It’s time to take a sip of TikTok‘s hottest new trend: sexy water.
In 2020, content creator Kelly Grace Mae was listening to The Skinny Confidential podcast and heard Lauryn Bosstick talk about sex-ing up her coffee. The phrase stuck and she quickly created her own version: sexy water, which can be achieved by mixing water with fun and functional ingredients — electrolyte powders, mineral tinctures, lemon, etc — likely in a cute glass with a fun straw.
“Sexy water became this romanticized time for me to, in the morning, drink my water and make it more fun,” Mae said. “It felt like less of a chore and more of this self care ritual that I got to do while also habit stacking.”
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While Mae gave the trend a name and still posts her concoctions on social media, it goes far beyond sexy water, as functional hydration has continued to grow with prebiotic sodas like Poppi hitting retail shelves nationwide, electrolyte powders like Liquid I.V. becoming commonplace and new beverage companies like Liquid Death disrupting with edgy branding.
“When Liquid I.V. entered the market, it revolutionized the concept of hydration, rendering it both enjoyable and hip,” said Rachel Hirsch, founder of Wellness Growth Ventures, a seed fund focused on female-founded wellness companies. “Liquid I.V.’s financial success, in turn, catalyzed the expansion of the hydration powder and product category, enlarging the proverbial pie and attracting numerous competitors.”
In addition to Liquid I.V., which was acquired by Unilever in 2020, Liquid Death, known for its beer-like water cans, has experienced growth and expanded its hydration offering with an electrolyte powder Death Dust, $11. Most recently, the company closed a $67 million financing round and was valued at $1.4 billion.
In addition to the growth of the hydration category, other trends like the sleepy girl mocktail and nonalcoholic alternatives have also boosted functional beverages.
“Alcohol and soda consumption are both down, especially with Millennials and Gen Z,” said Liquid Death founder and chief executive officer Mike Cessario. “Our tallboy cans look like beer, which people love because they can have a healthier alternative at a bar, party or music festival without getting asked why they aren’t drinking.”
Hirsch, who has invested in Cure Hydration and BelliWelli which both have powders for water, expects to see growth across women’s health, kids and soda alternatives when it comes to the functional beverage space.
While there are other drinks to be made — lattes, smoothies, juices — it seems people just like water. Blume, an ingestible brand known for its superfood latte powders available at Target, in particular has recognized this. It recently launched its SuperBelly Gut-Building Hydration Powder, $32, which features prebiotics, trace minerals, fermented apple cider vinegar and probiotics to hydrate and support a healthy microbiome.
“People were making our lattes just with hot water, which is actually not the intended use case. [They’re] intended to be made with milk,” said Blume cofounder and chief executive officer Karen Danudjaja. “People were…wanting this on-the-go format and so that was why we decided to have SuperBelly be a water-first format, just [to] make it easier for people to consume.”
While flavored water isn’t a new concept, as brands like Crystal Light and Mio have been on shelves for years, the taste isn’t enough anymore, as people are looking for functionality.
“You have to see the results. If you’re actually investing in that sexy water, there has to be some tangible results,” said Amanda Chantal Bacon, founder of Moon Juice, which has an array of cellular waters including Magnesi-Om, $42, the key ingredient of the sleepy girl mocktail. The brand’s cellular waters category grew 243 percent between 2022 and 2023.
With functionality top of mind, key benefits have become popular, including energy, gut health and of course sleep. However, no matter the added benefit, hydration is always number one as many of these formulas include minerals typically lost through water filtration and soil depletion.
While function is leading the category, it’s also about the overall ritual: making the beverage, opting for a funky glass and topping with a glass straw.
“I’m not like one of those girls who everything is aesthetic,” Mae said. “If I can have this one thing — and I have a whole cup section on my Amazon storefront because I really think it is part of the ritual and the vibe — it just makes me feel like I have my life together.”
Brands recognize this and are bringing the lifestyle component into their offerings — for example, Blume sells a Bubble Cup, $16, and Cloud Mug, $24. Danudjaja attributes the interest in accessories to the extensive coffee routines people established during work-from-home, which has carried over into all functional beverages — sexy water, mocktails and coffee alternatives.
“It’s bringing personality to [the] space,” she said, adding that this trend resonates with women. “There is space in wellness to focus on women, to focus on women who care about their lifestyle, that care about their aesthetic, to have fun with it.”
Hirsch added: “Over 85 percent of purchasing power in this sector lies with women, signaling a significant opportunity for brands to shift their focus accordingly.”
Not only is it fun, but according to ingestible wellness brand Apothékary founder Shizu Okusa and Danudjaja, imagery with a fun glass and drink accessories performs well online and prompts social sharing.
“The visual aspect is so important: colors or using a fun glass or straw,” Okusa said. “The most popular ads that we have on our paid search…are the droppers of the tinctures going into a glass.…It shows this super sexy drop effect in slow motion, and they really capture someone’s eyes.”
For Mae and many sexy water users, the trend has become a daily habit that only continues to grow as brands expand their offerings.
“We are becoming people that have emotional support beverages,” said Chantal Bacon. “Once you start hydrating, it feels so good that you want to hydrate in many ways.”
Kelly’s favorites:
While Mae often adds simple ingredients like lemon or cucumber to her sexy water, here are some of her favorite products to “sex” it up even further.
Moon Juice Mini Dew, $44
Moon Juice’s Mini Dew, which comes in watermelon or pomelo, combines electrolytes and minerals to hydrate the body and boost brain health. Mini Dew is Moon Juice’s fourth most popular product in terms of revenue on the brand’s site.
Rainbo 11:11, $49
Rainbo’s 11:11 tincture is a mixture of mushrooms, including reishi, lion’s mane and turkey tail, to support overall immunity.
Kroma Cranberry Hydration Elixir Jar, $35
Also a favorite of Lauryn Bosstick’s, Kroma’s Cranberry Hydration Elixir features electrolytes and minerals for hydration, energy and overall health.
Sakara Life Beauty Water and Detox Water Drops, $39
Sakara Life’s Beauty Water employs trace ionic minerals to boost cellular hydration and support collagen, while the Detox Water Drops feature chlorophyll to flush out toxins.