Just a couple months ago, I thought all water bottles were the same. That was until someone stepped on the exposed straw of my Hydro Flask, and I realized just how vulnerable my hydration game was. Every sip after that felt like a gamble because the exposed Hydro Flask straw often was at risk of getting dirty.
That’s when I started noticing Owala FreeSip bottles all over my TikTok feed, with their promise of a covered straw and leak-proof design. Could this be the more sanitary upgrade I desperately needed?
In 2023, the Stanley Flowstate Tumbler quickly rose to fame on social media due to its ability to keep water cold for a significantly longer time than other brands; some influencers claimed that their water stayed cold for up to two days. However, many customers were frustrated that their Stanley Tumbler didn’t fit into standard cup holders and often leaked due to its unsealed lid.
Four years prior, the Hydro Flask water bottle with the Flex Straw Cap also rose to popularity. However, the exposed straw led many customers, like myself, to question its hygiene because the opening can be easily contaminated.
Now, countless social media creators are raving about the Owala FreeSip, which retails for about $28. It is a leak-proof water bottle with a built-in straw for sipping and a wide mouth opening for chugging. The bottle is also all covered with a lid to keep the straw clean and protected — a feature many other straw water bottles don’t offer. Fun fact: the name Owala comes from the fact that users look like Koalas while drinking from the FreeSip bottle.
When I first saw the Owala FreeSip on my TikTok feed, I didn’t understand the hype. The rubber insert on the inside of the lid had deep and small crevices that made it difficult to clean and easy for mold to build up.
However, Owala’s charismatic and funny product description from its website drew me in to keep browsing more of its bottles on the website: “I guess this is kind of like my dating profile. While I could go on about my cool FreeSip spout, fancy triple-layer insulation, or my dazzling color options, we all know it’s about the pictures anyway. And yes, I photoshopped them all.”
As I watched an increasing number of Owala TikToks, I discovered that Owala offered limited edition water bottles, like its recent Owala FreeSip Disney Princess collection. This collection features six unique colorways for six different Disney princesses — Moana, Tiana, Rapunzel, Ariel, Cinderella and Belle.
These special edition collections keep Owala’s customers on their toes and excited for a new product. Some Owalas, like the Hearth & Hand Copper Bells FreeSip Bottle, are resold on second-hand commerce websites like Ebay and Poshmark for over $500. Several Owala-lovers express their anger online, with Reddit users criticizing the Owala resellers for selling out the latest color drops and reselling them for hundreds of dollars. Twenty-four thousand Reddit users, on the Owala subreddit, go as far as to share information on resellers who have reasonable Owala prices.
These limited edition colors have hooked a large population of social media-driven customers, including myself. The color options, while some ugly, are creative and innovative, like the Back Girl Birthday Bash Pink Glitter Freesip Water Bottle and Boo-Ya Glow-in-the-Dark FreeSip Water Bottle. Personally, I will be adding the Belle and Rapunzel Disney Princess Collection FreeSip Water Bottle to my cart. While mold buildup is inevitable for all water bottles, Owala’s are the prime choice bottle selection, because, ultimately, the innovative straws and unique spout designs make it a bottle worth purchasing.
