In 1778, Marin Richard de Laprade (1744-1797), advisor and physician to King of France Louis XVI, studied the virtues of this water, which he described as aperitive and exhilarating, stimulating the mood and the spirit.

It was in 1837 that Auguste Saturnin Badoit,[2] then aged 36, obtained a lease on the Fontfort spring, located in Saint-Galmier, above the Forez plain.

Over the years, Badoit bought a number of springs, including Courbière and Nouvelle in 1886, Rémy and Noël in 1894, and Romaines in 1910.

In 1893, Badoit became a société anonyme (S.A.), and in 1897, it was recognised as being in the public interest by the Académie Nationale de Médecine (French Academy of Medicine).

In the aftermath of World War II, Badoit left the pharmacy and entered supermarkets in 1954, which boosted sales.

In 1970 it became a fully owned subsidiary of Boussois Souchon Neuvesel, later to become Danone, and in 1973, the bottle was made of PVC for mass distribution.

The Saint Galmier region of France had been experiencing droughts over the past few years and this had affected the rate of groundwater replenishment.

Danone believed that the responsible approach was to reduce the amount of Badoit it bottled and sold, to protect the source for future generations.

In its most recent analysis made by Mr. O. Henry, giving it nearly 3 grams of carbon dioxide per liter, many earthen and alkaline bi-carbonates and proportion of nitrate of magnesia whose presence seems to explain this amazing fact that the residents of Saint-Galmier have never counted a calculous person among them.