With Italy firmly in first place in Europe for bottled water consumption – over 250 liters per capita every year, on average – we are talking about a habit now deeply rooted in our country, despite the growing attention towards environmental issues linked to single-use plastic.
While on the one hand tap water remains the most sustainable option and subject to constant public controls, on the other hand many Italians continue to choose bottled mineral water, driven by the taste, convenience or simply by the feeling of greater security it conveys. It is in this context that the 2026 test by Altroconsumo fits in, which put the best-selling waters in Italy under the microscope, dividing them into the three categories on the market – natural, natural effervescent and sparkling – evaluating not only their chemical quality but also bottles, labels and impact on the environment.
Let’s see, specifically, how the sparkling waters behaved.
Sparkling waters: the complete ranking
Sparkling waters are natural waters with the addition of carbon dioxide: a very popular category in Italy, often preferred for their more “lively” taste. Here’s how they ranked in the test:
What is striking in this ranking is above all the result of the large-scale retail brands: products such as Coop Frizzante and Alpe Guizza (Lidl) are placed in the first two places, overtaking historical and much better known labels such as San Pellegrino, Ferrarelle and Levissima, which instead stop at a medium or even low quality level. A clear signal of how price and brand awareness are not always a guarantee of superior quality.
How the test was conducted
Altroconsumo’s test on bottled mineral waters was carried out with a broad and structured analysis, designed to provide the most complete picture of the market possible.
The waters were purchased in January 2026 and subsequently analyzed between February and March. The price was also recorded systematically, involving 48 points of sale between Milan, Turin, Rome and Cagliari.
The selection of products was not random: in fact, it followed the diffusion data on the Italian market, processed starting from a survey in over 1,150 points of sale distributed in 67 cities, so as to include the brands that are actually most present in large-scale retail trade.
In the laboratory, each water was thoroughly evaluated. The analysis concerned the composition of mineral salts – such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, fluorides and nitrates – but also the possible presence of metals and contaminants, including arsenic, nickel, manganese, aluminum and emerging substances such as TFA. Alongside the chemical part, the test also considered the packaging, evaluating the weight of the bottle, the presence of recycled plastic and the recyclability of the label, as well as the practicality of daily use, from opening to pouring.
The final judgment was then constructed by assigning a precise weight to the various factors: 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
