Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)
Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and the similar sodium
laureth sulphate (SLES) are detergents that act as cleansers, emulsifiers and
foamers and are present in lots of household and industrial items. They are
present in the vast majority of personal care products including moisturisers,
body lotions and shampoos. There are several variations of these ‘sulphate’ (or
sulphate) chemicals and they differ slightly in composition, but fundamentally
they are the same. They appear in personal care products primarily because
they’re cheap and highly effective cleansers and foaming agents.
They are known to be skin irritants. They are
detergents and so their properties are very similar to soap – stripping the
skin of moisture and protective oils. SLS is the most common of these detergent
chemicals and it is the one that causes most skin irritation – it prevents the
skin from being able to efficiently defend itself from the environment. It has
been proven that SLS is a very abrasive irritant that was still detectable in
research subjects for three weeks post use. SLES causes less irritation than
SLS but is more expensive and thus SLS is frequently used. Eliminating
sulphates could be all you need to do to put an end to red, itchy, and dry
skin.
Both SLS and SLES have been proven to aggravate skin
conditions such as eczema and psoriasis and so sufferers of these conditions
are advised to eliminate sulphates entirely. Signs of sensitivity to sulphates
include redness, scaling and itching of the skin, and an itchy scalp and hair
loss when it is used in shampoos. Anyone who experiences these symptoms should
switch to sulphate free products to see if their symptoms improve.
Eminence is a good quality organic skincare line free from any nasty ingredients.
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