For most of us, water is the ultimate commodity: shelf after shelf of bottles at every grocery store, dispensed at sports fields, offices, schools, and airports. But what if this everyday product, supposedly so pure and essential, was quietly undermining our health and the planet?

This question sits at the heart of WaterOuai (WaterOuai.com), a next-generation hydration brand founded by serial entrepreneur Holly Thaggard, known for transforming sunscreen usage with Supergoop!, and her son, Will.

Their mission is not just to promote a healthier, cleaner water, but to help us rethink everyday habits, packaging, and the invisible dangers in common choices.

From Skin to Sip: A Brand-Building Legacy

WaterOuai’s origin story is intertwined with Supergoop!’s success, a brand that turned once-seasonal sunscreen into a daily essential. Thaggard explained, “No one was talking about SPF outside of May, June, or July... The industry treated sun protection as an incredibly seasonal category.” She built Supergoop! on the principle of prevention and daily health, using fun, appealing branding to persuade parents and children alike to embrace sunscreen as much as toothpaste.

The strategy for WaterOuai is the same - focus on behavior change through inspiration, not fear. “Inspiring is much stronger than scaring,” said Thaggard.

The Spark: A Family’s Stand Against Plastic

The idea for WaterOuai began at the kitchen table, not a corporate boardroom. Thaggard recalled a health expert warning parents: “Don’t let your boys drink from plastic water bottles,” citing concerns over endocrine disruptors, reduced testosterone, and other health issues.

Years later, volunteering with her son Will on trail and park clean-ups, they noticed “everything in our plastic bag was plastic water bottles.” This experience prompted hard questions: Why do we accept plastic bottles as the default? What alternatives exist? Will’s research uncovered another unpleasant truth: Even supposedly better aluminum cans leach microplastics, often due to plastic linings sprayed inside the cans.

With WaterOuai, the family set out to tackle both health and environmental risks by reinventing water packaging, and the habits around it.