Best Purified Water Brands, Ranked by Lab Data (2026)

Which purified water brand tested cleanest?

Good & Gather, the only purified water with no detectable PFAS in Consumer Reports’ 2020 bottled water test. CR tested 47 bottled waters, 35 of them still, and listed every big purified brand in its lower group. Only two still waters went over 1 ppt, and both were spring waters: Deer Park at 1.21 ppt and Tourmaline Spring at 4.64 ppt.

Ranked by CR result first, then price. CR published exact figures only for waters above 1 ppt, so the brands in its lower group share one result rather than a number each. Prices: Target, Walmart and Sam’s Club listings checked 5 October 2026, Amazon for Pure Life, Essentia and Smartwater on 4 October; one store on one day. Costco does not list Kirkland’s price online, and the Dasani and Aquafina listings we found were resellers marked well above store price.

Where do the exact PFAS numbers for each brand come from?

Many pages, including some older ones on this site that we are correcting, quote figures like 0.2 ppt for Essentia or 0.5 ppt for Aquafina. We could not find those numbers in Consumer Reports’ published results, which give exact figures only for the waters over 1 ppt. For the purified brands, CR’s article lists names in a lower group and nothing more.

So treat any exact sub-1 ppt ranking of the big purified brands with caution unless it links to the lab data. The honest answer is that they tested alike, and the one clear standout is Good & Gather with nothing detected.

What does “purified” actually mean on a label?

It describes a process, not a source. Under FDA rule 21 CFR 165.110, purified water is water “produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable processes” that meets the United States Pharmacopeia definition. Nothing in that rule says where the water has to come from.

In practice many purified brands start with public water. Niagara Bottling, which Reader’s Digest reports makes Kirkland Signature, says its water comes from springs, wells and/or municipal supplies and is purified by reverse osmosis or distillation, then disinfected with ozone. The treatment strips out almost everything, so most brands add a small amount of minerals back for taste.

For the full definition and how it differs from spring and mineral water, see what purified water is.

Why does purified water test lower for PFAS than spring water?

Because reverse osmosis and distillation remove most PFAS, while spring water is bottled close to how it comes out of the ground. In CR’s test both still waters over 1 ppt were spring waters, and every purified brand stayed under.

That makes purified the safer default if PFAS is the thing you care about, whatever the brand. Our spring vs purified comparison covers what you give up, mainly natural minerals and taste, and our PFAS-free bottled water guide lists the brands with no detections.

Which purified water is the cheapest per litre?

Member’s Mark at Sam’s Club, at about $0.21 a litre for a 40-pack, but it was not in CR’s test. Of the tested brands, Good & Gather at about $0.31 and Great Value at about $0.32 a litre were the cheapest we found. Aldi’s PurAqua came in around $0.30 but also has no independent test.

At the other end, Essentia costs about $1.67 a litre and Smartwater about $1.91, roughly six times the store brands for the same CR result. Our store brand water comparison covers every big retailer’s own label, spring water included.

Do added minerals or a higher pH make purified water healthier?

The brands mostly say the minerals are for taste. Smartwater describes its electrolytes as added for flavour, Dasani adds magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and salt for a consistent taste, and Great Value lists calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. Essentia says its electrolytes are for taste and to complement the body’s natural mix, but publishes no quantity.

None of these brands lists the amounts on the label, and none makes a measurable health claim. If you want minerals from water, a mineral water with a published analysis gives you real numbers. Our guide to mineral water ranked by mineral content lists them per litre.

Can you see a brand’s own water quality report?

For most big brands, yes, though Costco does not post one for Kirkland Signature. Niagara, its reported bottler, publishes a water quality report for its own label. Our guide to bottled water quality reports lists where to find each major brand’s report and what to check in it.

Brand reports are the company’s own testing, so they do not replace an independent result. The FDA’s bottled water PFAS survey is the broadest independent check: 197 products collected in 2023 and 2024, published in April 2025, with ten showing detectable PFAS and none above EPA limits. It did not name brands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best purified water brand?

Good & Gather, Target’s store brand, on the evidence available. It was the only purified water in Consumer Reports’ 2020 test with no detectable PFAS, and at about $0.31 a litre it is also one of the cheapest. Every other major purified brand CR tested, from Aquafina to Smartwater, came in under 1 ppt.

Which purified water has the least PFAS?

Good & Gather Purified Drinking Water, which Consumer Reports found had no detectable PFAS in its 2020 testing of 47 bottled waters. The other purified brands were all in CR’s lower group, below 1 ppt, but CR did not publish an exact figure for each one.

Is purified water just tap water?

Often, yes. Niagara Bottling, which Reader’s Digest reports is the maker of Kirkland Signature water, says its water comes from springs, wells and/or municipal supplies before it is purified. Under FDA rule 21 CFR 165.110, purified water must go through distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or a similar process, so the source matters less than the treatment.

Was Kirkland water tested for PFAS?

Yes. Kirkland Signature Purified Water was one of the 47 bottled waters in Consumer Reports’ 2020 test and landed in the group with lower PFAS and heavy metal levels, below 1 ppt. CR did not publish its exact number.

Is Smartwater purified water?

Yes. Smartwater is vapor distilled, and distillation is one of the processes the FDA definition of purified water names. Electrolytes are added back for taste. Consumer Reports placed it in the lower PFAS group in 2020, the same group as store brands that cost a sixth of the price.

What is the cheapest purified water per litre?

Member’s Mark at Sam’s Club was the cheapest we found, about $0.21 a litre for a 40-pack, but it has no independent test. Of the tested brands, Good & Gather at about $0.31 and Great Value at about $0.32 a litre were cheapest. Prices are one store on one day, so check yours.

Is purified water the same as distilled water?

Distilled water is one kind of purified water. The FDA definition covers water made by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or another suitable process, so all distilled water counts as purified, but most purified brands use reverse osmosis instead.