Seltzer, sparkling water and sparkling mineral water are often used interchangeably — but the production and the resulting taste are genuinely different.
Seltzer is plain water artificially carbonated — no minerals added, nothing removed. Sparkling mineral water is sourced from a protected spring with naturally occurring minerals; CO₂ is either natural or added during bottling. Flavored seltzers like LaCroix are still seltzer at the base — plain carbonated purified water with natural flavoring added, no minerals.
Seltzer contains essentially no minerals. Sparkling mineral water can range from light (Perrier) to extremely mineralized (Gerolsteiner, Borjomi) — meaningful calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate.
Seltzer reads as clean, neutral and slightly sharp. Sparkling mineral water has body, weight and a mineral signature — what wine people call "structure".
Seltzer wins on price and neutrality — great for flavor-forward drinks. Sparkling mineral water wins on hydration, food pairing and electrolyte contribution. For daily hydration, mineral water has the edge.
Seltzer is one type of sparkling water — specifically, plain water that has been artificially carbonated without added minerals.
No. Plain seltzer contains essentially no minerals. Some flavored seltzers and "hydration" seltzers add electrolytes.
Sparkling mineral water provides calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate; seltzer does not. For pure hydration, both are excellent — minerals are a bonus.
