HYCO hydration cans: sparkling electrolytes from £2.50 a can, a subscribe and save plan and our hot take

HYCO, the Northumberland hydration brand founded by Katherine Wilkins, has moved from sachets into the chiller. Its first ready-to-drink range, lightly sparkling 250ml cans in Mixed Berry and Tropical, landed at Fenwick and online at Holland & Barrett this autumn, and on the brand’s own shop a 12-pack of Mixed Berry costs £29.99, or £25.49 if you subscribe.

No sugar, no caffeine, no calories, a full spread of electrolytes and five vitamins: on paper it is the grown-up alternative to an energy drink. So is HYCO worth a place in your fridge, or is it fancy fizzy water? Here is our take.

Who is behind HYCO?

HYCO (short for The Hydration Company) started with electrolyte sachets you stir into still water. Katherine Wilkins told Luxe magazine that the formula took around 18 months to develop, and that she wanted something people would “genuinely choose to drink every day” rather than a salty sports product you tolerate.

The cans are the big step. According to Grocery Trader, they launched in September 2026 with listings at Fenwick stores and Holland & Barrett online from early October. The brand pitches them at the “moments in between”: your desk, the commute, after the gym, the morning after a late night.

What is inside a can?

According to the official product page, each 250ml can of Mixed Berry contains:

• 250mg of sodium, 300mg of potassium, 120mg of calcium and 56mg of magnesium, plus zinc and chromium.
• Vitamins C (80mg), D3, B5, B6 and B12, which HYCO says provide 100% of the reference intake.
• No sugar, no caffeine and no calories; the brand says no artificial sweeteners either (the sachets use stevia and erythritol).
• Two flavours: Mixed Berry and Tropical, lightly sparkling and made in the UK.

Source: HYCO (official product pages, checked on 20 October 2026).

How much does it cost?

On 20 October 2026, drinkhyco.co.uk sells the cans in packs of 12 (£29.99, so £2.50 a can), 24 (£45.88, £1.91 a can), 36 (£66.40, £1.84 a can) and 48 (£86.37, £1.80 a can). Subscribe and save takes 15% off the 12-pack (£25.49, about £2.12 a can) with free delivery, every two, four or six weeks, and you can pause or cancel at any time. The press launch quoted cans “from £3” at retail, so the brand’s own shop is the cheaper place to buy.

If you are happy to add water yourself, the sachets go much further: a 20-sachet pouch is £27, a starter pack £14, and the 40-sachet double pouch £49, with 20% off on subscription according to the brand.

Our take: a smart format, a premium habit

Let us start with what HYCO gets right. The formula is more complete than most “hydration” drinks on the shelf: real amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium alongside the sodium, rather than a pinch of salt and a lot of marketing. It is genuinely sugar-free, which matters if you are swapping it for a can of cola or an energy drink at 3pm. And the subscription logic is sound: a hydration drink only makes sense as a routine, so a 15% discount with free delivery is the right model.

The catch is the price of convenience. At £2.12 a can on subscription, one a day comes to around £770 a year, for a drink whose main job is to help you absorb water. Unless you sweat a lot (training, hot commutes, long runs), most people get what they need from food and tap water, and the NHS still says water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks are the best everyday choices. The vitamin claims are the standard, carefully worded ones (“contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue”), not proof you will feel more energetic.

The buzz is also still modest. HYCO’s own site shows a handful of reviews (4.5 out of 5 on the pouch page), mostly glowing comments about energy and taste, and one unhappy customer who received the wrong product and said emails went unanswered. That is a small sample, and we have not tested the cans ourselves.

Our verdict: HYCO is one of the better-formulated sugar-free drinks to come out of a small British brand this year, and the cans are an easy swap for an energy drink or a sugary fizzy one. As a daily habit at full price, it is a premium way to drink water. Start with the 12-pack or a £14 sachet starter pack, and only subscribe once you know you reach for it most days.

Who is it for?

It will suit you if you train regularly, travel a lot, or want a cold, sugar-free can to replace your afternoon caffeine. It is less useful if you mostly sit at a desk and already drink enough water. The cans contain no caffeine but do contain vitamins and minerals, so check with your GP or pharmacist first if you are pregnant, take medication or have been told to watch your salt intake.

Like trying new drinks on a regular delivery? Read our take on Aqua Glow, the sparkling collagen drink now in Waitrose, and Savano, the canned cocktails with a 10% off subscription.

Price and subscription: the essentials

• Product: HYCO lightly sparkling electrolyte drink, 250ml cans, in Mixed Berry and Tropical.
• One-off price: £29.99 for 12 (£2.50 a can), down to £1.80 a can in a 48-pack.
• Subscription: 15% off the 12-pack (£25.49), free delivery, every two, four or six weeks, pause or cancel at any time.
• Sachets: from £14 for a starter pack; 40-sachet double pouch £49 (20% off on subscription, according to the brand).
• Delivery: free UK delivery on subscriptions, and on one-off orders over a minimum spend shown at checkout.
• Stockists: drinkhyco.co.uk, Fenwick, Holland & Barrett online.
• Prices checked on drinkhyco.co.uk on 20 October 2026.

Try the Mixed Berry cans or the Tropical cans on the HYCO shop, or browse our pick of food and drink subscription boxes.