Among the three types of water analyzed by Altroconsumo, natural water is undoubtedly the most widespread on Italian tables. Without added or naturally present carbon dioxide, they are often considered the “lightest” and most digestible, so much so that they are also recommended in the pediatric field and for those following low-sodium diets. It is therefore not surprising that this is precisely the category with the highest number of references on the market, and with an overall higher average quality compared to natural sparkling and effervescent products.
But it is precisely the first place in this ranking that represents the real surprise of the Altroconsumo 2026 test. In fact, the winner of the title of best ever is not one of the historic brands that we are used to seeing on shelves or in advertisements, but Blues, the Eurospin brand natural water, which with 71 points scores a quality defined as “excellent” – the highest score recorded in the entire test, even higher than that obtained by the best natural sparkling and effervescent waters. A result that overturns many deep-rooted beliefs among consumers, according to which the lower price of discounters would be synonymous with lower quality: here exactly the opposite happens, with an economical product that bypasses dozens of renowned and much more expensive brands.
It is also worth spending a few words on the best purchase in the category, namely Gran Guizza Naturale, with 64 points. It is a less well-known label compared to the big historical names, but which according to Altroconsumo represents the most advantageous compromise between quality and price among all the natural waters tested: although it does not reach the highest scores in the ranking, it still guarantees “good” quality at a decidedly low cost compared to more renowned brands which stop at similar or even lower scores. A further indication of how, once again, less publicized brands are often able to offer a superior quality-price ratio compared to better-known brands – confirming a trend that cuts across all three water categories analyzed in the 2026 test.
Natural mineral waters: the complete ranking
Natural waters remain the most widespread and “lightest”. Good overall quality emerges in this category, with several products achieving high ratings. This is the ranking:
The interesting fact is the strong presence of large-scale distribution (Eurospin, Lidl, Conad, Esselunga) at the top of the ranking, with average prices often lower than the historic brands. In fact, six private label products are positioned in the top ten, a rather clear signal of how, at least as regards natural water, the historicity of the brand is no longer a guarantee of qualitative superiority. At the bottom of the ranking, however, the presence of well-known names such as Levissima and Fiuggi is striking, both stuck at low quality despite the premium positioning with which they are commonly offered to the public.
How the test was conducted
Also for the natural water category, Altroconsumo followed the same rigorous methodology applied to the entire 2026 test, designed to guarantee a fair and truly representative comparison of the Italian market.
The selection of the products to be analyzed was not random, but based on concrete diffusion data: a survey conducted in over 1,150 points of sale distributed in 67 Italian cities made it possible to identify which brands were actually most present on the shelves of large-scale retail trade, thus avoiding including niche products that were not very representative of real purchasing habits. The bottles were purchased in January 2026 and subsequently analyzed in the laboratory between February and March, while separate price monitoring involved 48 points of sale in the cities of Milan, Turin, Rome and Cagliari, so as to also be able to evaluate the quality-price ratio of each product.
In the laboratory, each natural water was subjected to a detailed chemical analysis, with the measurement of the main mineral salts – calcium, magnesium, sodium, fluorides and nitrates – which determine its nutritional profile and suitability for specific dietary needs. At the same time, any traces of metals and contaminants were searched for, including arsenic, nickel, manganese, aluminum and TFA, an emerging substance increasingly monitored at European level.
The test also considered aspects related to packaging and sustainability: weight of the bottle, presence of recycled plastic and recyclability of the label, as well as the practicality of daily use, from opening the cap to pouring without waste.
The final score was constructed by assigning a specific weight to each factor: 50% to the composition of the water, 20% to the bottle and the environmental impact, 10% to the labels, and the remainder to the evaluations of contaminants and practical and sensorial aspects.
Source: Altroconsumo
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