‘I’ve got anxiety and just to ground myself, I sip. It really relaxes me in social situations. It’s like a meditation, really’

wouldn’t be the same without its straw. ‘It has to have the sippy straw, it has to,’ says Jess, who goes by @Getdressedwithjessx online. ‘I’ve got anxiety and just to ground myself, I sip it. It really relaxes me when I’m in social situations. It’s like a meditation, really.’

Jess says she first bought a big water bottle because she was influenced by other Tiktokers; she adds that straws are more ‘aesthetic’ and ‘fashionable’, and fit with the so-called ‘It girl’ vibe. It girls, according to Jess, ‘put wellness first, put mental health first, and are really productive’. (While she says it’s nice that she’s helping the environment, she admits: ‘I don’t really know much about the environment.’)

Hazel Huang, a marketing professor at Durham University Business School, says that consumers form bonds with objects that can replace interpersonal relationships. ‘When consumers are lonely or socially excluded, they may turn to brands for comfort, especially those with anthropomorphic features,’ she says. While water bottles don’t have faces, Huang notes that today’s uniquely shaped bottles have other ‘strong features’ that signal a carrier’s identity and allow them to connect with like-minded others, providing self- and social identity.

Water bottles, then, could potentially be psychologically good for us – but what about physiologically? The idea we should drink eight glasses of water a day is a myth, says Tamara Hew-butler, an associate professor of exercise physiology at Detroit’s Wayne State University.

‘The amount of water a person needs per day varies widely and is highly dependent on size, activity level and ambient temperature,’ says Hew-butler, noting that the two-litres-aday recommendation from 1949 actually included the water in soups, fruits, sauces and other foods, as well as tea and coffee. The academic stresses that drinking too much can lead to water intoxication or dysfunction of the bladder and kidneys. Other scientists have found that reusable plastic bottles can leak potentially harmful chemicals into our water.

Hew-butler believes that time-marked bottles are not scientifically sound, and are ‘clever marketing, making us believe we need something we do not’. She stresses that our brain is the most important ‘app’ to monitor our water intake – when you’re thirsty, drink.

But what about Kane’s Tiktok? Has drinking water all day everyday actually made us need it more than ever? ‘I don’t know of a valid physiological mechanism why people who drink a lot seem to get thirsty,’ Hew-butler says, ‘other than they think their mouth feels dry because it is used to constantly being lubricated.’

What next? Are water bottles going to get bigger until we’re all carrying around buckets? Will someone invent wells-on-wheels?

Consumer expert Derochowski notes that big bottles arose at a specific moment in time. During the pandemic, he says, consumers were able to buy cups that didn’t fit in their car holders – after all, they were working from home. Then, post-pandemic germ-consciousness meant people wanted to refill their bottles in public less, so bigger bottles were required.

Does this mean the big bottle will die out? Derochowski still thinks they have ‘staying power’ – in November 2023, Circana found that sales of 40oz (1.1 litre) bottles in America were up 171 per cent compared to the year before. Here in the UK, Mintel has found that 79 per cent of Gen Z carry a reusable water bottle. Meanwhile, the cost of living crisis means 40 per cent of consumers reduced their spending on disposable bottles between 2022 and 2023.

Nalgene’s Hansen says the company doesn’t have plans to make a bigger bottle. ‘We feel our 48oz is about the maximum we want to go based on weight when full of water,’ he says. ‘At some point it becomes too big and bulky to tote around.’ Hansen believes that once various colourand style-based fads die down, companies will focus on improving the sustainability of their products. In a competitive market, consumers may favour brands who use a higher percentage of recycled materials.

Cucchiara is perhaps the microcosm of the big bottle moment – his Nalgene has functional, social and personal value. He likes to track his water intake, so he tries to drink four full bottles a day. He enjoys using his Nalgene to express himself – he customises it with stickers for local breweries and ski resorts. And he is happy that he is doing his bit when it comes to climate change. Whatever happens next in the industry, Cucchiara isn’t changing. Unless he gets a laser beamed at his skin, a big water bottle will always be a part of his life.