Quick top-up shoppers avoiding added sugar
If you need a bottle or multipack for the household, decide whether you want plain water or a flavoured drink. For the latter, read beyond the no-added-sugar wording to see what is in the bottle.
Who is this choice for?
Flavour-first shoppers avoiding sweeteners
Flavour and a no-added-sugar claim do not rule out sweeteners. Sainsbury’s Lemon & Lime lists sucralose, while its Apple & Elderflower lists acesulfame K and sucralose. S.Pellegrino describes Essenza as containing no sugars or sweeteners.
Shoppers checking total sugars
Fruit juice can contribute sugars to a drink labelled no added sugar. If the total matters to your choice, compare the nutrition panel’s ‘of which sugars’ figure rather than relying on the front-of-pack claim.
What should you check before buying?
Start with the type of drink and its label, then choose a bottle size that suits how you will use it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| No added sugar | Check the ingredients and the ‘of which sugars’ figure. A no-added-sugar claim does not, by itself, establish that total sugars are zero. | I want to know whether the drink contains sugars, not just whether sugar was added. |
| Sweeteners | Read the ingredients for named sweeteners. Sainsbury’s lists sucralose in its no-added-sugar Lemon & Lime drink and both acesulfame K and sucralose in its Apple & Elderflower drink. | Flavour appeals to me, but I may want a product that explicitly says it contains no sweeteners. |
| Fruit content | Check the juice ingredients and compare sugars on the same per-100g or per-100ml basis. M&S lists more than 60% juice and 6.6g sugars per 100g for its no-added-sugar Apple & Elderflower drink. | If I pick a juice-led sparkling drink, I do not want to mistake it for plain sparkling water. |
| Pack format | Check the bottle volume, number of bottles and storage instructions on the pack. Choose a format you can use as intended after opening. | A smaller bottle may suit an immediate top-up; for the household, I may prefer larger bottles or a multipack. |
What is easy to overlook?
-
Reading ‘no added sugar’ as ‘no sugar’
A juice-led drink can carry a no-added-sugar claim and still list sugars. M&S gives 6.6g sugars per 100g for its Apple & Elderflower sparkling drink.
Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure on the nutrition panel, using the stated per-100g or per-100ml basis.
-
Assuming flavoured means sweetener-free
The cited Sainsbury’s no-added-sugar flavoured drinks list sucralose; its Apple & Elderflower drink also lists acesulfame K.
If you want to avoid sweeteners, check the ingredients on the exact flavour you are buying, or choose a product explicitly labelled without sweeteners.
-
Relying only on an online description
The bottle you pick is the one whose ingredients, nutrition information and storage directions you will use.
Recheck those details on the current pack, particularly when changing flavour or pack size.
Which brands and ranges are relevant?
These references cover different types of sparkling drinks; a brand name alone does not tell you the ingredients of every flavour.
Highland Spring
Its plain sparkling spring-water range is a route for shoppers who want bubbles without a fruit flavour.
- Highland Spring describes the range as having ‘nothing added but bubbles’ and offers different bottle and multipack formats.
- That description applies to its plain sparkling range, not automatically to separate flavoured products.
S.Pellegrino
The plain sparkling mineral water and the flavoured Essenza range address different preferences.
- S.Pellegrino says Essenza contains no sugars or sweeteners, making the range worth checking if you want flavour without either ingredient.
- Confirm the exact range and flavour on the bottle rather than applying an Essenza statement to every S.Pellegrino product.
Perrier
Perrier describes its carbonated mineral water as sugar-free and calorie-free.
- Check the label of the exact bottle and flavour you choose; a brand-level description does not establish every variant’s ingredients.
Tesco
Tesco lists own-label plain sparkling mineral water alongside flavoured waters and branded products.
- Its plain sparkling-water listings include individual larger bottles and multipacks.
- A flavoured-water listing does not establish that every flavour is free from added sugar or sweeteners; check its label.
Sainsbury’s
Its range includes plain sparkling spring water and no-added-sugar flavoured drinks.
- Sainsbury’s labels its cited Lemon & Lime and Apple & Elderflower sparkling drinks as no added sugar.
- The Lemon & Lime drink lists sucralose; the Apple & Elderflower drink lists sucralose and acesulfame K.
M&S
Its cited sparkling drinks show why the ingredients and nutrition panel matter alongside a no-added-sugar claim.
- M&S describes its Apple & Elderflower sparkling drink as containing more than 60% juice.
- That drink lists 6.6g sugars per 100g. Its separate Diet Pineapple & Grapefruit drink lists sucralose, so the two suit different ingredient preferences.
Plain sparkling water options on Joybuy
These are plain sparkling-water formats for a top-up or a larger household stock-up. Check the current bottle label if you need to confirm total sugars or storage directions for a particular pack.
No image available
San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, 6 × 500ml
A plain sparkling mineral-water option in six smaller bottles for a top-up. Check the pack’s nutrition panel if you need its total-sugars figure.
No image available
San Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, 6 × 1L
The six 1L bottles provide a larger plain sparkling mineral-water format for household replenishment. Compare the bottle size with how quickly you expect to use each opened bottle.
No image available
Buxton Sparkling, 8 × 500ml
Eight smaller bottles offer another multipack format for plain sparkling water. Read the current label for ingredients, sugars and instructions after opening.
No image available
Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 6 × 1L
A six-bottle household format from Highland Spring’s plain sparkling range. If you are choosing by total sugars, check the nutrition panel on this pack.
No image available
Highland Spring Sparkling Spring Water, 4 × (8 × 500ml)
Four packs of eight 500ml bottles make this a larger stock-up than a single small multipack. Check that the quantity suits your storage space and use, and read the current pack for its nutrition information.
Common questions
Does ‘no added sugar’ mean a sparkling drink is sugar-free?
No. A no-added-sugar claim does not tell you that total sugars are zero: M&S lists 6.6g sugars per 100g for its juice-led Apple & Elderflower sparkling drink. Check ‘of which sugars’ on the nutrition panel.
Can no-added-sugar flavoured water contain sweeteners?
Yes. Sainsbury’s lists sucralose in its no-added-sugar Lemon & Lime drink, and acesulfame K and sucralose in its Apple & Elderflower drink. Read the ingredients of the flavour you intend to buy if sweeteners affect your choice.
What if I want flavour without sugars or sweeteners?
Look for an explicit statement covering both on the exact flavoured product. S.Pellegrino says its Essenza range contains no sugars or sweeteners; plain sparkling water is another choice if you do not need a fruit flavour.