Rising Springs Water Doubles As A Silica-Filled Supplement Fit For Beauty Consumers

As the beauty category converges with health to encompass the exterior and interior, its reach is rippling into foods and beverages previously unusual in its realm. Rising Springs is smack dab in the middle of that convergence with water doubling as a natural mineral supplement.

The brand lays claim to the supplement banner because its water is packed with silica to enhance hair, skin and nails, and fluoride for oral support, and lacks contaminants to spoil the effects. Its origins are 16,000 years old and 2.2-miles deep, the age of the water bubbling up from its geothermal source in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest and the span it travels before rising to the surface. In recent times, Rising Springs was refreshed for contemporary consumers by Grey, Nicoya and Sean Hecht, who took over its source from natural food specialist Trinity in 2016, with the help of the advertising agency North.

“We are not trying to be another one of the waters on the shelf,” says Nicoya Hecht, a former midwife leading Rising Springs with brother-in-law Sean and husband Grey, a National Waterkeepers Alliance board member dedicated to protecting its source while spreading its bounty. “This is a natural mineral supplement because of the amount of minerals in the water. We see it as a health or beauty water.”

Rising Springs water has a suggested usage in the manner of supplements. Hecht recommends people drink three cups per day to ingest 30 to 50 milligrams of silica. In a liter, Rising Springs water has 72 milligrams of silica and 3.8 milligrams of fluoride. The water is also alkaline with a pH of 9.4.

“People have it in their bathrooms, and it’s the water they drink first thing in the morning. It becomes part of their health and beauty routine,” says Hecht. “People look and feel the difference after supplementing with it for a couple of months. Once they see the difference, they will be customers for life.”

“We are not trying to be another one of the waters on the shelf. This is a natural mineral supplement because of the amount of minerals in the water. We see it as a health or beauty water.”

Kristi Wrightson-Harter, a Santa Barbara-based naturopath, believes there’s validity in Rising Springs’ beauty assertions. “Although more studies are needed for clarity on dosages in dietary supplements, it is clear that silica has the conceivable advantages to keeping skin healthy and young,” she says. “For now, drinking naturally-sourced water that has high amounts of silica like Rising Springs would have enough concentrates of silica to see the benefits with the skin.”

The brand’s box packaging is a key element of its appeal to an audience that’s both health-conscious and environmentally-conscious. The box is made from 100% recycled kraft material and includes a BPA-free plastic bag filled with the water. Rising Springs collects the bags following their use to be repurposed into 3D-printing filament.

“It’s a shift for people because a lot of people are accustomed to grabbing a single-serve bottle. We felt that we needed to take a stance against single-serve plastic,” says Hecht. “Once they get it, it’s convenient. The box can sit on a shelf or in the fridge. A lot of people have it on their desk in the office or in their car.”

Rising Springs may have a health and beauty positioning, but it’s not going down the traditional health and beauty retail route so far. It’s sold online through subscriptions. Two five-liter boxes of Rising Springs water are priced at $20, and monthly subscribers receive 5% to 10% discounts. Hecht reveals Rising Springs’ goal is to sign up 3,000 subscribers this year.

“People have it in their bathrooms, and it’s the water they drink first thing in the morning. It becomes part of their health and beauty routine. People look and feel the difference after supplementing with it for a couple of months. Once they see the difference, they will be customers for life.”

The brand isn’t ruling out retail. Hecht singles out natural grocers as potential targets and suggests Rising Springs water could be placed in supplement aisles at those grocers. The brand views wellness centers, fitness studios and spas as distribution opportunities, too. Another possibility is a partnership with a beauty brand on items such as face sprays.

Sampling plays a prominent role in Rising Springs’ consumer awareness efforts, although it is embarking on digital advertising as well with assistance from Hawke Media. At stores, spas, fitness studios and other locations, the brand doles out samples of its water along with coupon codes to incentivize consumers to visit its website.

“It tastes amazing. It has a very soft mouth feel,” says Hecht. “People talk about it as just kind of going into your body immediately and not sitting in your stomach.”