Electrolyte sachets are everywhere – but will they cure a festival hangover?

Marketed to party people' and touted as a faster route to hydration than water, electrolytes are in the middle of a boom

The tickets are bought, the line-ups have been announced and it's nearly time to drag last year's tent out of the cupboard for a wipedown - and to evict a few dead earwigs. And this summer, there's one more festival accessory that partygoers won't be travelling without: electrolyte tablets.

Touted as a faster route to rehydration than water, and a way to replace vital salts lost during heavy drinking and partying, the focus on festivals is the latest twist in a global boom for electrolytes, as everyone from triathletes to YouTubers sings the praises of these super-hydrating mineral supplements.