The Myth of Purity: What Perrier & Evian Isn’t Telling You
Author: Distil Ennui | Post Date: 08-08-2025For over four decades I have raised the alarm about the bottled water industry and how it sells little more than filtered tap water wrapped in illusion. Now, even the iconic French brand Perrier, a global symbol of “natural mineral water” that finds itself at the centre of a scandal that finally makes this deception undeniable.
some of the water brands including Evian and Perrier making false & misleading claims
In 2023, investigations by Le Monde and Radio France revealed that at least one-third of bottled waters sold in France had undergone illegal treatment, including ultra-violet sterilisation, carbon filtering, and ultra-fine microfiltration; all of which are in direct breach of EU legislation on mineral water purity.
The law is explicit: for water to qualify as “natural mineral water,” it must be bottled exactly as it flows from its source; untouched, untreated, and unaltered.
´Drink Less´ aluminium sculptures made from recycled coke cans
But as climate change, agricultural runoff, and years of drought take their toll on the deep aquifers these companies depend upon, maintaining that legal (and marketing) illusion has become impossible. According to French hydrologist Emma Haziza, the quality of once-protected deep aquifers has been compromised, and “the entire model is no longer sustainable.” citation... BBC News, 2024
Even Nestlé, Perrier’s parent company, has admitted to using prohibited microfiltration methods at its site in Vergèze, near Montpellier. It also quietly applied to downgrade three of its five source wells, seeking mineral certification for just two. citation... Le Monde investigation summary (FR)
And perhaps more troubling still: allegations of government complicity. France’s Senate accused officials of a “deliberate strategy of dissimulation”, rewriting rules to allow the filtration to continue and suppressing reports that might damage the industry. citation... French Senate Report, 2024 (FR)
This isn’t merely technical misconduct. It is consumer deception on an industrial scale. Bottled water is marketed as pure, untouched, and superior; but as I’ve said for years, the reality is quite different: it is often no better than tap water, and far worse when considering the plastic, energy, and transport footprint involved. citations... WHO Water Quality Guidelines. & NRDC Bottled Water Report
´Naive Twins´ aluminium sculptures made from recycled Evian drink cans
Perrier is not an exception — it’s the rule. The illusion of isolated, pristine springs is dissolving under pressure from the very environment the industry has long exploited. In 2023, Perrier destroyed 3 million bottles due to contamination. Their new line of flavoured drinks (“Maison Perrier”) conveniently avoids the mineral water classification, because it allows treatment. It’s not innovation. It’s evasion.
We are witnessing the collapse of a business model that promised purity but delivered packaging. A model that pushed global consumers to pay up to 2,000 times more than their own public tap water, while undermining the sustainability of shared natural resources. citation... Food & Water Watch Report
It’s time to stop paying for water twice; once through taxes, and again through marketing. Water is a public right, not a luxury commodity. And purity should never come in plastic.
Further reading from the artists journal on the subject & advocacy against buying bottled water....
Duped Consumers dated - 21-10-2024
´Drink Less´ aluminium sculpture on the beach outside the Makers Place recycling studio setup in 2021, Baa Atoll, Maldives