About a decade ago, sales of LaCroix began to skyrocket. Soon, flavored seltzers were everywhere, from grocery store refrigerators to liquor store shelves.

But the era of bubbles looks like it is winding down, thanks to seltzer fatigue. Now, non-carbonated drinks, from Liquid Death to Surfside Iced Teas, are taking the spotlight.

“If you think about where there’s more growth, where there’s more consumer interest relative to a few years ago, it’s a shift more to still, across both [alcohol] and non-alc,” said Randy Burt, Americas director of consumer products at consulting firm AlixPartners.

That’s not to say seltzers and other carbonated beverages will disappear. But their growth has slowed, as Generation Z increasingly seeks out options without bubbles and beverage companies focus more of their innovation efforts on fizz-free drinks.

Look no further than the alcohol category. Malt-based hard seltzers, which includes White Claw, saw volume drop 1.1% in the 52 weeks ended April 26, compared with the year-ago period, according to data from market research firm Circana. On the other hand, ready-to-drink premixed cocktails saw volume grow 46.4% in the same time, fueled by growth from Surfside, Sun Cruiser, BuzzBallz and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Cutwater Spirits, which has both carbonated and non-carbonated options.

Established alcohol players have also been trying to take on Surfside, further boosting the profile of non-carbonated drinks in the category. Twisted Tea owner Boston Beer launched Sun Cruiser in 2024 with the aim of directly competing with Surfside.

So far, Surfside retains a bigger slice of overall market share, although Sun Cruiser is growing faster these days.

On the non-alcoholic side, the shift toward bubble-free drinks isn’t as strong, according to AlixPartners’ Burt. Some carbonated drinks are still showing strong growth; PepsiCo’s Poppi, as well as energy drinks like Celsius and Ghost, are seeing strong demand.

But there are signs that the soft drink landscape is shifting.

Celsius, for example, expanded its fizz-free line of energy drinks earlier this year, inspired by Gen Z’s focus on wellness and the general trend toward noncarbonated beverages in other categories. Typically, carbonated options dominate the energy drink aisle, allowing Celsius to stand out and win over customers who might otherwise stick to tea or coffee for their caffeine fix.

The brand’s pre-existing noncarbonated peach mango green tea flavor is consistently a top 10 performer for Celsius and is currently in the number four slot across all of its flavors, according to Celsius Chief Brand Officer Kyle Watson.

The expanded line has helped Celsius grow sales from Gen Z and women, two key segments in the energy drink category.

“In focus groups that we’ve had … even our brand ambassadors across all of our universities, a lot of them talk about how they don’t like drinking sparkling,” Watson said.

When consumers drink “functional beverages — like those touting high protein content, prebiotics, caffeine or other benefits — they want “a better flavor experience,” according to Watson.

Watson said that part of the appeal of the fizz-free line is how it goes down “really smooth,” making it a better pairing for meals. About 37% of Celsius consumers consume their energy drinks with a meal, according to Watson.

And Celsius has made sure to put its noncarbonated bona fides front and center of the line’s packaging.

“With the expansion, we also wanted to make sure that the callout around being fizz-free and that attribute of it being noncarbonated and having that smooth, refreshing flavor profile was more prevalent on the actual can design,” Watson said.

Some other beverage brands are betting big on the swing away from fizz.

“Our product is extremely drinkable because of the lack of carbonation,” Hint CEO Michael Pengue said in an interview.

Founded in 2005, the flavored water company has a devoted fan base, particularly in Silicon Valley. But the brand has gotten “dusty,” and its growth has stagnated, according to Pengue. He is hoping that consumers’ shift away from bubbles will boost sales, along with new packaging and a sexy new ad campaign. (While Hint has some sparkling options, it is a much smaller part of the brand’s portfolio, according to Pengue.)

Earlier in Pengue’s career, he led Nestle’s water and tea brands, which includes Perrier and San Pellegrino.

“I was on the other side of carbonation when carbonated soft drink consumers were looking for healthier alternatives, getting away from aspartame or high fructose corn syrup, and they moved over to Perrier, San Pellegrino, Polar, LaCroix,” he said. “All of sparkling [water] exploded. We’re seeing the same exact thing now, just the opposite.”

Hint’s still flavored water offers “drinkability” and “pure hydration”, giving the brand an edge over sparkling waters that cannot be drank as quickly, according to Pengue. He said it also has a “sensory softness” that appeals to consumers who do not like the bite of carbonation.