Voss water is clean, safe drinking water, but it offers almost no nutritional advantage over regular tap water or more mineral-rich bottled brands. With a total dissolved solids (TDS) count of just 26 to 40 mg/L depending on the source, Voss is one of the lowest-mineral bottled waters on the market. It will hydrate you just as well as any other water, but you’re paying a premium primarily for purity and packaging, not health benefits.
What’s Actually in Voss Water
Voss markets itself as artesian water sourced from southern Norway, where it’s naturally filtered through layers of ice and rock. That geological process strips out most minerals, which is why the water tastes so clean and neutral. Here’s what’s in a liter of Voss Still (Norway source): about 3.4 mg of calcium, 0.69 mg of magnesium, 4 mg of sodium, and a TDS of 26 mg/L.
To put those numbers in perspective, an adult needs roughly 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 mg of magnesium per day. You’d need to drink nearly 300 liters of Voss to meet your daily calcium requirement from water alone. That doesn’t make it bad for you. It just means Voss contributes virtually nothing to your mineral intake.
On the safety side, Voss tests very low for common contaminants. Nitrate levels fall below 0.3 mg/L, and fluoride sits at just 0.1 mg/L. There’s nothing harmful in the water. It’s about as close to pure H₂O as commercially bottled water gets.
How Voss Compares to Fiji and Evian
The difference between Voss and other premium brands becomes obvious when you line up the mineral profiles. Voss has a total mineralization of about 37 mg/L. Fiji comes in at 222 mg/L. Evian reaches 345 mg/L. That’s roughly a tenfold difference between Voss and Evian.
The gaps are largest for the minerals that matter most to your body:
- Calcium: Voss has 3.2 mg/L, Fiji has 18 mg/L, and Evian has 80 mg/L
- Magnesium: Voss has 0.7 mg/L, Fiji has 15 mg/L, and Evian has 26 mg/L
- Sodium: Voss has 3.5 mg/L, Fiji has 18 mg/L, and Evian has 6.5 mg/L
If you’re choosing bottled water partly for its mineral content, Voss is the wrong pick. If you prefer the lightest possible taste or want very low sodium, Voss delivers on that. Fiji stands out for its high silica content (96 mg/L), which some people seek for skin and hair benefits, while Evian provides the most meaningful mineral contribution of the three.
Does Low-Mineral Water Have Downsides?
There’s a persistent concern that drinking very low-mineral water could pull minerals from your body or weaken bones over time. A narrative review published in PMC examined this question specifically for water purified through reverse osmosis, which produces similarly low mineral counts. The review found that long-term reliance on demineralized water can contribute to reduced mineral density in bones and teeth, particularly in populations that already have poor dietary mineral intake.
That said, this concern applies mainly to people whose entire water supply is ultra-purified and whose diet is already low in calcium and magnesium. If you eat a reasonably balanced diet with dairy, leafy greens, nuts, or fortified foods, drinking low-mineral water like Voss won’t create a deficiency. Your food carries the heavy lifting for mineral intake. Water is a bonus source, not the primary one.
The Packaging Factor
Voss sells water in both glass and plastic bottles. The plastic bottles use high-grade PET plastic and are BPA-free, which means they don’t leach the hormone-disrupting chemical that older plastics were known for. Glass bottles eliminate plastic concerns entirely and are the better choice if you’re storing water in warm environments, since heat can accelerate chemical migration from any plastic container.
For everyday use, either option is safe. The glass bottles are reusable and have become something of a lifestyle product on their own, which partially explains the brand’s higher price point.
Norway Source vs. U.S. Source
Not every bottle of Voss comes from Norway. The brand also sources water domestically in the United States, with separate East Coast and West Coast supplies. The mineral profiles are similar but not identical. The U.S. East version has slightly more magnesium (1.8 mg/L vs. 0.69 mg/L) and calcium (3.5 mg/L vs. 3.4 mg/L) than the Norwegian source, while TDS ranges from 34 to 36 mg/L for the U.S. versions compared to 26 mg/L for Norway. All three sources remain firmly in the ultra-low mineral category.
Voss Sparkling is a different story. The carbonated version from Norway has a TDS of 280 mg/L, largely because of its sodium content jumping to 110 mg/L per liter. If you’re watching your sodium intake, the sparkling version adds a small but notable amount compared to the still water.
Is It Worth the Price?
Voss typically costs several times more per liter than standard bottled water and dramatically more than tap water. What you’re getting for that price is genuine purity, very low contaminant levels, and a clean, almost tasteless flavor profile. What you’re not getting is any meaningful nutritional boost.
For hydration purposes, Voss works exactly as well as any other clean water. Your body absorbs it the same way. If you enjoy the taste and the bottle design fits your lifestyle, there’s no health reason to avoid it. But there’s also no health reason to choose it over filtered tap water or a mineral-rich brand like Evian, which gives you the same hydration plus a small calcium and magnesium contribution with every glass.