You’ve probably seen ads for Instagram-sleek shower filters that claim to make your hair and skin look and feel better.
They warn of chemicals and contaminants in water, including chlorine, lead, microbes, and pesticides.
And they promise to deliver a slew of benefits, including soothing dry, itchy skin and reducing dandruff and eczema (AquaBliss); reducing acne and protecting the skin barrier (Filterbaby); hydrating skin and prolonging chemical hair treatments (Canopy); and providing “fewer psoriasis flare-ups,” “reduced hair shedding,” and even “enhanced overall wellbeing” (Jolie).
Since some of the hardware costs more than $150 (not counting filter replacements), it’s reasonable to ask whether there’s any proof that these showerheads can deliver on their promises.
We looked at popular filters, including those from Jolie, Canopy, Hello Klean, Act+Acre, Kohler, and AquaBliss, which use a copper-zinc medium like KDF-55.
At a minimum, KDF-55 should be able to reduce (though not entirely remove) chlorine (which is added to drinking water to protect public health) and heavy metals, if they are present in your water. And KDF-55 remains effective even at warm or hot water temperatures, which is critical for showering purposes.
Some filters combine the copper-zinc stage with either a calcium sulfite stage (Jolie), an activated carbon stage, or both (Hello Klean, Canopy, Aquabliss, Act+Acre), and some claim that those added ingredients reduce more than just chlorine and heavy metals. A few of them also include other media, like sand, for added particulate filtration.
Some shower-filter companies cite clinical studies linking a direct cause and effect of their products on skin and hair improvements. But these internal tests carry an inherent conflict of interest.
Filterbaby informed me that it is pursuing third-party certification for its recently released showerhead filter through NSF International. But at the time of writing, Jolie is the only company that advertises having conducted third-party testing. However, when I asked for more information about clinical proof featured on its site—including how many people were involved in research and whether Jolie had financed it—the company’s CEO, Ryan Babenzien, wrote me an email communicating that “it no longer makes sense for us to participate in roundups” with other showerhead filters.
Wirecutter tried testing the chlorine filtration of three showerhead filter systems in 2023: the Jolie’s The Filtered Showerhead, the Sprite Shower Slim-Line 2 Universal Shower Filter, and the Kohler Aquifer Filtration System. But senior staff writer Tim Heffernan’s results were inconclusive because the strips he used to test the unfiltered water control couldn’t detect any chlorine to begin with. Though testing was a bust, Tim concluded that showerhead filters that use KDF-55 can probably reduce chlorine concentrations.
No matter the evidence, unless you know your home’s water quality, you can’t be sure whether your shower even warrants filtration. Unfortunately, dependable at-home water-quality tests (which we suggest for testing drinking water) can cost hundreds of dollars—more than the price of a Jolie showerhead.
Tim put it best, saying, “Do filtered showerheads lead to the kinds of improvements to your hair and skin that are often claimed? Maybe. They also can’t hurt.”
But they can hurt your wallet. As someone who purchased a Jolie showerhead and has since switched to a more affordable solution, I’d recommend you ask yourself these questions before springing for a pricey showerhead filter.
