Do you have a slight headache, feel tired and a little irritable? What if you were dehydrated? The odds are much higher: according to a recent survey conducted by the Research Center for the Study and Observatory of Living Conditions (Craddock), 77% of French people do not drink enough water.
To meet their fluid needs, many brands have emerged in recent years offering rehydration solutions to help them drink more and better. But what do these products contain? Who are they for and is it in everyone’s interest to adopt them?
French, little water drinkers
The National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) reminds us: to meet your daily needs, you should “drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day for adults”. However, Crédoc underlines, 30% of France’s population drinks less than one liter of water per day. Not enough to meet the needs of our body, “composed of 65% water”, suggests the CNRS.
It was based on this observation that Theo Hude co-founded the start-up Hydratis in 2020, which offers tablets to enrich your water and hydrate yourself better. A concept he defended this week on the show “Who Wants to Be My Partner?” » on the M6, and which sparked investor enthusiasm. “My partner Jeremy and I met ten years ago in Australia,” she says. We became friends, we started traveling together, hiking, partying, playing sports and came close to dehydration on several occasions. This is how we discovered rehydration solutions, very useful for all situations where the intake is less than our needs: whether it is forgetting to drink water regularly at work. Or in all situations that may lead to a greater need for hydration and where we may be at greater risk of becoming dehydrated: after sports, where we lose a lot of water and minerals, or in the case of gastroenteritis. This concerns us all, underlines the entrepreneur: 75% of French people experience symptoms of dehydration every day without knowing it: headaches, tiredness at the end of the day or irritability.”
Optimize your hydration
To optimize hydration, the start-up has developed a series of tablets to mix in a glass of water, “developed according to WHO recommendations to create effective rehydration solutions”, describes Theo Huday. Peach perfume, “number one seller”, wild fruits, melon or even neutral perfume, “Hydratis is not a solution designed to add flavor to water, but to meet the need for hydration, while being easy to use and pleasant to drink. We often hear the importance of a varied diet. Talking about, but not good hydration for health, which requires more than water: the definition of dehydration is an imbalance in water and minerals.», asserts Young. A definition confirmed by health insurance.
“This is why our products are available in pharmacies, and are formulated with natural flavors and without colouring,” explains Theo Huday. They all have the same composition: the amount of glucose, sodium and minerals, which in a certain amount of water, will create a hypotonic solution that will be absorbed more quickly by the body, it continues, while contributing to muscle recovery. and reduced fatigue.
Target population
But in practice, is it in everyone’s interest to use these rehydration solutions? Are they for everyone? “No,” replies Rafael Gruman, nutritionist. Some people cannot really take it for health reasons, this is the case for patients with kidney pathology: for them, the intake of minerals such as potassium and sodium is very controlled so as not to damage their kidneys. . The same goes for the elderly when it comes to polymedicated patients, to avoid any interactions between medications and mineral supplements outside of medical prescription,” he asserts.
In general, “nothing replaces a balanced diet and excellent hydration without supplementing mineral requirements, especially through various types of mineral water,” the nutritionist recalls. But in practice, we tend to take the same water all the time, and don’t drink enough of it, he admits. This is how we can deal with mineral deficiencies: a lack of magnesium, which will result in muscle spasms or potassium, with a feeling of fatigue and muscle weakness. In this case, this type of rehydration solution can be interesting to meet the body’s mineral needs. On the other hand, says Rafael Gruman, this should not be a gimmick, nor an excuse to stop drinking by telling yourself that one glass of these solutions is enough to ensure hydration. And I would recommend these devices to healthy people.
“The Swiss Army Knife of Hydration”
For Hydratis, the objective is simple: “We want to be the Swiss Army Knife of hydration,” summarizes Theo Hude, “and help everyone drink better and more water, whether at work or at play.” Or at home, and also to avoid hangovers, he adds. This is also one of the situations where our solutions can help: alcohol, which is a diuretic, will quickly dehydrate the body, even after just one or two drinks. Taking one tablet with water before bed helps you feel refreshed the next morning, as our solution helps fight dehydration, hence the hangover.
And thin tablets quickly found their audience. Theo Huede explains, “We are present online and in 3,500 pharmacies. But this Wednesday, during the airing of the show, we saw a 4,600% increase in turnover compared to the same evening last year. We sold more than 10,000 tubes of lozenges during the evening, gained 6,000 followers on Instagram and received 500 new requests from pharmacies wishing to distribute our range.” An ascent that continues on its way: Hydratis “By the end of summer a new solution was ready has been, which is indicated in certain cases,” Theo Hude points out without disclosing its specifics. A new product that should be reimbursed by health insurance.”
