Goodbye to the peak LaCroix era
LaCroix enjoyed a long stint as the darling of the carbonation community, but all good things must come to an end.
The drink rose to fame thanks to its astonishing range of flavors, its ugly-but-unforgettable design, and how fun it is to say "pamplemousse." The sparkling water starred in dozens of fawning rankings, thinkpieces, and tweets.
Remember the LaCroix label generator? That was the good stuff.
But all reigns must end, and it seems that LaCroix's is on the decline. In recent months, a curious wave of anti-LaCroix jokes have made their way through Twitter -- a sign that the anti-LaCroix lobby is growing stronger.
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Of course, the internet has always housed LaCritics. But these jokes, many of which focus on LaCroix's subtle flavoring, still mark a miniature cultural shift. I thought that whisper of flavor was what we liked about LaCroix!
Frankly, though, it's fun to watch people dunk on a beverage. As a cultural phenomenon, the drink has reached that point of obnoxious saturation where backlash is inevitable. In fact, it's been at that point for a while. Who can forget the Williamsburg LaCroix wall of yore?
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But will this turnabout have any tangible effects? As with many popular topics of conversation on Twitter, perhaps not. Despite the end of "peak LaCroix" from a cultural standpoint, customers are as interested in bubbly water as ever.
USA Today reported earlier this month that National Beverage, which owns LaCroix, enjoyed net sales of $244.1 million for the quarter ending in October 2017 -- up $41 million from the same time in 2016. Imitators are popping up everywhere. People are still buying the stuff, even if it does taste like if you swabbed Willy Wonka's wallpaper, then left it out to ferment.
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In this case, then, the internet's months-long breakup with LaCroix doesn't mean that its sales took a nosedive. Could public opinion make them drop in the future? Sure. This particular case, however, is a small reminder that the topics we discuss ad nauseam online aren't necessarily the ones people outside Twitter care about.
On the other hand, it's not that deep and the jokes are great. And I still like LaCroix, that vaguely sweet memory of a beverage.
Except coconut. That garbage tastes like sunscreen.
Topics X/Twitter
Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
