As temperatures soar in the midst of a heatwave, Brits are flocking to parks and beaches to soak up the rays and make the most of the uncharacteristically hot weather. As the nation spends more time outside, it’s important to increase our fluid intake to make sure we’re staying safe in the sun and avoiding dehydration which can creep up on us. However, hydration experts Air Up have been questioning the nation on how they hydrate and found some worrying answers. The research has found that almost half (45%) of the nation confess to only drinking one glass of water a day, with many choosing to hydrate with sugary drinks instead.

The landmark research analyses the complexities behind Brits’ fraught relationship with sugary drinks revealing the alarming number of Brits (37%) trying and failing to reduce sugar intake from soft drinks due to a lack of alternatives and the 42% of Brits drinking low to zero calorie drinks in attempts to reduce their sugar intake. With 36% having no idea what is sweetening their drinks which are labelled as ‘zero sugar’ Air Up has stepped in with the launch of their innovative retronasal technology to provide a solution for Brits who are struggling to wean themselves off unhealthy drinks.

With 80% of flavour coming from our sense of smell, instead of taste, Air Up harnesses this clever bit of science, infusing every sip of water from your bottle with flavoured air, offering Brits a healthy alternative to sweet, flavoured drinks while still drinking 100% pure water. Each pod contains natural flavourings and scents that infuse with ambient air to be added to the pure water. These flavours range from Lime and Orange-Passionfruit to Cola and Iced Coffee with ten others in between, improving our sense of health and wellness without sacrificing flavour, truly disrupting the soft drinks sector and British consumption patterns ahead of this health revolution.

Key stats:

45% (23,152,000) of Brits drink around one glass of water a day
30% (15,701,000) of Brits find water boring so they don’t often drink it
29% (14,814,000) of Brits have tried, without success, to drink more water
37% (16,093,000) are trying to reduce their sugar intake but are struggling to do so due to the alternatives available to them
42% (21,297,000) drink low to zero calorie sugary drinks in an attempt to reduce their sugar intake
36% (17,319,000) agree that in the absence of sugar, they are not entirely sure what is in no added sugar drinks to maintain their sweetness

Lena Jüngst – co-founder of Air Up comments:

“Air Up is a new and fascinating way to taste. What I love most about our product, as a designer, is that it shows that a more healthy and sustainable lifestyle can still be fun and appealing. For me that is a very promising sign for our future, and something that we have worked hard to achieve. Air Up is the world’s first drinking bottle that flavours water only by scent with the help of retronasal smelling. Compared to other drinks with flavour, we do not put any ingredients into the water, but only add small fragrance bubbles that are not absorbed by the body. So the water remains water – just with flavour. This is not only good for your health, but also a much more sustainable alternative. As far as we know, no one has ever used retronasal smell like we do, to create flavour. We are a true “world’s first” and that’s pretty rare nowadays.”