Technically speaking, both a desiccant and an absorbent soak-up water. However, in industrial terms the term ‘desiccant’ is typically used to describe a product that adsorbs water when it is in vapour state (i.e. when it is invisible ‘humidity’), and the term ‘absorbent’ is typically used to describe a product that soaks-up water when the water is in a visible liquid state (e.g. a fluid that has been spilt on the floor). Worldwide, the most common form of Desiccant is silica gel bags and our most popular form or Absorbent is our range of dissolving liquid adsorbents.