According to the can it is a “gentle facial spritz specially formulated to refresh and hydrate. Hypoallergenic and fragance-free it instantly cools and freshens skin. Lanolin free. Dermatologically tested”. Just one small word gives the game away that this is a triumph of marketing over common sense: the only listed ingredient is “Aqua”.

Boots confirmed yesterday that it is selling water at £3.99 for little more than a cupful. Its Expert Sensitive Refreshing Facial Spritz is exactly what is says on the can: water.

The product is part of the Boots Expert Range, described as “the definitive answer to those everyday health and beauty problems we all suffer from, but keep putting off”. The back of the 125ml can boasts of the benefits of the product that it claims can protect the skin from “dryness”. But at a cost equivalent to £32.92 a litre, it is more expensive than whisky or the finest extra virgin olive oil.

Outside the Bath Abbey on a sunny autumn day, brows were creased when the true contents of the pressurised can were revealed. A totally nonscientific sample revealed that no one could tell the difference between a quick squirt of “facial spritz” and tap water from a small refillable spray bottle bought from Boots.

Phillipe Wall, a Belgian chocolatier, said: “It just goes to show how gullible some people can be.”

Ann Hearn, 60, said: “When I want to refresh myself I just splash some water from the tap on to my face. If I wanted to take it with me I’d just put it in a spray bottle. I certainly wouldn’t pay £4 for a spray of water.”

Alan, a grey-haired veteran of countless doorsteps, who described himself as a “cutpurse and itinerant musician of no fixed abode” said: “Talk about thievery, that’s daylight robbery!” Gingerly he sprayed a fine mist of pure “aqua” on his weatherbeaten complexion. “It doesn’t do much for me,” he admitted.

Heather Szkwarczuk, who is expecting a baby at the end of next month, was one of the few who admitted to spending money on a product that comes out of the tap free.

She said: “I bought a can the other day but only because it was reduced to 90p. Even then I had to think twice about it. I thought it might help to cool me down during labour.”

Boots is not the only company that sells pure water sprays under a fancy name. Which?, the consumer group, warned customers to make sure that they were getting value for money. A spokesman said: “Customers should not get carried away by the promises made by these products. Always check the ingredients to ensure you are getting what you think you are paying for.”

Boots admits that the spray is 100 per cent water but claimed it was justified in calling the spray “specially formulated”.

A spokeswoman said: “The ingredient contained in Boots Expert Sensitive Refreshing Facial Spritz is water. This is clearly stated on the packaging as ‘aqua’.

“This is the case with most facial spritzes, as the benefit is derived from applying a fine mist of water and allowing it to evaporate quickly to refresh and invigorate the skin.

“While the product is water, the process it goes through is intense and includes removing impurities and bacteria. The cost of the product is a combination of purifying the water and the technology needed to deliver it.”

A spokeswoman from the trading standards department of Nottinghamshire County Council, which is where Boots has its headquarters, said that consumers were free to pay as much as they want for their water as long as the product was clearly labelled.

The claim that the facial spritz is “specially formulated” was not misleading as that could refer to the means of delivery.

Troubled waters

— In July, Pepsi was forced to change labels on bottles of Aquafina to admit that it “originates from a public water source” – the tap

— Coca-Cola’s bottled Dasini water, “filtered for purity” in 2004 by using “reverse osmosis”, also turned out to be tap water, marked up from 0.03p to 95p per 500ml

— Japan discovered in 2004 that renowned hot springs were being filled with tap water by unscrupulous owners

— In 2003 Allan Schmidt, a Canadian winemaker, found that Chinese importers were selling his product in the form of wine concentrate “shipped directly from Canada” and diluted with “only pure water”

— Cloud Juice, a bottled water from King Island, Australia, is rainwater blown pure by trade winds and collected off the coast. It will be available soon at Claridge’s hotel, London, and according to a spokesman will cost “within Claridge’s prices”

Sources: Financial Times, dasani.com, CNN, China Daily, cloudjuice.com.au

Explore Health

• Expert Advice

• Health Features

• Mental Health

• Alternative Medicine

• Child Health