Liquid Death Retreats From International Markets After Tepid Sales
Liquid Death, the water brand known for its skull-adorned tallboy cans with a darkly humorous edge, built a cult following in the U.S. thanks to its viral marketing and bold branding. With the slogan “Murder Your Thirst,” the brand’s unconventional ads and parody-driven social content helped make it one of the top-selling water brands in the country. However, despite its stateside success, Liquid Death has now pulled out of international markets following disappointing annual sales.
“Despite strong demand and brand awareness growth in our limited international rollout, we are temporarily pausing international efforts since we no longer have production capabilities outside of the U.S. We look forward to meeting the international demand in the future when our supply chain can support these efforts,” said a Liquid Death spokesperson.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise—one of the most successful direct-to-consumer brands announced a temporary pause on international expansion last summer, shifting its focus to U.S. production and moving operations from Europe.
Liquid Death stormed into the UK in 2023 with a hefty £535.5 million ($700 million) valuation, locking down retail spots at Tesco, Iceland, and Co-op. But the buzz didn’t match the sales—by September 7, 2024, the brand had only pulled in £2 million in revenue, leading to its decision to exit international markets.
Over the past six months, Liquid Death has continued to push boundaries, rolling out attention-grabbing innovations like its new soda-flavored sparkling water lineup and last year’s outrageous Hot Fudge Sundae-flavored sparkling water.
While Liquid Death hasn’t built the same cult following overseas as it has in the U.S., that hasn’t stopped the brand from making waves stateside. Beyond its product launches, it keeps consumers hooked with wild stunts, from the Liquid Death Hot Tub collab with GoPuff to its most audacious release yet—the life-sized Casket Cooler with Yeti.
