What is hydrogen water?
Hydrogen water is regular water that has had extra molecular hydrogen (H₂) dissolved into it. Chemically, the water itself doesn't change — it's still H₂O. What changes is the amount of H₂ gas held in solution. The gas is colourless, odourless, tasteless and non-toxic, and you cannot see, smell or taste it once it's dissolved.
Concentration is usually measured in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per litre (mg/L) — the two are equivalent in dilute solution. Tap water contains essentially zero dissolved H₂. A consumer hydrogen water generator typically produces 0.5–1.6 ppm; a high-end PEM electrolysis unit can push higher with a sealed container.
How hydrogen water is produced
1. PEM / SPE electrolysis (machines)
A proton exchange membrane (PEM) — sometimes called a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) — splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. The membrane keeps the two gas streams separate, so the H₂ delivered into the drinking water (or into the air for inhalation) is high-purity. This is the method used by all Hydrogen Machines inhalers and the WZ-1 hydrogen spa generator.
2. Magnesium-reaction tablets
A metallic magnesium tablet reacts with water (Mg + 2H₂O → Mg(OH)₂ + H₂), releasing hydrogen as it dissolves. Tablets are convenient but have trade-offs: they raise the pH of the water (the Mg(OH)₂ by-product is alkaline), they're one-shot consumables, and the dose per tablet varies between brands.
3. Hydrogen bottles
Portable bottles run small electrolysis cells off a battery. They're convenient for a single serve, but cell life is short, output is modest, and you're constrained by battery capacity.
4. Gas infusion (for baths)
For full-body soaking, hydrogen gas is bubbled directly into bath water through a diffuser stone — the same approach the S69 uses. The water itself doesn't carry a measured drinking dose; the goal is skin and respiratory exposure during the bath.
Machines vs tablets vs bottles
The honest comparison: dose, cost-per-litre, and consistency. A countertop PEM machine has the highest upfront cost and the lowest cost per litre after that. Tablets have a low entry cost but high ongoing cost and the pH side-effect. Bottles sit in between, with the convenience of portability and the constraint of small batches.
If you only want to try hydrogen water once, tablets are the cheapest test. If you intend to drink it daily, a machine wins on cost and consistency within a few months.
What about hydrogen inhalation?
Drinking hydrogen water delivers a small dose per serve — limited by how much H₂ water can hold in solution at atmospheric pressure. Inhalation delivers a much larger dose per session because you're breathing the gas directly. Some users do both; many users who started with water move to inhalation once they want a higher dose. See the inhaler range.
What does the research say?
There are over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications on molecular hydrogen across drinking, inhalation, injection and bathing modalities. Researchers describe H₂ as a selective antioxidant — meaning it preferentially reacts with the most reactive radical species while leaving signalling radicals intact. That's the underlying mechanism most papers reference.
Hydrogen research is still an emerging field, not a settled clinical therapy. We don't make disease or treatment claims, and you shouldn't read marketing copy that does. If you want to read the underlying papers, our evidence page lists the references we routinely point people to.
Side effects and safety
At the concentrations produced by consumer machines, the published literature has not established a toxic dose — unabsorbed hydrogen is simply exhaled. Hydrogen is only flammable in air between roughly 4% and 75%, and consumer machines produce flows that disperse far below the lower limit in any normally ventilated room. We cover the practical safety details in the side-effects guide and the safety page.
What to buy
For most first-time buyers we suggest starting with the P58 inhaler ($1,795) if you want the gentlest entry point, or the QY-A1200 if you want a daily-protocol machine. For full-body bathing, the S69 and WZ-1 sit at different price/feature points — the comparison page lays them out side by side.