Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (70%)

Product Overview

Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, widely recognized in the industry as Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), is a premier anionic surfactant celebrated for its exceptional cleansing efficacy and luxurious lathering profile. Highly valued by cosmetic chemists and formulators, this versatile cosmetic raw material imparts a rich, creamy, and abundant foam that elevates the sensory experience of rinse-off products. By delivering excellent flash foaming and robust foam stability, it serves as a foundational building block for high-performance personal care formulations requiring superior detergency without compromising on skin feel.

Key Benefits & Cosmetic Applications

When formulating with Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate, chemists gain access to a highly efficient surfactant that balances powerful cleansing with enhanced mildness compared to traditional alkyl sulfates. Its unique ethoxylated structure allows for superior performance in diverse water conditions while offering remarkable thickening capabilities for precise texture enhancement in various rinse-off systems.

• Exceptional Foaming Profile: Delivers excellent flash foaming, high foam stability, and air entrainment, creating a dense, creamy, and abundant lather that enhances the user experience in cleansing products.
• Enhanced Mildness: Inherently milder than standard alkyl sulfates, making it an ideal primary or secondary surfactant for skin and hair care applications where gentleness is paramount.
• Superior Viscosity Response: Exhibits an excellent viscosity-building response when combined with alkanolamides and inorganic salts, allowing for precise texture enhancement in gel-based cleansers and liquid wash systems.
• Hard Water Tolerance: Remains highly effective and unaffected by hard water, ensuring consistent detergency and lather quality across varying municipal water profiles.
• Versatile Cleansing Power: Provides robust detergency and emulsification, making it highly effective at removing sebum, environmental pollutants, and styling residues from skin and hair.

Common Cosmetic Applications

• Shampoos & Hair Cleansing Systems
  
• Shower Gels & Body Washes
• Bubble Baths & Foaming Soaks
• Foaming Facial Cleansers
• Liquid Hand Soaps & Specialty Cleansers

Technical Profile & Specifications

Formulation & Processing Guidelines

How to Incorporate

• Add to the primary water phase of your formulation during the initial mixing stages.
• Gentle heating may be required if the raw material is supplied as a highly viscous paste to facilitate easier incorporation and homogenous blending.
• Avoid high-shear mixing once fully incorporated to prevent excessive air entrainment and unwanted bubbling in the final batch.

Compatibility

• Synergies: Exhibits excellent compatibility with amphoteric and non-ionic co-surfactants, which are highly recommended to further enhance the mildness of the finished product.
• Thickening: Responds exceptionally well to viscosity modifiers such as alkanolamides (e.g., Cocamide DEA, Cocamide MEA) and inorganic salts (e.g., Sodium Chloride).
• Electrolyte Sensitivity: While it tolerates hard water well, excessive electrolytes can impact the viscosity curve; a salt curve test is recommended when formulating.
• pH Limitations: Information not currently available from supplied documentation. Formulators should conduct stability and compatibility testing across their target pH range.

Formulation Tips

• Because SLES is a strong anionic surfactant, it is best practice to combine it with milder amphoteric surfactants (like Cocamidopropyl Betaine) to reduce potential irritation and improve the overall sensory feel of the lather.
• When adding salt to adjust viscosity, do so incrementally in small batches during the cool-down phase to avoid overshooting the desired thickness or causing the formulation to break.
• Always calculate the active matter (~70%) accurately when determining your final usage rate to ensure you remain within the recommended 3.0% - 10.0% active content threshold.

Suggested Applications

• Shampoos and conditioning hair care systems
• Luxury shower gels and body washes
• Bubble baths and foaming bath products
• Gentle facial skin cleansers
• Liquid hand soaps

Sustainability & Ethical Profile

Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate is widely recognized for its favorable biodegradability, ensuring that it breaks down efficiently in the environment after use in rinse-off applications. Commonly sourced from renewable, plant-derived feedstocks such as palm or coconut oil derivatives, it represents a reliable and efficient raw material for high-performance cleansing systems.

In alignment with Crafting Cosmetics sourcing standards, this ingredient is vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.

Regulatory & Safety Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This product is supplied as a cosmetic raw material for external use only. It is intended for cosmetic and personal care formulation applications only and should not be used as a finished product.

Technical Documentation

• Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
• Specification Sheet (SPEC)
• Technical Data Sheet (TDS)