variety of brands of bottled water out there can leave you scratching your head in front of the drink cooler or at the results of your Amazon search. There are lots of claims and pretty labels for something that meets such a basic need we all have. So, let’s break it down. All bottled water comes from one of the following sources (even if the label has a bunch of fancy or scientific-sounding words):

Spring Water

That clean, pristine spring water you always hear us talking about comes from an underground geographical formation through which the water flows. It can be collected either as it emerges from its underground source, or via a borehole drilled from the surface that allows the water to be pumped out (this is how JUST’s spring water is collected; it’s not exposed to the surface before being pumped).

Mineral Water  

Mineral water also comes from an underground source but must have at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS). Minerals and trace elements must come from the source of the underground water only; they can’t be added in bottling. The TDS of both mineral and spring water can fluctuate because the minerals come from the rocks and earth over which the water is flowing. JUST’s Still spring water comes in at between 79-94 ppm, so while we don’t qualify as mineral water, it’s still chock full of minerals that make it taste good and are great for your body.

Artesian Well Water  

Artesian well water is distinguished by the fact that natural pressure from the aquifer often pushes the water toward the surface. A well taps the aquifer—comprised of layers of rock, sand, and earth—and the water collects there because of the natural pressure.

Purified Water  

Finally, purified water is simply municipal tap water that’s been additionally filtered or purified, either by distillation or, more often, by a process called reverse osmosis (RO). The RO process forces the water that comes out of the tap through a series of membranes which removes any bad things (contaminants, bacteria, solids), but it also removes good things (any minerals remaining in the water from its original source). Not to mention it’s quite wasteful—about 20% of the water that goes through the RO process becomes so saturated with the things that are filtered out, it’s unusable.

So, there you have it—the water landscape laid out clear as a mountain spring. And it also explains why we’re so proud to offer you JUST—spring water from pristine mountain sources and it’s packaged in ways that are easier on the planet. Drinking water is good for you. Drinking spring water with mineral content out of a bottle that isn’t plastic is good for you and the planet.