Quick answer
Glass water bottles: are they the safest option?
Glass is about as inert as a bottle gets. The questions are what kind of glass, and what the cap your mouth touches is made of.
Glass is a very good answer for the part that holds the water. What separates bottles is the lid. bkr Little (83) and Lifefactory (81) name the glass (soda-lime) and the cap resin. Ello Syndicate (61) names neither.
It is a disclosure score out of 100, not a safety rating: what it is made of, who tested it, where it is made, whether the claim matches the evidence. A product can score 20 and be perfectly fine to cook in. What a low score means is that nobody outside the company can check. The rubric is here.
Our picks
bkr Little Bottle 500 mlSoda-lime glass, polypropylene cap, silicone gaskets, all named.83/100See the full entry →
Lifefactory 22 oz Glass BottleSoda-lime glass, polypropylene cap, silicone sleeve.81/100See the full entry →
Glass, steel or plastic?
| Compared | Glass | Stainless |
|---|---|---|
| Touches the water | Glass | 18/8 stainless |
| Weak spot | It can break; sleeves help | Insulated bottles can have a sealing dot |
| Our best score | bkr Little, 83 | Pura Sport Mini, 96 |
Soda-lime and borosilicate behave differently with heat. bkr names soda-lime for its bottles and borosilicate for its cups; Lifefactory names soda-lime in its FAQ. How the two differ.
Every glass bottle we have scored
| Product | Score /100 | What touches the food | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 60/60 | Buy it | |
| 81 | 60/60 | Buy it | |
| 61 | 53/60 | They won't say | |
| 61 | 53/60 | Fine |
- 83/100
- 81/100Lifefactory 22 oz Glass Bottle · US
“Soda lime glass” (stated in the FAQ, not on the product page)
The full entry → - 61/100
- No maker photo61/100
Every bottle, glass or not, is on the bottles page and the Australian one.
Questions people ask
Are glass water bottles better for you?
Glass does not need a liner or coating, so the part holding your water is inert. But the cap is plastic on almost every glass bottle, and that is where makers go quiet. The best glass bottles we have scored, bkr (83) and Lifefactory (81), name the cap resin as polypropylene.
Is it good to drink water from a glass water bottle?
Yes. Glass is one of the simplest materials to drink from and is easy to clean. The trade-off is weight and breakage. bkr offers a 30-day breakage replacement; Lifefactory gives one year on its glass bottles.
Which glass water bottle is the healthiest?
On what makers disclose, bkr Little (83) and Lifefactory 22 oz (81). Both name the glass, the cap and the sleeve. We score disclosure, not health outcomes, and we do not lab-test.
What is the best glass water bottle brand in Australia?
The only glass bottle we have scored from Australian stock so far is Brilliant Basics at Big W (61): glass, but the lid is never described. The two best glass bottles we have scored, bkr and Lifefactory, are from our US table.
Related
Sources
- bkr Little Bottle 500 ml — maker or retailer page. mybkr.com
- Lifefactory 22 oz Glass Bottle — maker or retailer page. lifefactory.com
- Ello Syndicate 20 oz Glass — maker or retailer page. www.elloproducts.com
- Brilliant Basics Glass Drink Bottle 800ml (Big W) — maker or retailer page. www.bigw.com.au
- MessyPig, Pyrex: borosilicate or soda-lime?. MessyPig, Pyrex: borosilicate or soda-lime?
- MessyPig materials rubric. MessyPig materials rubric
One useful email a fortnight
New scores, brands that finally answered, and any rule change that affects what you can buy. The list is not open yet — email us and we will add you when it is.