Ingredient guide · S

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a widely used foaming agent and surfactant found in many UK high-street shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It creates a rich, luxurious lather that helps lift away dirt, oil, and product build-up, making it a staple in everyday cleansing routines. While effective and generally safe at the concentrations used in cosmetics, it can sometimes be drying for very sensitive or compromised skin barriers.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate — Although the lauryl component is derived from coconut or palm kernel oil, Sodium Lauret… | UK Lips ingredient guide

How it works in skincare

In cosmetic formulations Sodium Laureth Sulfate works as an anionic surfactant that lowers surface tension, allowing water and oils to mix so that sebum, sweat and impurities can be easily rinsed away. The ethoxylation process makes it milder than its cousin sodium lauryl sulfate, producing generous foam while remaining readily biodegradable and compatible with a wide range of other beauty ingredients. It is most commonly seen in rinse-off products where its excellent cleansing power and cost-effectiveness deliver the satisfying lather British consumers expect from their daily shampoo or shower gel.

Key benefits

  • Creates rich, stable foam that improves the sensory experience of cleansing
  • Effectively removes excess oil, dirt and product build-up
  • Enhances the spreadability of cleansers and shampoos
  • Works well with other surfactants to boost overall cleansing performance
  • Rinses cleanly leaving minimal residue on skin or hair
  • Cost-effective and widely available for everyday beauty products

Best for

oily skin, combination skin, normal skin

Where it comes from

Although the lauryl component is derived from coconut or palm kernel oil, Sodium Laureth Sulfate is produced through a chemical process of ethoxylation with ethylene oxide followed by sulphation. The plant oils themselves come from the kernels of coconuts or the seeds of the oil palm.

Products with Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Not every product on UK Lips lists a full ingredient breakdown — so there may be many more formulas that contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate than we can show here. These are the comparisons where we’ve confirmed it in the listed ingredients.

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