Sparkling Water – History and Potential Health Benefits

By Giacomo La Spina · 18 August 2024

Sparkling water — a modern invention? There is much more to sparkling water than you might think!

You might imagine it is a recent invention. Yet do a little research and you suddenly discover that even the ancient Romans were enjoying the beneficial properties of sparkling water! In some places, the springs where naturally sparkling water emerged were even venerated as sacred sites.

But naturally sparkling water is rare: it requires very special conditions for H₂O and CO₂ to combine and form H₂CO₃ — carbonic acid. And here is the secret ingredient that makes sparkling water so special! The beneficial effects of sparkling water containing H₂CO₃ are recognised in science and medicine. Antibacterial and antiviral effects, together with support for digestion, are just a few.†

Sparkling water was once reserved for the wealthy. It was considered precious and special because it could only be drunk at the very place where nature released it!†

But human curiosity never rests. We keep experimenting, investigating and asking questions!

A certain Mr Schweppe, working during the same period as a French researcher, found a way to recreate the special conditions needed to combine water with CO₂ and produce sparkling water containing H₂CO₃ — carbonic acid.†

But let us make one point clear straight away: simply blowing CO₂ into a bottle of water does not produce H₂CO₃. It merely produces water with a few CO₂ bubbles!†

That is why, in a glass of this kind of water, the bubbles disappear within minutes: the CO₂ readily escapes.

Only a particular combination of temperature, pressure and vortex motion can trigger the physical and chemical process that brings water and CO₂ together to form that special compound. You can even leave a glass of properly carbonated water on the table for a whole day and still enjoy a gently sparkling taste afterwards!†

From a precious discovery enjoyed by a fortunate few to a pleasure everyone can enjoy today!

Let us take a closer look at this remarkable story.

Naturally sparkling water — already known in antiquity!

Long before anyone designed a carbonator, nature was producing sparkling water of its own.

Deep underground, carbon dioxide met groundwater. Under pressure, the CO₂ dissolved in the water, while the surrounding rock contributed minerals. When that water finally reached the surface and the pressure fell, some of the dissolved CO₂ escaped as bubbles.

A spring could offer something extraordinary: water that appeared to have a life of its own.

You can still encounter this phenomenon in Germany’s Volcanic Eifel. Its naturally carbonated springs, known locally as Dreese or Säuerlinge, belong to a landscape shaped by volcanic activity and the crater lakes called maars.

The water in your glass has a connection with the world beneath your feet. Discover the Eifel’s mineral springs.

Before the Romans: the Greeks were already asking questions

Around 400 BC, the Hippocratic text Airs, Waters, Places examined different waters and their relationship with health. Read the ancient text.

Aristotle, too, described an acidic spring near Lyncus in his Meteorology. These are fascinating early observations of distinctive spring waters, although the descriptions alone do not establish their CO₂ content. Aristotle’s account, Book II, Part 3.

The connection between special water, curiosity and health reaches further back than a Roman bathhouse!

The Romans went looking for health

For the Romans, visiting particular springs was closely connected with health and wellbeing. These waters were sought out for the benefits attributed to them, alongside bathing, social life and religious observance.

At Aquae Sulis — today’s Bath — naturally hot water fed a remarkable bathing complex dedicated to Sulis Minerva. Visitors left coins, jewellery and inscribed tablets. Those objects remain as tangible traces of their hopes, requests and beliefs.

Bath was a thermal spring, rather than an example of naturally sparkling water. Its importance here is the relationship between water and health: people travelled to these places because the water mattered to them. Explore the Roman Baths.

Aachen, Baden-Baden, Wiesbaden and Baden near Zurich preserve other chapters of Europe’s spa tradition. Later, Karlsbad became another celebrated destination.

Naturally carbonated springs have their own ancient history. Near Vergèze, in southern France, the Les Bouillens spring — later associated with Perrier — was already known in Roman times. Perrier’s historical timeline.

