What is Sodium Lauroyl isethionate?

Sodium Lauroyl isethionate is anionic surfactant, which is a mild surfactant specifically designed for use in personal cleansing products and it is a high foaming product that provides a dense, creamy lather to formulations. It can be used in syndet bars and liquid systems such as shampoos, body washes and bubble baths, and it exists in some popular products as shown in figure 1[1]. Sodium Lauroyl isethionate is nearly salt-free and resistant to hard and salt water with high foaming properties and it is compatible with soap and gives excellent lime-soap dispersibility in order to retard the formation of scum in bar soaps. The surfactant has limited solubility in soft and hard water and it is stable in aqueous formulations from pH 6-8 at ambient temperature. 

Figure 1 Products that contain Sodium Lauroyl isethionate

Function of Sodium Lauroyl isethionate is listed as below:

➀ Antistatic: Reduces static electricity by neutralizing electrical charge on a surface;

➁ Cleansing: Helps to keep a clean surface;

➂ Foaming: Capturing small air bubbles or other gases in a small volume of liquid by changing the surface tension of the liquid;

➃ Hair conditioning: Leaves hair easy to comb, soft, soft and shiny and / or confers volume, lightness and shine;

➄ Skin conditioning: Keeps the skin in good condition;

Surfactant: Reduces the surface tension of cosmetics and contributes to the even distribution of the product when it is used [2].

How about the risk of Sodium Lauroyl isethionate? Sodium Lauroyl isethionate is a surfactant/detergent used as a cleansing agent and to help lather onto our skin, and it is easy for us to find it in shampoos, body washes, facial care, and toothpastes. This chemical can irritate our skin depending on how sensitive our skin is, but for most people it shouldn't cause an issue [3]. Sodium lauroyl isethionate is created by combining fatty acids with isethionic acid. Isethionic acid is created by combining sodium bisulfite in an aqueous solution and ethylene oxide.  Ethylene oxide is a known carcinogen. Traces of ethylene oxide can remain in the product, along with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane [4].

References

[1]http://www.nardev.com/UploadSection/ProdCat-413-1449214512.pdf, Innospec.
[2]https://incibeauty.com/en/ingredients/12445-sodium-lauroyl-isethionate
[3]https://www.bare-soaps.com/blogs/your-impact/116431557-what-s-in-a-bar-of-soap
[4]http://chemicaloftheday.squarespace.com/todays-chemical/2013/8/26/sodium-lauroyl-isethionate.html

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