France is the leader in the bottled water industry – first in production, first in consumption, first in exports, and first in regulating the purity and identity of mineral waters.Regulation of mineral waters began in the late 18th century when, in 1781, the first decree governing mineral waters was issued, and in 1856 the concept of “d’interet public” (beneficial to public health) came into being. The early spas became resorts for French citizens returning home from colonial outposts to “take the waters”. Originally, bottled waters were a form of ongoing treatment for those leaving spa resorts returning to the cities. France has regulated mineral waters more so than any other countries and numerous strict classifications for mineral and spring water exist. For the French, alternative medicine is widely practiced and mineral waters contribute as accepted therapies for various illnesses. And mineral water in every other sense remains very much a part of everyday French life.

Many of the popular brands of water are bottled on sites of former water Meccas and in the surrounding towns you will find traces of their glory days. Some of these towns still sport a thriving industry of health spas. 

There are more than 50 different brands of mineral water in France. Many of these are bottled and marketed by very large food companies, such as Dannon and Nestle, both of which own more than one mark. Some smaller operations do exist however.

Badoit

This is a naturally carbonated water that is fairly high in magnesium. It is bottled by Danone and comes from sources in the town of Saint-Galmier in the Rhone-Alpes region of France. You can find Badoit that has mint and lemon flavoring added.

Contrex

In France, Contrex has long been marketed with the jingle "mon partenaire minceur" (my slimming partner). Nestle has tried to appeal to a dieting audience by vaunting the virtues of drinking a water which is high in magnesium and calcium. Contrex flows from sources in the Vosges mountains in the region of Lorraine