Dasani
Product brand
UnclaimedA bottled purified-water brand owned by The Coca-Cola Company.
Last updated August 21, 2026
Overview
Dasani is a bottled-water brand created and owned by The Coca-Cola Company. It was launched in the United States in 1999 as part of Coca-Cola’s expansion beyond carbonated soft drinks and became one of the company’s principal packaged-water brands. Unlike spring or mineral-water brands that emphasize a naturally sourced origin, Dasani generally uses municipal water supplies that are treated at bottling facilities. The treatment system can include filtration, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration, after which Coca-Cola adds small quantities of mineral salts to produce a consistent intended taste. Reported additives include magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and sodium chloride. The brand’s positioning is mass-market, convenience-oriented and centered on purified water, portability and broad retail availability. Dasani is sold in individual bottles and multipacks, with packaging formats and product variants differing by market. Its principal business is still non-carbonated water, but the brand has also been used for flavored and functional extensions in selected countries. In Latin America, Coca-Cola introduced products associated with Dasani under different names, including Aquarius in Brazil and Ciel Dasani in Mexico, while other markets received flavored versions under the Dasani name or related local branding. Dasani expanded into Canada in 2000, initially excluding Quebec, and entered Quebec in 2001. It was launched in the United Kingdom in February 2004, where the brand quickly encountered severe reputational problems. British reporting highlighted that the product was purified water originating from a municipal supply in Sidcup rather than naturally sourced spring water. The controversy was intensified when a batch was found to contain bromate above the legal limit. Coca-Cola recalled approximately half a million bottles in March 2004 and withdrew Dasani from the UK. The company subsequently abandoned plans to extend the brand into continental Europe. Dasani has not been reintroduced in the UK, where Coca-Cola instead used other locally sourced water arrangements for later commercial and sponsorship needs. Packaging and distribution have been important areas of brand development. Coca-Cola has promoted plant-derived and recycled content in selected Dasani bottles, introduced aluminum cans in the United States from 2019, and developed refill-oriented concepts such as Dasani PureFill. These initiatives reflect pressure on bottled-water companies to reduce conventional single-use plastic, although their environmental benefits depend on material production, recycling rates, transportation and refrigeration. Dasani has also faced criticism over the energy and resource requirements of bottled water, the use of municipal supplies during drought conditions, plastic waste and litter. In 2012, Grand Canyon National Park banned bottled-water sales after plastic bottles were reported to represent a substantial share of waste there; Dasani had been the water brand sold in the park. Dasani remains an active Coca-Cola brand with a strong presence in the United States and Canada and additional market-specific operations elsewhere. Its products are bottled at different facilities and may vary in mineral content and packaging according to local water sources, regulations and manufacturing arrangements.
History
The Coca-Cola Company launched Dasani in the United States in 1999 as a purified-water brand. Its creation formed part of Coca-Cola’s broader effort to participate in the growing packaged-water market and to offer a non-carbonated product that could use the company’s established bottling, distribution and retail infrastructure. Dasani’s model differed from brands built around spring or mineral provenance: Coca-Cola generally obtained water from municipal supplies, subjected it to a multi-stage treatment process and bottled it under the Dasani name. The reported treatment process includes filtration, reverse osmosis and nanofiltration. Coca-Cola has described the process as a way to remove impurities and achieve a consistent taste. Small amounts of mineral salts, including magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and sodium chloride, may then be added. Because Dasani is bottled in multiple countries and facilities, its underlying water composition and available package formats can vary by market while remaining subject to applicable drinking-water requirements. The brand expanded into Canada in 2000 and reached Quebec in 2001. It also entered a number of Latin American markets during the early and mid-2000s. In Brazil it was introduced under the name Aquarius, while Mexico used the Ciel Dasani name for flavored products that were later discontinued. Dasani-branded or related products were also introduced in Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Honduras. Coca-Cola authorized local production and distribution arrangements in other regions, including Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dasani’s UK launch in February 2004 became the most consequential event in its history. Media coverage drew attention to the fact that the water came from a treated municipal supply associated with Sidcup, southeast London. Although Coca-Cola did not claim that the product came from a natural spring, the contrast between the brand’s purity-oriented marketing and the public perception of bottled tap water generated intense criticism. The controversy escalated in March when British authorities found bromate in a batch at a concentration above the legal limit. Coca-Cola recalled roughly 500,000 bottles and withdrew Dasani from Britain. The episode damaged the launch, ended planned continental-European expansion and made the brand a frequently cited example of a failed product introduction. After the UK withdrawal, Dasani continued operating in North America and selected international markets. Coca-Cola later emphasized packaging innovation and resource reduction. Initiatives included bottles incorporating plant-derived and recycled material, How2Recycle labeling, aluminum cans and the PureFill refill concept. These efforts addressed concerns about single-use plastic, but the brand continued to face criticism relating to the environmental footprint of bottled-water production, transportation, packaging and disposal. Public debate also covered the use of municipal water during drought conditions, microplastics reported in bottled water and litter associated with disposable packaging. In the United States and Canada, Dasani remains an active mass-market purified-water brand sold through retail, food-service and other Coca-Cola distribution channels. Its international history is more uneven: some markets use different names or formulas, and the brand remains absent from the United Kingdom after the 2004 recall.
- 2019
Packaging and refill initiatives
[1]Coca-Cola announced Dasani aluminum cans and the Dasani PureFill refill program.
