Cosmetic Ingredient Awareness: sodium lauryl sulfate

Mar 17, 2011

Krystal C.

A reader suggested I look into sodium lauryl sulfate because it is a lot of products that people use on a daily basis and can be an irritant to some people. After researching online about this ingredient, I quickly looked at the products I own and found out that the lotions, creams, body wash and bar soaps that I dislike have this ingredient in them, and the products I have that I do like do not have this ingredient in them. If you have ever disliked a product because it dries out your skin or hair, it most likely has SLS in it. SLS's job is to remove oils and residues, but when used in products that we cleanse our faces with or wash our hair with, it is actually striping our natural oils out. I was surprised that I was able to dislike certain products without even knowing it had SLS in it. More and more natural cosmetic companies are popping up, and I personally have looked into them and am willing to pay a little more to help protect my skin and hair as much as possible.
Here are some interesting facts I found online:

(courtesy of Wikipedia)
Sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laurilsulfate or sodium dodecyl sulfate is an anionic surfactant used in many cleaning and hygiene products... giving the material the properties required of a detergent.
SLS is a highly effective surfactant and is used in any task requiring the removal of oily stains and residues... It is used in lower concentrations with toothpastes, shampoos, and shaving foams. It is an important component in bubble bath formulations for its thickening effect and its ability to create a lather.
Research showed that SLS is not carcinogenic when either applied directly to skin or consumed. It has however been shown to irritate the skin of the face with prolonged and constant exposure (more than an hour) in young adults. A clinical study found SLS toothpaste caused a higher frequency of aphthous ulcers than both cocoamidopropyl betaine or a detergent-free paste, on 30 patients with frequent occurrences of such ulcers. A clinical study comparing toothpastes with and without SLS found that it had no significant effect on ulcer patterns.
Like all detergent surfactants (including soaps), sodium lauryl sulfate removes oils from the skin, and can cause skin and eye irritation.
Sodium lauryl sulfate diminishes perception of sweetness, an effect commonly observed after recent use of toothpaste containing this ingredient.
- - -
http://beautybykrystalc.blogspot.com/2011/03/cosmetic-ingredient-awareness-sodium.html

Mar 19, 2011

Shelly T.

http://personalcaretruth.com/2010/05/a-closer-look-at-sodium-lauryl-sulfate/