It’s great for shampoo. And for engine degreasers. It is known to cause skin and eye irritation, and has been, vaguely, linked to canker sores and cancer. The cancer link is regarded as a hoax. Treehugger.com calls it an eco-myth. Other studies have failed to show the same purported correlations.
So is it bad for you?
SLS is a synthetic compound, meaning that it does not occur naturally. Men in white lab coats have to put it together. But it is put together from sulfate and lauric acid, both compounds which do occur naturally. Lauric acid is often obtained from coconut or palm kernel oil.
Tom’s of Maine uses it in their toothpaste (except for their SLS-free line).
Dr. Bronner’s doesn’t use it in personal care products but does use it in SalSuds cleaning product.
SLS can irritate the skin when used in too concentrated an amount. Using coco-betaine and lauryl glucoside in conjunction with the SLS is thought to counter-act the irritant properties (that’s what Dr. Bronner’s does in their cleaner).
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) is closely related to our sodium lauryl sulfate (surprise!). SLES, formed by adding ethylene oxide to SLS, tends to be less irritating to the skin. I’ve found, however, that many shampoos contain both.
SLS is not the evil bane of natural beauty that it has been purported to be. It may not be the best, most natural option, but it isn’t going to make you fall over dead in your shower. It’s a man-made combination of two natural compounds. If you use too much, it might hurt you. So don’t wash your hair with engine degreaser. I prefer as natural as I can get, so I’ll pay more for a shampoo with coco glucoside instead of SLS, but I won’t let it bother me if I can’t find one.
When you are shopping for beauty product, know what you’re paying for. I’ve noticed some “Natural Shampoos” that contain “saponified oil of coconut.” Hmm. Deriviative of coconut oil (lauric acid, anyone?) combined through a chemical reaction with an ester, like sulfuric acid? Sounds strangely familiar…
Image Credits: Ernst Moeksis.
A really good listing of the strange named ingredients in everyday products plus a translation of what they really are would be a really useful tool I think. Thanks for starting it off.
WOW! this is a wake up call for me! I am not usually a reader of labels, but I think now I can find where some of my allergies come from.
I will speak from personal experience here. I actually developed a case of red, dry, itchy patches on my scalp, much like eczema, that was not responding well to any treatment until I stopped buying over-the- counter shampoos, most of which contain lauryl sulfates. Only sulfate-free shampoos prevented the conditon from reappearing.
I normally read labels on almost everything, but I have to admit that I don’t have the foggiest idea of what some of the ingredients are
Thanks for an informative and balanced article, it reminds us al to think about the everyday products we use.
This reminds me of an article I saw today where melamine is used in some milk and food products which is causing many people to die in China.
Toms of maine website says ”Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a foaming agent naturally derived from coconut and/or palm kernel oil”. How can it be ”naturally derived” when it is done synthetically? I am confused with their claim.
You can’t trust labeling when it says ”natural”. Look down at the end of the ingredients. If suddenly words you don’t know appear, and especially dyes with this figure#, it’s not natural. It is synthetic.
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There are numerous products on the market now, that do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate or the close equivilent. Read every lable though. Don’t assume a particular well known name is giving you a safe product. Read and educate yourself.
So most of these soaps, shampoos and toothpastes contain Palm Oil???
Sodium lauryl sulfate alone has not been confirmed to be carcinogenic however, it easily binds with many common ingredients found in cosmetics forming nitrates which are carcinogenic.
Responses to Sharon S
I have read an article that reports that SLS is used commonly in lab tests on animals and humans to test for the effectiveness of skin cream and other products that help heal skin irritations. That means they are using SLS to damage the skin and irritate it. So think about that is your using SLS you might as well get paid to be a test subject.
hello sir, i am interesting to know the industrial preparation of sodiun lauryl sulphat in detail if you guide me i shall be thankful to you.
Farhan, this short article (http://www.shikai.com/publications/sodiumLaurylSulfate.htm) will probably help with you question.
My research has shown saponified oil of coconut, is the safest of all the toxic foamers. Its a pity we have become so accustomed to a feeling of froth when cleaning, when perhaps it is not required for actual cleansing…