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Why sodium lauryl sulfate is in my night cream designed for face?
  • Elana44Elana44
    I do understant why they put it in shampoos, shower gels or face cleansers. But why on earth would they use it in a cream intended for staying on my face all night long? I am kind of freaking about it now... 
  • alchemist
    No need to freek out it's used as an emulsifier, and probably included at a very low level.  These days it's not added directly (it's messy to use when formulating) but as part of an emulsifiy wax or possibly in a polymer suspension.

    With very few exceptions you shouldn't judge an ingredient on it's own for things like irritancy or comedogenicity since how they work together that is important.
  • Right BrainRight Brain
    Agreed. But it's still somehow...inelegant to use SLS as an emulsifier. There's really no need for a high foaming anionic surfactant in an emulsion when there are so many better alternatives. If you ask me, that's just sloppy formulating. 
  • Elana44Elana44
    Thanks a lot,  guys :) Alchemist, you are right about the low level, it's the last ingredient in the list. Totally agree with you, Right Brain, not elegant at all to use a cheap surfactant as an emulsifier in the cream with the price tag around $70! Oh well, at least i've learnt about another property of SLS apart from removing dirt... 
  • Ally E.Ally E.
    my favourite hand cream has it as first ingredient :( had to stop using it, as I really don't like the thought of it. The fact is the handcream was extra moisturising. How could that be?
  • Right BrainRight Brain
    SLS is the FIRST ingredient in a hand cream? That seems really strange. Can you post the entire ingredient list? 
  • Ally E.Ally E.
    sorry, not the first...

    aqua, cetearyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium seteryl sulfate, isopropyl myristate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycerin, propylene glycol, maris aqua, parfum, methylparaben, silica, butyrospermum parkii, olea europaea, benzyl alcohol, methyl chloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, propylparaben, BHT, ascorbyl palmitatate, glyceryl stearate, citric acid,

    what do you make of it?
  • alchemist
    From a small manufacturer?

    Very old school simple formula using an anionic emulsifying wax - ( a blend of cetearyl alcohol, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium cetearyl sulfate - probably Lanette SX).  I suspect the listing is a little incorrect with Isopropyl Myristate and probably Aloe Juice, Gycerin, and maybe propylene glycol belonging before the two sulfates.  This sort of error is common when blended raw materials are used.
  • Ally E.Ally E.
    yes, very small manufacturer from Israel, original ingredient's list is in Hebrew and has been translated to English.
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