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‘Is Costco Lying?!’: Woman buys Alkaline water from Costco. Then she reads the fine print

‘I guess that’s why they have the disclaimer on here.’

Photo of Rebekah Harding

Rebekah Harding

Two panel design with a woman holding up a water bottle from Costco, next to an image of someone water testing

If you’re paying extra for bottled alkaline water—which has a pH above 7 for increased hydration—you might want to think again. A Costco customer claims she discovered the pH isn’t as advertised in the retailer’s bottled alkaline water.

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In a video with over 11,000 views, TikToker @vianht05 holds up a bottle of Kirkland alkaline water.

“My boyfriend and I get this bottled water from Costco that claims to be 9.5 pH,” she says. However, she notes that she recently purchased a water purifier from Bluvua to reduce the amount of plastic waste she produces.

“So I decided to buy some test strips and came home, tested the pH balance of the filtered water, Costco water, and tap water,” she continues.

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She shows three cups of water in a row, each with multicolored test strips balancing on top.

Is Costco’s water really alkaline?

“I ended up finding out that for the Costco water, the pH was at 6.0,” she says, pointing out that the bottle advertises a 9.5 pH. “And the total alkalinity was at a zero.”

She holds up the Kirkland bottle again.

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“I guess that’s why they have the disclaimer on here,” she says, pointing to text underneath the pH that reads, “pH 9.5 at the time of bottling.”

“Shocker,” she exclaims. On-screen text reads, “Is Costco lying?!”

Potential health benefits of alkaline water

This result may disappoint shoppers who want to reap the purported benefits of drinking alkaline water. According to an article by Live Science, some research suggests that alkaline water may reduce disease risk and increase lifespan in animals.

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And according to Harvard Health, “One potential benefit of alkaline water is to provide symptom relief of heartburn from acid reflux.” However, Harvard Health notes alkaline water has the potential to be dangerous “for people who regularly take stomach acid production blockers called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).”

The Mayo Clinic, a non-profit clinical research organization, notes that more research is needed to prove the benefits of alkaline water for humans.

Shoppers respond

In the comments of the TikTok, viewers respond to the test strip results.

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“I’ve heard once you put pH water in plastic it cancels out,” one suggested.

“Not this came up as I’m drinking my Costco water,” another wrote.

Others point to the limited research on alkaline water benefits.

“All of that is just BS to sell u water. All water is the same pH. Don’t u think if there were any real health benefits… there’d be so much research on it & it would be more prominent?” one wrote.

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“Something about when you open it it’s no longer at the same ph and it’s all alkaline water not just Costco… it’s pretty much a gimmick,” another said.

“Water PH doesn’t matter ?? Your stomach acid is stronger than any water PH,” a third added.

@vianht05 Read the fine print, I guess. #costco #foryou #investor ♬ original sound – vianht05

The Daily Dot reached out to @vianht05 via TikTok direct message and comment. We also contacted Costco via press form for further information.

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