Mineral Water pH Comparison

Every major mineral water brand ranked by pH — from the most alkaline bicarbonate waters to the most acidic CO₂-driven sparklings, with TDS, country and source for each.

What pH actually tells you about a mineral water

pH is a logarithmic scale of how acidic or alkaline a liquid is, running from 0 (battery acid) to 14 (lye). Pure water sits at 7. Mineral waters land between roughly 5.5 and 8.5, and where they fall is driven by two things: bicarbonate (which buffers water toward alkaline) and dissolved CO₂ (which forms carbonic acid and pulls pH down).

A high-bicarbonate still water like Gerolsteiner Naturell measures around 7.5–8.0. The same water naturally sparkling — Gerolsteiner Sprudel — drops to roughly 5.9 in the bottle because of its dissolved CO₂. Both are the same source.

All mineral waters compared by pH

Click any column to sort. Default order: highest pH (most alkaline) first.

Brand	pH ↓	TDS (mg/L)	Carbonation	Source	Country
Borjomi	8.0	6,000	Sparkling	Borjomi Gorge, volcanic springs	Georgia
San Pellegrino	7.7	854	Sparkling	San Pellegrino Terme, Lombardy	Italy
Solan de Cabras	7.6	257	Still	Beteta, Cuenca	Spain
Lanjarón	7.6	134	Still	Sierra Nevada, Andalusia	Spain
Vittel	7.5	1,084	Still	Grande Source, Vittel, Vosges	France
Contrex	7.4	2,078	Still	Contrexéville, Vosges	France
Buxton	7.4	280	Still	Buxton, Derbyshire	England
Evian	7.2	357	Still	Cachat Spring, French Alps	France
Volvic	7.0	130	Still	Auvergne volcanic park, France	France
Vichy Catalan	7.0	3,052	Sparkling	Caldes de Malavella, Catalonia	Spain
Topo Chico	6.5	728	Sparkling	Cerro del Topo Chico, Monterrey	Mexico
Ferrarelle	6.2	1,346	Sparkling	Riardo, Campania	Italy
Badoit	6.0	1,200	Sparkling	Saint-Galmier, Loire	France
Apollinaris	6.0	2,650	Sparkling	Bad Neuenahr, Ahr Valley	Germany
Gerolsteiner	5.9	2,500	Sparkling	Volcanic Eifel region	Germany
Perrier	5.5	475	Sparkling	Les Bouillens spring, Vergèze	France

Most alkaline mineral waters (pH ≥ 7.5)

Bicarbonate-rich waters that buffer toward the alkaline end of the scale.

Borjomi

pH 8.0 · TDS 6,000 mg/L · Georgia

San Pellegrino

pH 7.7 · TDS 854 mg/L · Italy

Solan de Cabras

pH 7.6 · TDS 257 mg/L · Spain

Lanjarón

pH 7.6 · TDS 134 mg/L · Spain

Vittel

pH 7.5 · TDS 1,084 mg/L · France

Neutral mineral waters (pH 6.8–7.5)

The middle band, where most still spring-fed mineral waters sit.

Contrex

pH 7.4 · TDS 2,078 mg/L · France

Buxton

pH 7.4 · TDS 280 mg/L · England

Evian

pH 7.2 · TDS 357 mg/L · France

Volvic

pH 7.0 · TDS 130 mg/L · France

Vichy Catalan

pH 7.0 · TDS 3,052 mg/L · Spain

More acidic mineral waters (pH < 6.8)

Almost always sparkling — the dissolved CO₂ that gives the bubbles also pulls pH below 7.

Topo Chico

pH 6.5 · TDS 728 mg/L · Mexico

Ferrarelle

pH 6.2 · TDS 1,346 mg/L · Italy

Badoit

pH 6.0 · TDS 1,200 mg/L · France

Apollinaris

pH 6.0 · TDS 2,650 mg/L · Germany

Gerolsteiner

pH 5.9 · TDS 2,500 mg/L · Germany

Perrier

pH 5.5 · TDS 475 mg/L · France

Frequently asked questions

What is the average pH of mineral water?

Most natural mineral waters fall between pH 6.5 and 8.0. Bicarbonate-rich waters such as Gerolsteiner, Borjomi and Vichy Catalan trend toward alkaline (7.5–8.5), while CO₂-driven sparkling waters such as Perrier sit closer to 5.5–6.0 because dissolved CO₂ forms mild carbonic acid.

Which mineral water has the highest pH?

Among naturally sourced mineral waters, Vichy Catalan and Tourmaline Spring lead with a pH near 8.0–8.5. For commercially branded alkaline waters, Essentia (pH 9.5) and Flow (pH 8.1) score higher, but those are ionised or filtered, not classical mineral waters.

Is high-pH mineral water better for you?

There is no consistent clinical evidence that drinking high-pH water changes your blood pH — your body buffers it within minutes. The meaningful differences between mineral waters are mineral content (calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate) and source quality, not pH alone.

Why is sparkling mineral water more acidic?

Carbon dioxide dissolved in water forms carbonic acid, which lowers pH. A naturally sparkling water that measures 7.5 at the source can drop to 5.5–6.0 in the bottle. This is harmless and reverses as the CO₂ escapes once opened.

How is mineral water pH actually measured?

Bottlers test pH at the source with a calibrated electrode and again at the bottling line. The number printed on the label is usually the at-source value; in-bottle pH can shift slightly depending on carbonation, temperature and storage time.