If a Kenmore washer is leaking, can it be because of soap powder verses soap liquid?

Unless you see excessive foam occurring in the tub , there is another reason for the leaking.
Please try to see at what moment the leaking starts, i.e. during pre-wash , wash , rinse , or spin cycle, and come back with that info...

Success !

Our brand new large capacity Kenmore had 14 service calls before the leak was stopped. They wouldn't exchange it because it was past 90 days. Don't believe the 4 service call nonsense. That only applies if they actually worked on the machine. Not finding the problem is another matter. They finally ran a bead of sealant around the top of the tub and that corrected the problem. Evidently, when fully loaded, enough water can splash out over the rim of the tub to show substantial leaking. Don't know if this is your problem, but without obvious evidence (soap trails, wetness, etc) this might apply. I guess it doesn't happen very often, because the cause was unknown.