Places where you can still follow the story

Royat, France — Roman remains and naturally CO₂-rich thermal water. In Auvergne, a Roman pool with steps and curved recesses is still visible. Today’s Thermes de Royat use naturally carbonated thermal waters, including the Eugénie spring, which emerges at about 34.5°C. You can encounter Roman history and a living spa tradition in the same town; the ancient pool is an archaeological remnant, not today’s bathing facility. Royat’s Roman heritage · Its thermal springs.

Baden-Baden, Germany — a Roman bathing town that still lives by its springs. See the Roman bath ruins and discover today’s Friedrichsbad and Caracalla Spa. This is thermal bathing history: hot mineral water should not automatically be equated with sparkling drinking water. Baden-Baden’s baths · The Roman remains.

Karlovy Vary, Czechia — a later chapter, with a spectacular natural spring. Also known as Karlsbad, this spa town’s Vřídlo spring contains natural CO₂ and shoots up inside the Hot Spring Colonnade. Its story belongs to Europe’s later spa tradition, rather than to a Roman bath complex. The Vřídlo spring · The colonnade.

These places helped establish a fascination that has never disappeared: could the water we drink do more than quench our thirst?

Could anyone recreate a sparkling spring?

By the eighteenth century, that fascination had become an irresistible scientific challenge.

Could the character of naturally sparkling water be reproduced? Could people enjoy it without travelling to the spring?

In 1750, the French chemist Gabriel François Venel investigated the “aerated” water of Seltz. His work was an early contribution to understanding the unusual substance released by these waters. Venel’s research.

In 1772, Joseph Priestley published a practical method for introducing “fixed air” into water. We now know that substance as carbon dioxide: CO₂.

Then came Jacob Schweppe, a German-born jeweller whose inventive interests extended well beyond precious stones.

Schweppe developed commercial carbonation in Geneva in 1783, before moving to London in 1792. The challenge was becoming a business: produce sparkling water, bottle it and bring it to customers. Schweppe’s beginnings, his move to London.

Royal recognition followed. Schweppes received a warrant from King William IV in 1836, and supplied the Great Exhibition of 1851, during Queen Victoria’s reign.

The journey from spring water to a familiar household name was well under way. Schweppes’ historical timeline.

Inside the water: what actually changes?

The chemistry has a name, too: carbonic acid — H₂CO₃.

When CO₂ dissolves in water, a small proportion reacts with the water to form carbonic acid:

CO₂ + H₂O ⇌ H₂CO₃

The double arrow matters. This is a reversible equilibrium, rather than a permanent conversion of all the water and CO₂ into a different substance.

Temperature and pressure influence how much CO₂ the water can hold. Colder water generally holds more; higher CO₂ pressure favours dissolution. Mixing and contact time influence how quickly that happens.

Once the water is poured into an open glass, CO₂ gradually escapes. How quickly depends on conditions including temperature, the starting carbonation level and the glass itself.

That is why carbonation deserves proper engineering: the result depends on the conditions you create and control. The physics behind carbonation.

Perrier: how one spring travelled the world

Meanwhile, the naturally sparkling spring near Vergèze was beginning another remarkable journey.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Dr Louis-Eugène Perrier developed the spring business. In 1903, British investor St John Harmsworth took over and helped turn it into an international brand.

A French spring, a British entrepreneur and a distinctive green bottle: an unusually effective combination.

Distribution, publicity and prestigious connections carried the name far beyond southern France. Perrier’s own history describes its success in Britain and overseas markets before its later expansion in France. The story behind Perrier.

Was taste alone responsible? Taste is personal. For us, the more interesting part is the relationship between water, recognition and trust.

When travelling, knowing where your drinking water comes from can matter as much as its flavour. It is easy to understand the reassurance offered by an identifiable, sealed bottle.

Bubbles alone cannot establish purity or authenticity. The appeal of a recognised source, however, is readily understandable.

