We Tested the Water Bottle that "Flavors" Your Water Through Scent

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You might have seen the Air Up water bottle on social media; it's the water bottle that utilizes scented pods to enhance the taste of your water ... through your nose. Air Up scented pods — which come in aromas like lemon and mango-passionfruit — are designed to trick your senses into thinking what you're smelling is what you're tasting.

Our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab tested the Air Up to evaluate the performance of the pods as well as to assess the bottle's durability and ease of use. We asked 11 consumer testers to try the bottle and give feedback on whether they thought the Air Up technology worked, what they thought of the "flavors," whether the system caused them to increase their water intake and whether they thought Air Up was innovative or just a fad.

What is Air Up?

Air Up was founded by Lena Jüngst and Tim Jäger, two German university students who, during their studies, read Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters, a book by neuroscientist Gordon M. Shepherd that posits that the sense of smell is a more powerful component of flavor than previously thought.

This sparked an idea for Jüngst and Jäger and led them to create their first Air Up prototype with the mission: "Neuroscience meets design. The impetus: To make the world a healthier place, by tackling poor nutrition — inadequate hydration, to be exact." This viral water bottle is compatible with 15 Air Up scented pods. It comes in two versions ( plastic and stainless steel ) and can be customized with colorful accessories.

How Air Up works

According to Air Up, "the majority of what we taste comes from our olfactory receptors (part of our anatomy that plays a central role in our sense of smell)." It is believed that the average person can identify over 1 trillion different scents. The brand goes on to state:

That means Air Up pods provide scent that you perceive as flavor. Intrigued? Here's what you do:

1. Fill your water bottle with water to the capacity line, then attach the mouthpiece with the straw to the bottle.

2. Place the center of the circular pod over the mouthpiece and push it into place. If you don't smell anything, pull it out a bit so you can smell and later “taste” your pod.

3. Take a sip from the mouthpiece and experience retronasal smelling.

How we tested Air Up

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we've tested countless water bottles over the years. We evaluate them for performance, durability and ease of use. In addition to Lab tests, we send water bottles to consumers to get their opinions on how the water bottles fare in the real world.

When it came to Air Up, we had an 11-person testing panel that consisted of consumers, dietitians, kitchen gear experts, an engineer and a chemist to gather over a hundred data points and collect some insightful feedback — including notes about "taste" and comfort during use. Consumers were asked to use their Air Up water bottle multiple times and to assess whether they thought the scented pods made them think they were drinking flavored water. They were also asked to comment on how often they reached for it, how easy it was to use and if anything changed with their hydration habits.

In our Lab, we performed drop and leak tests on both a plastic and a stainless steel model, and we tested nine different scented pods that we rated based on "flavor," longevity and strength. We also evaluated the water bottle for how easy it was to fill, carry, drink from and clean.

What is in the scented pods?

According to Air Up, the pods are made from natural flavors, extracted from plants, fruits and spices. The company noted that specific details that "relate to Air Up's [intellectual property] are proprietary."

There are currently 15 scents available on the brand's site ranging from apple to basil-lemon to orange-vanilla. Scents are available in variety packs that let you try five of the most popular, or you can purchase three-packs of your favorite scent. Each water bottle starter set also comes with a few scented pods as well.

In our tests, because of personal preferences, no scent was a unanimous standout. One tester said, "Smell-wise, I enjoyed the watermelon pod as I love watermelon-flavored drinks. However, in terms of the strength of the scent, I think the Raspberry Lemon was the strongest." Another tester noted, "The cherry scent was the worst to me — it reminded me so much of that artificial cherry flavor in some kids' medicines." And another said, "I am a simple person, so the lemon and cucumber were probably my favorites. I don't like too much flavor with my water."

How long do Air Up pods last?

The company claims that each pod works for about 1.3 gallons of water. Air Up also recommends that you check the "best before" date on each pod since the scent may fade over time and is best when fresh. Make sure to keep pods inside their packaging as they cannot be cleaned and should be opened only before being placed on your water bottle.

