The Misunderstanding of SLS
What is the difference between SLS from Petroleum and SLS from Coconut Oil?
Well, I’m not a chemist but here goes..
There are several types of SLS used in many industries today. It is in toothpaste to give it suds to make your teeth feel more clean. It is used in shampoo to wash away oils. Its in almost every liquid soap on the market as an extremely effective and inexpensive way to wash away dirt on fabrics, surfaces, and skin. SLS is made from either natural or synthetic oils, petroleum or vegetable oils.
What is sodium lauryl sulfate?
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a surfactant that can have a variety of uses, but in cleaning products, it is often used to break water tension and attract dirt and grime away from the material it is intended to clean. Most cleaning products on the market today are made with SLS derived from petroleum.
There has been a wide array of misleading information propagated about this ingredient over the years. Most of this information is not supported by the scientific community, with the exception of skin and eye irritation. The SLS everyone is concerned about is actually SLES. SLES is made by adding ethylene oxide to SLS, without getting into more complicated chemistry, reduces the irritation level of the ingredient.
Many manufacturers use SLES (Sodium Lauenth Sulfate) rather than SLS for this reason-the ingredient is supposed to be gentler on the skin and hair. Because of this processing technique, however, SLES can be even more dangerous. Basically, adding ethylene oxide to make an ingredient milder is a cheap short cut used by companies to avoid paying for more natural, nourishing ingredients. The problem is that ethoxylation produces a chemical called “1,4-dioxane” as a byproduct. 1,4-dioxane is a known cancer causing agent and a leading groundwater contaminant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It readily penetrates the skin, and is included on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known or suspected by the state to cause cancer or birth defects.
Although scant amounts of this cancerous ingredient can be found in leading cleaning products, bio-accumulation of this chemical in our bodies, ground water, and environment should be considered and avoided.
SLS from Coconut Oil.
We use SLS that is derived from coconut oil. In our industry SLS made from coconut oil is called Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) or SLSa. SCS has a larger molecule that does not penetrate the skin like SLS from petroleum which has a much smaller molecule that readily penetrates the skin and can be measured in the urine of a user as little as 60 minutes after use. We do not use petroleum based ethoxylated surfactants, our 1,4 dioxane free, plant-derived SCS has an excellent environmental profile as its renewable carbon index is 100%. It’s biodegradable, and does not bioaccumulate in water or land.
SCS is a mild plant derived surfactant that creates a lather that effectively removes surface oil, dirt and bacteria, without stripping or drying sensitive skin.
How to buy better.
Most soaps available to end users have ingredients listed on their packaging. You will notice that most of the soaps in your home have SLS as the first ingredient. Some will loudly advertise that it is SLS free, hoping to catch the interest of consumers who have vaguely heard to avoid such an ingredient. It is a great marketing tactic however the usual SLS replacement ingredient is almost molecularly identical to SLS and has the same toxic refining process.
It isn’t always clearly indicated on packaging whether the product is made from SLS or SCS. Ingredient listings may use the term SLS when in actuality they use SCS because technically speaking SLS made from coconuts is still SLS. Most companies who use SCS will indicate that they do because it is 400x more expensive to use SCS as an ingredient and they want to justify the higher prices to their customers. Find soaps that are marketed as biodegradable or plant based if the type of SLS used is not distinguished.
Why to buy better.
The manufacturing process of making sodium laurel sulfate or sodium laurenth sulfate is toxic, has toxic byproducts, and requires a lot of energy to make. We have a part to play in this capitalist market as consumers. It is important that we talk to companies with our spending habits. Not a single company out there has zero negative impact on our earth, environment, and recourses however we can chose to support companies who make an effort to do as little damage as possible. This use of our purchasing power can help change the toxic habits of major soap manufacturers.
Consider buying and using soaps and cleaning products that don’t pollute our bodies, environment, and waterways.