Even the British Admiralty entered the story

Priestley’s 1772 publication contained an unexpected destination: the sea.

He addressed it to the British Admiralty and proposed trials for sailors. Long voyages made drinking water and sailors’ health pressing concerns, and he hoped carbonated water might help against scurvy.

That particular hope proved mistaken: scurvy results from vitamin C deficiency.

Yet the proposal reveals something fascinating. Carbonated water was already being considered in connection with one of the great practical challenges of the age — keeping people well on long journeys.

The scientific answers were still developing. The determination to find them was already there. Read Priestley’s original proposal.

CO₂ can make life harder for certain bacteria

Modern researchers have taken the question into the laboratory.

In a 2023 study, researchers compared the behaviour of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in still and carbonated bottled mineral water.

The difference was striking. Under the conditions tested, culturable Pseudomonas aeruginosa increased during storage in still water, while none was detected in the carbonated samples from the second day onwards.

That is a concrete finding about named bacteria — considerably more interesting than saying sparkling water simply tastes refreshing. Schalli and colleagues, Heliyon, 2023.

Another experiment examined Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, observing reductions over time at different CO₂ concentrations. Schalli and colleagues, Biology, 2023.

These were controlled bottle-storage experiments. Their results depend on the organism, the water, the CO₂ concentration and the contact time. They demonstrate effects on particular bacteria; they do not establish instant disinfection or general antiviral and anti-algae activity.

Carbonation changes the conditions within the water. Those changes can matter to microorganisms as well as to our taste buds.

And what about digestion?

There is another intriguing line of research.

A small randomised trial involving 21 patients reported improvements in functional dyspepsia and constipation after approximately 15 days of drinking carbonated water.

That is a specific finding worth knowing about, while remembering the study’s limited size and the particular patients involved. Cuomo and colleagues, 2002.

Everyday enjoyment matters as well. Plain sparkling water offers an appealing drink without the sugar of soft drinks. Some people love a vigorous sparkle; others prefer a gentle prickle.

The comfortable choice is individual. If strong carbonation causes troublesome bloating or reflux, a lighter sparkle may suit you better.

Two household tips from our experience

Some uses of sparkling water belong to everyday experience rather than laboratory research.

For a sore throat, gargling with plain sparkling water is an old household tip that we have found helpful. We share it as personal experience, rather than as an established treatment for an infection. If it irritates your throat, it is not the right approach for you.

For vegetables and salad, we also appreciate an occasional final rinse with sparkling drinking water. For us, the attraction is a fresh, clean taste that leaves the vegetable itself in the foreground.

That is a sensory experience, rather than a validated method of disinfection. For routine produce washing, FDA guidance recommends running water and gentle rubbing; soap and commercial produce washes are unnecessary.

A salad should taste of its ingredients. Guidance on washing fruit and vegetables.

Four things to notice in your next glass

After following this story, an ordinary glass of sparkling water becomes rather less ordinary.

• The sensation: fine bubbles and gentle acidity give it a lively character.
• The food pairing: many people enjoy its crisp contrast between mouthfuls.
• The geology: natural sparkling springs connect drinking water with processes deep underground.
• The history: people sought out particular waters long before modern bottling or household carbonators existed.

From a distant spring to your own kitchen

For centuries, particular springs drew people towards them. Today, a home carbonation system brings freshly prepared sparkling water into daily life.

No heavy crates to carry. Fewer single-use bottles. Depending on the system, a choice of carbonation levels.

The starting water still matters, as does the filtration you choose. Adding CO₂ does not automatically reproduce the mineral composition of a famous spring. Clean drinking water, clean bottles and proper maintenance remain the foundations.

What you can bring home is the pleasure of freshly prepared water, made part of an enjoyable daily habit.

Gently sparkling or intensely lively — choose the water you look forward to drinking.

With VIZIO’s home water solutions, that long fascination with sparkling water becomes something you can enjoy every day, directly in your own kitchen.