What are the five factors driving rapid hydration trend? Summary
- Consumers want fast hydration solutions as seventy percent feel dehydrated
- Efficiency matters as water fatigue makes hydration seem boring and inconvenient
- Sports performance drives demand for electrolyte drinks and recovery hydration
- Hangover recovery and alcohol reduction boost hydration product popularity globally
- Wellness trend expands hydration into lifestyle with added functional benefits
As functional health grips the world of food, numerous trends have ballooned in prominence, with markets growing up around them.
Rapid hydration is one of these. The popularity of hydration-boosting products such as electrolyte drinks has expanded, with consumers increasingly valuing drinks that provide hydration.
According to analytics firm Mintel, 39% of US consumers are concentrating on hydration more than they were a year ago. Hydration is one of the top two benefits consumers look for from healthy beverages, alongside energy, according to ingredients company Prinova.
But what are the main drivers of the rapid hydration trend?
1. To hydrate
Perhaps an obvious one, but the foremost reason that the hydration trend is successful is that consumers want to hydrate quickly. Many are not getting enough hydration, and want to increase the times of day when they get hydrated.
“Rapid hydration describes a new generation of beverage solutions designed to hydrate the body faster and more effectively – for example, by using targeted electrolyte blends,” says Floor van der Horst, marketing director for performance and active nutrition at FrieslandCampina Ingredients.
This trend is in part focused in part on the expansion of what consumers want from hydration. “Consumers are seeking hydration throughout the day, not just post-exercise,” adds Michael Robbins, technical sales executive at Prinova Europe.
Around 70% of consumers don’t feel properly hydrated, according to analytics company FMCG Gurus. Plugging this gap is important.
Meanwhile, consumers are recognising the health benefits of hydration more than ever.
“Much of this growth is driven by rising consumer awareness of hydration and its recognition as a cornerstone of overall health,” says Ingrid Damen, global business development director for beverage taste, texture and health at ingredients company DSM-Firmenich.
“Adequate fluid intake is widely understood to play a critical role in regulating body temperature, sustaining energy levels, cognitive performance, and more.”
The rise of GLP-1 medications has also influenced the popularity of rapid hydration, according to Prinova’s Robbins. While on the medications, consumers often drink fewer fluids, meaning that they end up dehydrated and lacking in key nutrients.
2. Drive for efficiency
While many consumers value hydration, they often see it as boring or monotonous. The strong association consumers have between hydration and water has led to ‘water fatigue’, says DSM-Firmenich’s Damen.
This means that many consumers do not drink as much as they intend to.
Rapid hydration allows consumers to hydrate quickly and efficiently, skipping past activities they may find less interesting, such as drinking water throughout the day.
“Consumers are looking for solutions that work precisely when dehydration is felt most acutely – without adding volume, effort, or disruption.”
3. Performance in fitness
While the trend has now expanded in scope, rapid hydration started out as a key part of sport nutrition, with consumers wanting to rehydrate quickly after intense exercise.
Electrolytes especially are key to this. “Electrolytes remain important for rapid rehydration and performance, particularly for athletes and active consumers, while protein supports muscle maintenance and recovery“, explains FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ der Horst.
Hydration is important for athletes. As hydration needs change after exercise, as DSM-Firmenich’s Damen points out, consumers must replenish not only water but electrolytes, sugars, and water-soluble B and C vitamins. Thus, purpose-built hydration drinks are necessary.
For these reasons, hydration is recognised as central to sports nutrition. It has become more prominent in recent years, with key sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup introducing obligatory hydration breaks, explains Prinova’s Robbins.
The global sports drink market in 2026 is estimated to be worth around $29.23bn, according to Mordor Intelligence. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.17% between 2026 and 2031.
4. Hangover recovery and replacement for alcohol
Rapid hydration products have often been used to help consumers with hangover recovery. According to UK health food retailer Holland and Barrett, drinks rich in electrolytes can help consumers recover from a hangover.
However, we’re now seeing rapid hydration drinks as a replacement for alcohol, according to Prinova’s Robbins.
While in the past, consumers may have sought rapid hydration “after a night of heavy drinking”, they are now re-evaluating their relationships with alcohol.
In Prinova’s survey, 42% of consumers reported that they had reduced their alcohol consumption in the past three years, compared to 15% saying that they were drinking more. Going hand-in-hand with this decline, rapid hydration is becoming more popular in the context of socialising, alongside alcohol-free drinks, adds DSM-Firmenich’s Damen.
5. Overall consumer wellness
The rapid hydration trend is growing beyond hydration itself. It is, ultimately, about lifestyle.
“Hydration is shifting from being a basic human necessity to a lifestyle-driven trend, closely tied with wellness and performance,” explains Prinova’s Robbins.
With lifestyle comes wellness, a trend which consumers are overwhelmingly interested in. Rapid hydration is tying into this wellness trend.
“Brands are increasingly positioning hydration as functional hydration, combining fluid and mineral replenishment with additional, everyday benefits such as energy, relaxation, focus, immune support, or gut health,” explains DSM-Firmenich’s Damen.
6. Combined with other functional benefits
As functional beverages of all stripes grow in popularity, the rapid hydration trend is becoming far more holistic. Rapid hydration has been paired with energy, protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients.
“Beverages that boost daily nutrient intake while facilitating hydration are the perfect example of the current demand for hybrid products,” says Birgitte Kynde Ravn, industry marketing manager at ingredients company Arla Food Ingredients.
“As in other categories, what started as a sports nutrition trend has entered the mainstream. So like high-protein, healthy hydration is now a key goal for consumers across a range of categories.”
As the trend expands, it appeals to more and more consumers for more and more different reasons. As the trend expands and its appeal grows, opportunities for the beverage sector will only get bigger.
