As for the complimentary shampoo, it was quite different from the bottled versions common in later years. Hou Yong had decided to use sachets instead. Naturally, the first batch to roll off the production line was entirely in sachet form, priced at twenty cents each.
Beginning in the mid-20th century, the global tourism industry gradually flourished. With the development of the aviation industry, hotels and airlines began providing disposable toiletries to travelers, which included small bottles of shampoo and conditioner. However, because early portable shampoo packaging mostly used glass or hard plastic, the bottles frequently cracked due to air pressure or rough handling during transit, leading to high costs and customer complaints.
It wasn't until around 1960, when resilient plastics like polyethylene were widely applied, that liquid sachets began to enter the public consciousness. By 1970, hotels in Europe and America started using single-use sachets to save costs. At that time, however, these sachets looked quite crude—much like the first batch of failed Medicated Soap Boss Zhou had produced. They were mass-purchased from factories, labeled with a brand name, and then dropped into hotel rooms.
Chapter 175