About SLES and SLS

Most of the shampoo products on the market, the core cleaning ingredients, are “sulfate”. The main ones are: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulphonate; Commonly known as “SLS” and “SLES”. There are other variations of these ingredients, but these two are commonly used in the field of washing and care. The SLS and SLES of sulfate shampoo have strong cleaning power and can remove dirt from the scalp and hair. After cleaning, there is no soap base so astringent, more smooth; In addition, the price of raw materials is cheap, which is conducive to controlling the cost of products; Widely used in hair shampoo products, it is not too much to say that it is the world. However, these two components have strong permeability and can enter the skin, bind with skin keratin, cause protein denaturation, strip the skin stratum corneum lipid, and cause the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF) to dissolve. The epidermal barrier of the scalp is weakened, making the scalp dry, sensitive, itchy, and even dandruff.

Although sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium lauryl polyether sulfate (SLES) are both sulfates, their properties are different. SLES are already much milder than SLS and less irritating to the skin. Today’s shampoo is basically based on SLES, SLS is rarely used alone, and is often used with SLES or other surfactants to reduce irritation. Although the surfactant sulfate is irritating to the skin, the irritation and side effects of sulfate can be reduced to a certain extent through the combination of ingredients and special production technology. After decades of polishing, the formulation of sulfate shampoo has been relatively perfect, and the irritation to the skin has been very small. Normal, healthy skin. Nothing to worry about. In actual use, the disadvantages of sulfate are definitely not as exaggerated as advertised.

Sulfate is an anionic surfactant (also known as foaming agent) commonly used in shampoo, which is mainly used in shampoo for foaming and cleaning. Do you know how that thick cream foam is created when you massage your scalp? It’s sulfate! Sulfate surfactants have strong degreasing and irritability, high content of sulfate shampoo will damage the hair, make the hair too dry and brittle fracture, irritant to the scalp, make the scalp tense, itchy and other discomfort. So sometimes it is not the more foam the better, but also depends on whether the ingredients of the foaming agent are safe and natural.

Sulfate is divided into two: ammonium salt and sodium salt, a few years ago the popular ammonium lauryl sulfate, the current mainstream is sodium salt, that is, sodium lauryl polyether sulfate, or sodium lauryl sulfate English name is SLES, SLS.

The so-called sulfate-free surface work is to replace sulfate with other components to complete the foaming effect.

Both of these ingredients are surfactants with strong fat removal power, low price and superior performance, and are widely used in various cleaning and care products.

SLS and SLES have excellent cleaning effects and are less irritating than saponyl surfactants, but at high concentrations and when they reside on the skin, they can cause skin irritation by removing oil and helping other ingredients penetrate and absorb.

Widely used in a variety of detergents, such as: toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, soap, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and all kinds of kitchen bathroom detergents, and even car wash detergent, it is also an important ingredient.
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