Water-based compositions suitable for the hydration of a mammal, and particularly hydration of a human by oral or topical methods, and for industrial uses such as cooling, and the making of solutions and mixtures. A method for producing a beverage, an industrial process water, an industrial solvent, or topical dermatological composition includes: providing a water source, the water molecules having oxygen or hydrogen atoms of different isotopes, (i) fractionating the water source to produce a fraction enriched in water molecules having an abundance of at least one of the oxygen or hydrogen isotopes being greater or less than the abundance found in the water source, or (ii) where the water source is already enriched in heavy water, fully or partially maintaining the level of enrichment.