What is sodium lauryl sulfate

Site search Search. Site search Search Menu. What is sodium lauryl sulfate and is it safe to use? SLS is a known irritant to human skin. Why SLS? Your toothpaste, shampoo and body wash probably all contain SLS. Is it harmful? Who should avoid SLS? Flipping the gut microbiome—autism link on its head 12 November Store Locator.

Create Account. Puracy Blog. What Is SLS? What to Know About Sulfates Is sodium lauryl safe? Is SLS bad for the environment? Learn more about this common ingredient in cleaning and personal care products.

May 15th, What Are Sulfates? The most commonly-used sulfate compounds are: sodium lauryl sulfate SLS sodium laureth sulfate e. The problem is that ethoxylation can create trace amounts of 1,4- dioxane.

Shop this article. Shop now. Share this article. CIR is a unique endeavor to assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an unbiased, expert manner. Its findings have established a public record of the safety of cosmetic ingredients. The heart of the CIR program is the Independent Expert panel consisting of world-renowned physicians and scientists.

Expert Panel members must be free of any conflicts of interest, and must meet the same conflict of interest requirements as outside experts to the Food and Drug Administration FDA.

Clothes Hands Dishes Surfaces. Learn More. About Ingredients. Ingredient Safety Initiative. What Is SLS? For example: Based on a thorough safety review, including consideration of chronic risks, the U. Environmental Protection Agency EPA has issued an exemption for SLS from the requirement of tolerance for residues when used as a component of food contact sanitizing solutions applied to all food contact surfaces in public eating places, dairy-processing equipment, and food-processing equipment and utensils at a maximum level in the end-use concentration of parts per million ppm.

The regulation eliminates the need to establish a maximum permissible level for residues of sodium lauryl sulfate. Environmental Protection Agency EPA regulations also states that small amounts of SLS residues from cleaning products may remain on food contact surfaces in public eating places, dairy-processing equipment and food-processing equipment and utensils.

SLS contributes to the foaming and lathering properties of products like shampoo and bubble bath. SLS is a common ingredient in toothpaste because it helps it to foam and remove food debris from teeth. Despite some online rumors and misperceptions, government agencies like FDA 4 and EPA 6 have reviewed the safety of SLS and approved its use for a number of consumer applications. There is no scientific evidence supporting that SLS is a carcinogen, according to one recent study.

National Toxicology Program, U. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union. Food and Drug Administration. National Library of Medicine.