Slurping down a hardcore green juice at breakfast has become a quotidian step in our morning routine. As instinctive as brushing our teeth, we’ve swallowed the concept that beauty comes from within with a decent spoonful of wheatgrass. In fact, we’re so aware of the benefits of fortified beverages that humble old H2O now just seems so, basic. Over the past three years, unless its preceded by ‘coconut’, we just don’t want to know about it and gone are the days where we simply had to decide between sparkling or still.
Currently, what we choose to rehydrate ourselves with has become as big a status symbol as what we tote our beverage of choice around in: The girl in the mall with the maple water poking out of her Fendi Peekaboo and your colleague who came in swinging a Celine Curve and sipping a birch water are already ahead of the game. This new crop of highly evolved (i.e. well-packaged, mostly-tasty and science-supported) beauty enhancing beverages have an air of Alice in Wonderland’s “drink me” potion around them. Luckily, the only thing ‘rose water’promises to shrink are our wrinkles.Yes, that product you’ve been spritzing on your face for years can now be sipped (not the actual product, look out for brands such as Juice Served Here x Soma Rose Water) to provide anti-aging benefits, thanks to its high potency of antioxidants. It’s also said to provide stress relief and support digestive functions.
Another buzzy beverage to watch out for this summer is hydrogen-infused water. The ingestible hydrogen craze started, as many major beauty trends often do, in Asia, where they have been drinking it for years to benefit from its powerful antioxidants. Believed to boost cellular protection against free radicals and inflammation, research also shows that hydrogen water is great for those who travel often, as it can increase energy levels, relieve jet lag and improve circulation. Expect to see this one on the front row more often than Anna Wintour come September. Those who love a touch of sweetness to their water, but are conscious of the sugar content of coconut water, can rejoice in the popularisation of maple water. With half the sugar and calories of coconut water, other helpful dietary claims include a high concentration of abscisic acid, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Birch tree water also boasts low sugar content (80 per cent less than coconut water) and is low in calories (only 10). A favourite in Baltic nations for centuries, it’s recognised throughout northern Europe as the ultimate vitality drink. Birch water gets bonus points for being high in our new hero mineral, magnesium.
Sipping our way to wellness in a manner that goes beyond mere hydration is the perfect solution, as temperatures begin to soar and sun exposure takes its toll on our complexions at a deep cellular level. Consider fortified waters as skin saving superheroes in the heat, as well as the summer accessory on everyone’s list. Now, can we fit a two-litre bottle in the Diorama…
- Gillian Brett: You Are What You Drink
