Vitapod is a hydration brand that sells fruit-flavored pods that can be added to water or other liquids. These pods contain electrolytes, vitamins and other nutrients. The brand describes their pods as “transforming your tap water into a great tasting, hydrating and a more complete nutritious drink.”
But is Vitapod actually healthy, or is it another overpriced flavor enhancer? Do the pods have any questionable additives? How does the brand compare to other popular electrolyte blends? And how do real users rate and describe the taste and effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Vitapod pods to give our take on whether or not they're healthy, and whether or not they're likely to be effective for the stated product benefit.
We’ll also compare Vitapod to two other popular flavor enhancers (MiO and Waterdrop), and feature real Vitapod customer reviews.
Is Vitapod Unhealthy?
The ingredients in Vitapod Hydra+ Cotton Candy flavor are shown above.
Magnesium oxide and vitamin A are part of a vitamin and mineral blend.
We haven’t come across any convincing clinical evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation is beneficial for those without a vitamin or mineral deficiency, and even for consumers who want to supplement with vitamins, this is not a cost-efficient way to do so.
Erythritol is a sweetener that's clinically shown to be associated with greater risk of stroke, according to a 2023 medical review, which also documented that this sweetener increases blood clotting.
Natural flavor is a broad categorical term that doesn’t describe the specific flavoring agents used.
A medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal found there to be lacking safety data and potential toxicity regarding some natural flavoring agents and their metabolites.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that can cause whole-body inflammatory reactions in some individuals, as we documented in our review of Cirkul, another flavor enhancer that contains this ingredient.
Overall, we don’t currently recommend Vitapod due to the inactive ingredients discussed above, but also because we don’t really see the purpose of this product.
It provides relatively low levels of electrolytes. This Hydra+ flavor contains 50% of the Daily Value (DV) of magnesium, 4% DV sodium, 4% DV potassium and 2% DV calcium.
Athletes who require an electrolyte drink would likely prefer a brand with a more balanced electrolyte profile.
Vitapod contains some vitamins, but it’s much cheaper to obtain vitamins from a multivitamin supplement.
It’s certainly a healthier option than soda, but from a functional perspective, we don’t consider this product to be very well formulated.
We Tried Vitapod Ourselves
One of our product testers named Jodie Steinberg used Vitapod for 30 days. Here's her experience:
The product cannot be used without a specific water bottle or water dispenser the company sells separately. I used the water bottle. I had to go on the product’s website to determine how to use it properly and put the pod in the right way. It is not intuitive.
Also, when you use the water bottle, the top part of the bottle you turn to open smacks you in the face when you lift the bottle to drink unless you hold it a certain way and hold the side of the top of the bottle down. I would say the packaging could use some work.
I also found the bottle to be small compared to my other water bottles which means you will need to fill it up more often which can be annoying for people who prefer larger bottles so they do not have to refill as much.
I tried the following flavors from the Hydration Sampler pack: blueberry pomegranate, cotton candy, pineapple coconut, watermelon and apple pear. They were flavored well and did not taste artificial.
The product claims to have essential vitamins, minerals and polyphenols for complete nutrition. It is supposed to provide optimal hydration, better focus, immune support and faster recovery.
I did find it to be very refreshing and hydrating. I am unsure if it actually helps you to recover faster from exercise more than any standard electrolyte drink. I did feel focused after drinking it but am unsure if it really helps with immune support if you are eating a proper diet and I only tried the hydra pods.
I did not experience any side effects from Vitapod.
Overall, I would rate this product 7/10, which would increase if the packaging was updated so the bottle was easier to use and less annoying.
Are Vitapod’s Other Products Better?
The product we reviewed in the initial section is from Vitapod's “Hydra+” line.
Vitapod also sells pods that they claim to have other functional benefits, as well as a water bottle.
Beauty+
These pods contain collagen, but it may be underdosed at only 500 milligrams (mg).
A 2019 medical review on oral collagen supplementation found that it reduced wrinkles, but the lowest collagen dose used in any of the 11 trials examined was 2,500 mg, or 5x the amount in Vitapod Beauty+.
MSM is a chemical compound found in plants and animals that has been shown to be effective for reducing signs of visible skin aging.
However, as we documented in our review of another anti-aging supplement called Dermal Repair Complex, the lowest dose we could identify with a proven effect was 1,000 mg, or 4x the amount in Vitapod Beauty+.
Our verdict: Not worth it
Energy+
These pods are likely to be effective for improving energy, because they contain an effective caffeine dose of 200 mg, which is equivalent to around the amount in two cups of coffee.
We’re unable to identify any other active ingredients in this product that are shown to improve energy levels based on medical research, so this seems to us like a cost-inefficient way to boost energy levels at $1.70 per serving, given that caffeine is isolation can be obtained much cheaper.
Our verdict: Maybe worth it
Water bottle
The Vitapod Go bottle is made from stainless steel so we have no issues with it from a health perspective.
We recommend avoiding plastic bottles, as they’re bad for the environment and plastic chemicals are proven in clinical research to leach into liquids.
Our verdict: Worth it
Real People Try Vitapod
A TikTok user named Gabby Male claims that Vitapod is her "best purchase" and explains why:
@gabbymale Best purchase ever, they have caffeinated ones too 🥲😍 #vitapod #DontSpillChallenge #gadget #kitchentool #lifehack @vitapodworld ♬ original sound - farles
A TikTok creator named "NutritionBabe" suggests that Vitapod is an environmentally-friendlier choice than single-use plastic bottles (which we agree with):
@nutritionbabe In honor of 🌍 month, im sharing my absolute best secret for drinking more water and satisfying a sweet tooth! 🍭 😋 These 5-cal @Vitapod are a gamechanger. The 🍓 🥭 and 🍎 🍐 are DELICIOUS!! Use code nutritionbabe to save 15% off your order on their website. Link also in my bio 😘😁😘 #drink #hydrate #healthydrink #electrolytes #waterenhancer #drinkmorewater #zerosugar #sweettooth #vitapod ♬ original sound - NutritionBabe
Vitapod vs. the Competition
MiO is one of the most popular flavor enhancers on the market.
As we documented in our review of MiO ingredients, the brand uses a number of questionable additive ingredients such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners and artificial dye.
We consider Vitapod to be significantly healthier than MiO.
Waterdrop is a fast-growing flavor enhancement brand that markets itself as a healthier alternative to traditional flavor enhancers.
We reviewed the ingredients in Waterdrop and found that it has a very similar formulation to Vitapod.
It contains added vitamins and minerals, citric acid, and natural colorants from fruits and vegetables.
We consider Waterdrop to be healthier than Vitapod because it’s free of natural flavors.
Our Clean Hydration Picks
Pique Daily Radiance is our top water flavoring pick.
These packets are naturally flavored with nutritious ingredients like organic elderberry juice concentrate (which is clinically shown to support the immune system) and organic lemon juice concentrate.
Sans Water Purifier is our top premium water filter pick.
The product is NSF-Certified, and is clinically shown to not only remove common contaminants like heavy metals, but also toxins like nitrate and PFOAs ("forever chemicals").
Both of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients or materials we consider to be unhealthy.
Vitapod Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Vitapod in our opinion:
Pros:
- Healthier than soda
- Energy+ should increase energy levels
- Healthier than MiO
- Vitapod Go bottle is made with stainless steel
- Great branding
Cons:
- Contains natural flavors
- Some formulations contain erythritol
- Some formulations contain citric acid
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- We don't understand the purpose of the "Hydra+" line
