The probable reason they add the water at the factory is so they can control the quality of the product. Your tap water might be more alkaline or acidic than the water they use. The chemical reactions occuring as the product sits on the shelf could have some undesired effects, like gelling or separation.

Granted, the product gets mixed with your tap water when you use it but that is only for a relatively short time.

The probable reason they add the water at the factory is so they can control the quality of the product. Your tap water might be more alkaline or acidic than the water they use. The chemical reactions occuring as the product sits on the shelf could have some undesired effects, like gelling or separation.

Granted, the product gets mixed with your tap water when you use it but that is only for a relatively short time.

Most of these toiletries, like dishwashing and laundry detergents, are made wet, not made from dry ingredients and added to water. The chemical reactions that produce shampoo as we know it takes place in water. The main ingredient Head n' Shoulders shampoo, for example, is made from a colloidal suspension that is literally shipped cross-country before being added to other ingredients and bottled. This isn't unusual.

Organic Style Magazine ran the numbers on whether dry or liquid detergents were more environmentally friendly. As it turned out, even with the plastic bottles and cost of shipping factored in, liquid won out because powder is basically just liquid with the water evaporated out (an energy-intensive process) and fillers added in. By extension, powdered toiletries would cost more, not less, unless they were made on completely different formulas that used only already-dry ingredients. There are make-at-home powdered-detergent recipes floating around that fit this ideal, but since most of them contain washing soda, which is too caustic to use on the skin, they wouldn't work for toiletries. Too bad-- powdered stuff would mean lighter shopping bags for me!

Thanks! I never knew that's how it really worked. My brain's creativity exceeds its knowledge of chemistry.

I bet another factor involved with water based toiletries is to make it look bigger, and more appealing.