Vitamin Water: Good, bad, or ugly?

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Vitamin Water:
Good, bad, or ugly?

Vitamin water (sometimes called "enhanced water") has become widespread in recent years. Within the industry of beverages, it is the fastest growing sector.

After the company called Glaceau (pronounced to rhyme with lasso) created, and successfully marketed its "Vitaminwater", many other companies followed. Today Glaceau is part of Coca Cola; they bought it for some $4.1B in 2007.

When I saw vitaminwater for the first time several years ago, my interest was immediately piqued.
That time, in a really smart marketing move, colorful bottles of vitaminwater were placed strategically near regular water, and not near sport drinks. Positioned near plain bottles of regular water, brightly colored vitamin water stacks drew customers like a magnet.

...Once I tasted it, and read the label, I liked it even better. What a great idea: purified water with vitamins that tastes great! Give me some more!

When I started to read (and write online) about dietary supplements, vitamin water fueled my curiosity again. This time it was more of a "research" interest. There were some questions to which I wanted to find answers for myself.

For example, if vitamin water is enriched with vitamins, should I keep taking my own multivitamins?...

Maybe I can just drink 2-3 bottles of this tasty liquid, instead of swallowing those smelly pills.
(That was the time when I was taking multivitamin pills, but no more. About this later...)

I decided to have a closer look.

Naturally, as an object of my investigation I have chosen Glaceau Vitaminwater.
This company is an industry pioneer and a market leader. They invented the product and hold a trademark on the name "vitaminwater" (just like this, no space).

Click on the "Search trademarks" on the following webpage (U.S. Patent and Trademark database). Just search for "vitaminwater". You'll see it.

So, I followed a leader, and purchased all types of Glaceau vitaminwater which I found in a supermarket. There were eight different kinds available: "revive", "energy", "essential", "defense", "focus", "xxx", "multi-v" and "formula 50".

Side note
As I discovered, "formula 50" is named after a superstar rapper 50 Cent, who, by the way, owned 10% of Glaceau, when Coca Cola acquired it, according to some sources. Ten percent of $4.1B - you can do the math. Most likely even after taxes 50 Cent did well. The "formula 50" drink contains 50% DV of some vitamins - and has a marketing message featuring 50 Cent.
Well, I guess with Napoleon cake and vodka Chopin, 50 Cent is not in a bad company, after all..

I brought home eight colorful bottles, put them on my desk - and the "vitamin water journey" began!

My discoveries sometimes made me smile, sometimes had me raise my brows in confusion...

...And now and then almost made me angry!

Here is my "research report".

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Vitamin Water:Good, bad, or ugly?

Vitamin Water:
Good, bad, or ugly?