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| Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are surfactants (“surface – active agent”: a substance, like a detergent, which enables a liquid to foam), which are used in many cosmetic products for its cleansing and emulsifying properties. | Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are surfactants (“surface – active agent”: a substance, like a detergent, which enables a liquid to foam), which are used in many cosmetic products for its cleansing and emulsifying properties. | ||
| It is often alleged in the media, and by companies who don't use SLS, that SLS can cause various skin irritations, and may even cause cancer. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 13:13, 26 March 2009
Not to be confused with Sodium lauryl sulfate.| File:Sodium laureth sulfate.png | |
| Identifiers | |
|---|---|
| CAS Number | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.036.281 
|
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| Properties | |
| Chemical formula | CH3(CH2)10CH2(OCH2CH2)nOSO3Na C11+nH23+4nNaO4+nS |
| Molar mass | around 420 g/mol (274.35 + 44.05n) g mol |
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C , 100 kPa). Infobox references | |
Sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), is a detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste etc.). It is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent made by mixing sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, and sodium salt.
Its chemical formula is CH3(CH2)10CH2(OCH2CH2)nOSO3Na. Sometimes the number represented by "n" is specified in the name, for example laureth-2 sulfate. The commercial product is heterogeneous, both in the length of the alkyl chain (12 being the mode of the number of carbon atoms), and in the number of ethoxyl groups, where n is the mean. n=3 is common in commercial products. SLES can be derived from ethoxylation of dodecyl alcohol used to make SDS.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate or SLS) and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) are commonly used alternatives to SLES in consumer products.
Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are surfactants (“surface – active agent”: a substance, like a detergent, which enables a liquid to foam), which are used in many cosmetic products for its cleansing and emulsifying properties.
It is often alleged in the media, and by companies who don't use SLS, that SLS can cause various skin irritations, and may even cause cancer.
See also
- Sodium dodecyl sulfate (Sodium lauryl sulfate)
References
- http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sodium-lauryl-sulfate.htm
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate POE(2). Chemical Land 21, Seoul, Korea. Product Identification
External links
- Description and health effects of sodium laureth sulfate by Children's Health Environmental Coalition