- 2012
Grand Canyon bottled-water ban
[1]Grand Canyon National Park prohibited bottled-water sales amid concerns about plastic waste.
- 2004
UK launch and withdrawal
[1]Dasani launched in the UK, then was recalled and withdrawn after controversy over its source and bromate contamination.
- 2003
Brazilian introduction
[1]Dasani entered Brazil under the Aquarius name.
- 2001
Quebec rollout
[1]The brand became available in Quebec.
- 2000
Canadian expansion
[1]Dasani launched in Canada, initially excluding Quebec.
- 1999
United States launch
[1]The Coca-Cola Company introduced Dasani as a purified bottled-water brand in the United States.
Products and positioning
Mass-market purified water emphasizing filtration, consistent taste, convenience and wide availability.
Purified bottled water · 1999
Dasani Purified Water
The core Dasani product is purified still water bottled after treatment through filtration, reverse osmosis and related processes. Coca-Cola adds limited quantities of mineral salts to support the brand’s intended taste profile. It is sold in a range of bottle sizes and multipacks, with packaging and mineral composition potentially varying by country and bottling facility.
Flavored water · 2005
Dasani Flavored Water
Flavored Dasani-related products have appeared in selected international markets. Examples described in reference material include lemon, tangerine, peach, citrus and other market-specific combinations. Availability is not uniform, and some local variants or related names have been discontinued.
Packaged water · 2019
Dasani Aluminum Cans
Coca-Cola announced aluminum cans for Dasani in 2019, beginning with a northeastern United States rollout and planning broader distribution. The format was presented as a packaging alternative to conventional plastic bottles, although its overall environmental impact depends on manufacturing emissions, recycling and logistics.
Refill and dispensing system · 2019
Dasani PureFill
PureFill is a Dasani dispensing concept designed to provide filtered water for bottle refilling. The announced program also contemplated optional flavoring or carbonation for an added charge, with the broader objective of reducing consumption of single-use bottles.
Controversies
2012
Plastic waste criticism at the Grand Canyon
Plastic bottles were reported as a significant portion of Grand Canyon waste, where Dasani had been sold. The park subsequently banned bottled-water sales, intensifying debate about disposable packaging and bottled-water litter.
2004
UK source and purity controversy
The UK launch generated criticism after reporting identified the product as treated municipal water from the Sidcup area. The coverage challenged consumer expectations about bottled-water purity and contributed to a severe public-relations backlash.
2004
Bromate contamination and UK recall
British authorities found bromate above the legal limit in a Dasani batch. Coca-Cola recalled approximately half a million bottles and withdrew the brand from the UK. Authorities stated that there was no immediate public-health risk from the incident.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020How2Recycle labeling
United States
Dasani planned labels explaining how consumers should recycle its bottles, using the How2Recycle system associated with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and GreenBlue.
Outcome. The initiative improved recycling guidance on packaging; broader recycling outcomes are not established by the supplied sources.
- 2019Dasani PureFill
United States
Coca-Cola promoted a refill-oriented Dasani system that supplied filtered water and offered optional flavor or carbonation. The initiative linked the brand to waste-reduction and reusable-container behavior.
Outcome. The program was announced as a way to reduce bottle use; long-term scale and continuation are not established by the supplied sources.
Brand decisions
2019
Introduce aluminum-can packagingProduct launchBackground
Coca-Cola sought alternatives to conventional plastic packaging amid increasing scrutiny of single-use bottles.
Action taken
The company announced Dasani aluminum cans, beginning distribution in the northeastern United States with wider rollout planned for 2020.
Aftermath
The can format expanded Dasani’s packaging range, while comparisons of aluminum and plastic environmental impacts remained contested.
2019
Launch Dasani PureFillStrategyBackground
Packaging waste created pressure for bottled-water brands to support refilling and reusable-container models.
Action taken
Coca-Cola announced PureFill filtered-water dispensers with optional flavoring and carbonation.
Aftermath
The initiative positioned Dasani as a participant in refill-based consumption, but the supplied sources do not establish its long-term scale.
2004
Withdraw Dasani from the UKStrategyBackground
The UK launch faced criticism over the use of treated municipal water and then a regulatory problem involving bromate above the permitted level.
Action taken
Coca-Cola recalled approximately half a million bottles, withdrew Dasani from the UK and canceled planned continental-European expansion.
Aftermath
Dasani remained absent from the UK, and the launch became a prominent reputational setback for the brand.
Recent events
- 2019
Coca-Cola announces Dasani aluminum cans[1]
Product launch
Coca-Cola announced a Dasani aluminum-can format, beginning with a northeastern United States rollout and planned wider distribution.
- 2019
Dasani PureFill refill program announced[1]
Product launch · Campaign
Coca-Cola announced PureFill, a system intended to let customers refill bottles with filtered Dasani water, with flavored or carbonated options available at additional cost.
- 2012
Grand Canyon bans bottled-water sales[1]
Regulation · Other
Grand Canyon National Park banned bottled-water sales after plastic waste became a public concern; Dasani had been the water brand sold in the park.
- 2001
Dasani becomes available in Quebec[1]
Product launch
Coca-Cola extended Dasani distribution to Quebec after the initial Canadian rollout.
- 2000
Dasani expands into Canada[1]
Product launch
The brand entered Canadian markets, initially excluding Quebec, and later became available there as well.
- 1999
Coca-Cola launches Dasani in the United States[1]
Product launch
The Coca-Cola Company introduced Dasani as a branded purified-water product in the United States.
Sources1 sources
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