air up®, the revolutionary scent-based hydration system, has announced its latest milestone in its European retail expansion by launching in national grocery giant, Sainsbury’s. Launched this week, the collaboration has brought air up®’s full range of innovative products – including up to four bottle varieties and seven pod flavours – into up to 519 Sainsbury’s stores. air up® will support the launch with significant in and out of store marketing. The launch marks air up®’s inaugural foray into the UK supermarket sector, building on successful European retail partnerships with ROSSMANN, Müller, Kaufland, dm and Coop.
Since its UK launch in 2021, air up® has become one of the country’s most dynamic brands in the healthier hydration space, resonating strongly with British consumers keen on both innovative and environmentally conscious solutions. Since the UK launch air up® has generated over £100 million in revenue, selling to over 2.2 million customers.
Expanding into Sainsbury’s continues air up® ‘s increasing market presence, furthering its mission to offer a more sustainable, health-conscious drinking experience to consumers. Produced in Europe, air up® bottles and pods are developed with shorter supply chains and reduced carbon emissions in mind.
Commenting on the partnership, Chris Hauth, CEO of air up®, said: “Expanding our European retail presence with our first UK retail launch into Sainsbury’s is a pivotal step in our European growth journey. The UK has been one of our most dynamic markets, and this partnership enables us to bring our innovative hydration solutions even closer to British consumers. We’re thrilled to work with a retailer that shares our values of sustainability, health, and innovation.”
A driving force in British hHydration
Serving over 10 million customers globally, air up®’s popularity was born out of the bottles’ ability to transform consumers’ relationship with water. Clinical trials conducted in 2024 demonstrated that over the course of 12 weeks, 70% of air up® users reported an increase in their water intake.
Highlighting the critical need for innovations such as air up®, a peer-reviewed study published in Nutrition Journal revealed that 33% of men and 23% of women in the UK do not meet the recommended intake of water. Coupled with recent findings from a University of Cambridge study in 2022, highlighting that the taste of water – and a preference for other drinks – as the main barriers to hydration, air up® ‘s patented scent-based system meets a clear market need. By infusing water with aroma rather than sugar or additives, air up® has the potential to significantly improve the nation’s hydration habits without compromising on taste.
To inspire better relationships with personal hydration, air up® harnesses a unique strand of science – known as retronasal olfaction – in which scents are absorbed via the ear, nose, and throat, influencing the taste experience and demonstrating that the perception of flavour is not solely based on taste buds. By drinking from air up®’s innovative system, users inhale scent through specially designed pods as they sip, allowing their brains to perceive a flavoured drink experience with plain water.
