I like to read in the shower, but for obvious reasons, I’m usually limited to the labels on shampoo containers.
In the list of shampoo “Ingredients”, I often see:
Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, blah, blah blah.
What is the purpose of the parenthetical “Aqua?” Some other ingredients get a parenthetical comment (“Parfum” is one). Is “Aqua Water” different from other water?
Maybe since water isn’t a technical chemical name, they need to give the Spanish translation as well.
“Aqua” is Latin; “agua” is Spanish. As for the OP, I have no idea, but I hope somebody will answer it, because I’ve wondered about this too.
If they could, I think the manufacturers would rather just call it Aqua because it sounds like something more costly than Water.
-Same kind of reason that sugar appears as sucrose on many health food labels.
From this Google cached page:
[fixed formatting]
<Tiny bijou hijacklette>
ANother thing I have noticed is the inclusion of something named Nonoxenol 10. Now I don’t trust my connecitn well enough to go and check, but am very sure that Nonoxenol 9 is a spermicide.
So is N 10 wildly different? Or is our shampoo equipped with spermicde.
</Tiny bijou hijacklette>
Ah - there is no end to the world’s mysteries!
In the United States, chemicals are called by names assigned in the CTFA Dictionary (Cosmetics, Toiletries, and Fragrance Association). Sometimes, manufacturers will add to this name; in the case of water, I suspect it’s merely to add cachet, as “aqua” is not the name for water in any of the more common languages, although I suppose that a Latin word might be used because it’s recognizable to Romance language speakers.
Mangetout, I don’t think you’ll find “sugar” on any food labels; “sucrose” is the name used by the USP, the Food Chemicals Codex, and almost everyone else. When “sugar” is mentioned by itself, sucrose is meant, but it’s usually just called “sucrose.”
Q.E.D., that link is impossible. I can’t even tell what it’s supposed to look like. Preview is your friend.
Yes, “Aqua” is the EU name (INCI). I’m pretty sure Mr. Noreth is somewhat overstating his case; I’m utterly sure that EU labelling regulations do not have any force in the U.S.
Celyn
All of the nonoxynols, as well as the related octoxynols, are surfactants - detergents, more or less. The fact that they kill sperm (and some micro-organisms) does not preclude thir use as detergents.
Thanks, Q.E.D. 
Celyns don’t know any chemistry. 
ty
That would not appear to be the case here in the UK; I’ll check a few products in my cupboard when I get home, but I’m pretty sure that health food products generally call it ‘sucrose’, whereas other products call it ‘sugar’.
If we were being pedantic we’d have to admit that stating “sugar” when “sucrose” was meant would be misleading, because they aren’t direct synonyms. But checking some items in a cupboard near me I found that Indian Tonic Water, Heinz Baked Beans, Somerfield Peanut Butter, Green Giant Sweetcorn and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce all contain sugar according to their labels.
I e-mailed Proctor & Gamble about the water/aqua thing btw, and will post their views if I get a reply.