We found that if pods weren't used quickly when placed on the water bottle, the odor dissipated, reducing the "flavor" of the water. Our experts wished that the pods lasted longer — especially for the per-pod price and the fact that they can only be purchased online currently.

Does the Air Up water bottle work?

Did we find that our water tasted like each scented pod? The short answer is yes. We were particularly impressed with the mango-passionfruit pod and its juicy "flavor," but we thought the orange-vanilla tasted artificial.

Parsing through data points and tester notes, we confirmed an inevitable result: Some testers didn't like a certain pod, while others loved it. People perceive scents differently, especially if they have personal ties to a scent or if their sense of smell isn't as strong as another individual's. For example, some testers didn't see themselves reaching for the Air Up water bottle after testing, but others found it to be innovative.

One tester noted, "I found that inhaling the scent did nothing for me flavor-wise to keep me drinking more water," while another reported that "it definitely isn't a gimmick. When I'm home, I have a hard time drinking water for some reason. The Air Up bottle makes it a little easier on the days when I don't want to drink plain water all day." It really comes down to how you experience scent.

Additional Lab and tester notes

• Weight: We found the plastic Air Up bottle to be lightweight, but the stainless steel version is on the heavier side.

• Drop testing: When we dropped the plastic Air Up water bottle about five feet onto hard concrete five times, the Tritan-based plastic did not shatter or break, but it did endure some deep scratches. The stainless steel bottle earned a large dent on the bottom, and some of the black coating was chipped off to reveal the stainless steel material underneath. We can report that we've observed similar results from other water bottles made of similar materials that we've tested.

• Leak testing: During our leak test, each water bottle was left on its side with the lid tightly secured and checked every 15 minutes. With the plastic bottle, we saw no issues after 15 minutes but noticed some leaking after 30 minutes. With the stainless steel bottle, there was no leaking even after 30 minutes.

• Comfort: We found the mouthpiece to be more comfortable than other water bottles we've tested with soft silicone material, but we did note that you had to sip a little harder on the water bottle to get enough water compared to competitors. And the straw was difficult to remove and to reattach as well. "I wish the straw were easier to put on the bottle," said one consumer tester. "I struggle to get it on just right every single time, and then I can't screw on the cap."

• Ease of cleaning: Our experts found the stainless steel easier to clean because of the cap that screws off so you can fit your hand into the bottle; the plastic bottle was a little harder to clean and needed a bottle brush for easier cleaning. A majority of testers also noted that they wished that the water bottle was dishwasher safe, because they don't like to hand-wash water bottles.

So, is the Air Up water bottle worth it?

Air Up is ideal for a consumer who enjoys flavored water and finds that they are able to drink more water if it is flavored. Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., NASM-CPT said, "I think people who struggle with staying hydrated would enjoy this bottle, and people who say that they hate the taste of water or think it's boring would really benefit from this product." So if you're a consumer who doesn't have time to cut up fresh produce to infuse your water, you might enjoy Air Up.

That said, Air Up is not for everyone, especially those who drink a lot of water and need a larger water bottle capacity (the plastic version holds 22 ounces while the stainless steel version holds 28 ounces). One tester said, "I wish it were available in different sizes, so I didn't have to refill it so often."

You also have to determine whether purchasing the scented pods regularly is feasible for your budget. A three-pack of pods can be as much as $13 and works for about 3.9 gallons of water. All said, seven of our 11 testers said they would recommend Air Up to a friend or family member, which means this bottle won over the majority of our testers.

GET THE AIR UP WATER BOTTLE

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, Eva Bleyer has tested everything from blenders to kitchen scales. She tested Air Up in the Lab, and she conducted the consumer testing for the product. She holds a B.S. in Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University, where she studied sustainability practices, particularly as related to food and drink products. She knows how important it is to stay hydrated and to find a water bottle that makes you eager to get your sips in.

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