If you walk around a college campus in 2026, you’re destined to see a collection of multicolored water bottles with a unique design. But what makes everyone choose this one water bottle? From the VSCO aesthetic to the craze of large tumbler bottles, to the age of functionality, what has shifted modern water bottle trends over the last 10 years?

Around 2015, the S’well water bottle began dominating the mainstream because it was seen as an eco-friendly fashion accessory. This trend carried through 2016 in an age that saw mostly younger people interested in making eco-friendly choices to preserve the environment while also being seen as fashionable, as S’well quickly became a 100 million dollar company in just a couple of years(Gross, 2018). This same mindset is what set up the first mass craze of water bottles, Hydroflasks. From 2018-2020, most young people were seen with a long bottle with a single color design in their backpacks. This was accompanied by the popular aesthetic known as VSCO. The Hydroflask market saw extreme interest in its long-lasting hot/cold time frames. Instead of using a plastic wattle bottle, people opted for a design that would allow them to keep their beverage insulated for a long period of time.

From 2020-2023, the Stanley and other large tumblers were brought to the forefront of the water bottle craze. Especially in the United States, where Americans are known for consuming large quantities of water, these large tumblers saw people flocking to stores just for a chance to get a limited edition version of their favorite brand, often paying up to 10x the retail price on resale websites (Esposito, 2025). Alicia Esposito attributes this mostly to the psychology of scarcity (Esposito, 2025). Water bottles were no longer just good insulation; they were seen as a fashion accessory.

From 2024 until now, water bottles have entered the functional age, where consumers prefer functionality over appearance. Water bottles such as Owala’s that have a design with extreme functionality have become the most popular water bottles. If you prefer drinking water with or without a straw, Owala’s can do both. They are distinguished and have become the water bottle of choice for most people in the modern day (BottlePro, 2024).

Over the last decade, water bottles have mostly been popular as fashion accessories. As times have changed, more functionality and purpose behind the design has been attributed to the popularity of each water bottle. Whatever water bottle trend comes next, it will surely be associated with the times of whatever other trends are going on in the world.







Sources:

Gross, E. L. (2018, April 4). How Sarah Kauss turned S’well into a $100 million-dollar company. How Sarah Kauss Turned S’well Into A $100 Million-Dollar Company. https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2018/04/04/how-sarah-kauss-turned-swell-into-a-100-million-dollar-company/

Esposito, A. (2025, June 20). What made the Stanley-Starbucks Collab Go Viral? the psychology of scarcity. Retail TouchPoints. https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/topics/consumer-trends/what-made-the-stanley-starbucks-collab-go-viral-the-psychology-of-scarcity
Why are Owala bottles popular, and are they actually good?. BOTTLEPRO. (2024, June 19). https://www.bottlepro.net/hydration-blog/why-are-owala-bottles-popular-and-are-they-actually-good