What’s The Deal With LaCroix, Anyway?

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LaCroix sparkling water has been around for nearly 30 years, which is no small stretch. But its popularity struggled as American consumers chose to guzzle sodas, teas, and pretty much anything instead of the colorfully packaged beverage. If someone’s mom brought LaCroix to a birthday party, you could bet that disappointment was in the air.

The fizzy drink was relegated to the back of soda shelves and strange food markets where no one really shops, and forgotten. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Recently, LaCroix has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. In the office, LaCroix is a common fixture on desks. Major publications have written about the bubbly drink with excitement, and Instagram posts about the drink abound.


So what changed? Clever marketing or something more?

Turns out, a little bit of both.

Americans are now drinking less soda than ever before, with sales plummeting by more than 25 percent in the last 20 years. Soda’s meteoric rise to fame is now facing a moment of crisis as Americans are actively turning away from the sugary beverage, turning to healthier alternatives like water instead, which is set to surpass soda as the most consumed beverage in the nation within 2 years.

This is where LaCroix comes in. Boasting no sugar, multiple flavors, and fizz, LaCroix actively serves as a way to curb the desire for a soda without actually being a soda. When marketing experts at LaCroix realized this, they shipped their drink to more stores than ever before and expanded their range of flavors, hoping to capitalize on changing consumer tastes.

It worked.

And yes, it even makes amazing cocktails. What’s not to like?