Icelandic Glacial is a clean, safe bottled water, but it’s not meaningfully healthier than other quality drinking water. Its naturally alkaline pH of 8.4, low mineral content, and volcanic filtration make it a premium product, though the health advantages over regular filtered tap water are minimal for most people.
What Makes Icelandic Glacial Different
The water comes from the Ölfus Spring in Iceland, where rainfall and snowmelt slowly filter through layers of volcanic lava rock before collecting underground. That spring sits beneath an impenetrable cap of lava rock, surrounded by a 128,000-acre exclusion zone of untouched lava fields. No agriculture, no industry, no development sits nearby to introduce contaminants.
This geological setup does two things. First, the lava rock acts as a natural filter, stripping out impurities without any chemical treatment. Second, minerals in the volcanic rock give the water a naturally alkaline pH of 8.4. That’s higher than most tap water (which typically falls between 6.5 and 8.5) and higher than many bottled waters. Unlike brands that add sodium bicarbonate or calcium chloride to boost their pH artificially, Icelandic Glacial’s alkalinity comes directly from the filtration process.
Does Alkaline Water Actually Help?
The alkaline water market leans heavily on claims about acid-base balance, better hydration, and disease prevention. The reality is more modest. Your body tightly regulates its blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45 regardless of what you drink. No water you consume will shift that number in a healthy person.
That said, water with a pH around 8.4 isn’t harmful and may offer a slight benefit for people who experience acid reflux. Alkaline water can help neutralize pepsin, the enzyme that damages throat and esophageal tissue during reflux episodes. For general hydration, though, a pH of 8.4 performs the same as a pH of 7.0. Water is water when it comes to keeping your cells hydrated.
Purity and Contamination Testing
Icelandic Glacial holds NSF certification and meets U.S. FDA standards for bottled water under the Code of Federal Regulations. Both the still and sparkling versions, along with the mineral water line, carry this certification. That puts it in compliance with the same safety standards as other major bottled water brands sold in the U.S.
Where it stands out slightly is microplastic contamination. A widely cited study testing popular bottled water brands found that Icelandic Glacial contained roughly 7.8 particles per liter. For context, some of the most contaminated brands in the same study contained hundreds of particles per liter. While no bottled water tested was completely free of microplastics, Icelandic Glacial ranked among the lowest. The bottles themselves are made from recycled PET plastic and are BPA-free.
Mineral Content: Low by Design
Icelandic Glacial has very low total dissolved solids, meaning it contains fewer minerals than many other bottled waters. This gives it a clean, neutral taste that many people prefer. But if you’re hoping your water will contribute meaningful amounts of calcium, magnesium, or other minerals to your diet, this isn’t the brand for that. Mineral-rich waters from regions like the French Alps or volcanic springs in Italy deliver far more on that front.
Low mineral content isn’t a drawback for most people since you should be getting the bulk of your minerals from food anyway. It does mean, however, that the health case for Icelandic Glacial rests more on what it lacks (contaminants, additives, microplastics) than on what it provides.
The Environmental Factor
Icelandic Glacial was the first bottled water brand certified CarbonNeutral for both its product and operations. The bottling facility runs entirely on geothermal and hydroelectric power, which Iceland has in abundance. Remaining emissions are offset through investments in renewable energy and forestry projects.
That’s a genuine distinction in an industry with a large carbon footprint. Still, shipping glass or plastic bottles of water from Iceland to North America, Europe, and Asia involves significant transportation emissions. The carbon-neutral certification accounts for this through offsets, but if your primary concern is environmental impact, filtered tap water in a reusable bottle will always win that comparison.
Is It Worth the Price?
Icelandic Glacial typically costs two to three times more than standard bottled water brands. What you’re paying for is a genuinely clean source, naturally alkaline pH, low microplastic levels, and a brand that invests in carbon offsets. Those are real qualities, not just marketing.
But “good for you” is relative. If you’re choosing between Icelandic Glacial and a sugary drink, it’s obviously the better choice. If you’re choosing between Icelandic Glacial and filtered tap water from a quality municipal supply, the health difference is negligible. Your body doesn’t distinguish between clean water from an Icelandic lava field and clean water from a home carbon filter. Both hydrate you equally, and neither will cure or prevent disease on its own.
Where the purchase makes the most sense is if you value taste (its low mineral content gives it an exceptionally smooth, neutral flavor), if you want a bottled option with minimal contamination risk, or if the sustainability practices matter to you as a consumer choice.