There are several different types of bottled water. Listed below are the product definitions given by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Artesian Water/Artesian Well Water: Natural water from a well that taps a confined aquifer (a water-bearing underground layer of rock or sand) in which the water level stands at some height above the top of the aquifer.

Drinking Water: Drinking water is another name for bottled water. Drinking water is what is sold for consumption in sanitary containers and contains no added sweeteners or chemical additives, other than flavors, extracts or essences. This type of water must be calorie-free and sugar-free. Flavors, extracts or essences may be added to drinking water, but they must comprise less than one-percent-by-weight of the final product or the product will be considered a soft drink. Drinking water may be either sodium free or contain very low amounts of sodium.

Purified Water: Water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis or other suitable processes, and that meets the definition of purified water in the United States Pharmacopoeia, may be labeled as purified bottled water. Other suitable product names for bottled water treated by one of the above processes may include "distilled water" if it is produced by distillation, "deionization water" if the water is produced by deionization, or "reverse osmosis water" if the process used is reverse osmosis.

Spring Water: Natural water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the surface of the earch. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a bore hole that taps the underground formation and finds the spring. Spring water collected with the use of an external force must be from the same underground stratum as the spring and must have all the physical properties, before treatment, and be of the same composition and quality as the water that flows naturally to the surface of the earth.

Well Water: Natural water from a hole bored, drilled or otherwise constructed in the ground which taps the water of an aquifer.