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Sodium laureth sulfate

Surfactant/detergent

Sodium laureth sulphate Sodium dodecyl polyoxyethylene sulfate Sodium lauryl polyoxyethylene sulfate Sodium lauryl polyoxyethylene ether sulfate Sodium lauryl dioxyethylene sulfate Sodium lauryl trioxyethylene sulfate Sodium laureth-2 sulfate Sodium laureth-3 sulfate

(288.38 + 44.05n) g/mol | NFPA-H = 2 | NFPA-F = 1 | NFPA-R = 0

Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), usually contracted as sodium laureth sulfate, and also called sodium alkylethersulfate, is an anionic detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.) and for industrial uses. SLES is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent. SLES, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS), and sodium pareth sulfate are surfactants that are used in many cosmetic products for their cleaning and emulsifying properties. It is derived from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. In herbicides, it is used as a surfactant to improve absorption of the herbicidal chemicals and reduces time the product takes to be rainfast, when enough of the herbicidal agent will be absorbed.

The chemical formula for this family of surfactants is . Sometimes the number represented by n is specified in the name, for example laureth-2 sulfate. The product is however heterogeneous in that the number of ethoxyl groups, where n is the mean. Laureth-3 sulfate is the most common one in commercial products. Compared to the parent sodium lauryl sulfate (), SLES is more surface-active owing to the presence of the ethoxy groups.

Production

SLES is prepared by ethoxylation of dodecyl alcohol, which is produced industrially from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. The resulting ethoxylate is converted to a half ester of sulfuric acid, which is neutralized by conversion to the sodium salt. The related surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate or SLS (also known as sodium dodecyl sulfate or SDS) is produced similarly, but without the ethoxylation step. SLS and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) are commonly used alternatives to SLES in consumer products.

Environmental impacts

SLES is toxic to aquatic animals. Low concentrations can cause severe effects and even death in fish.

Safety

SLES does not induce any adverse responses in any toxicology testing. SLES is a skin and eye irritant but not a sensitizer.

SLES may retain trace amounts of the probable human carcinogen 1,4-dioxane, an unintended chemical by-product formed during the ethoxylation and subsequent sulfonation steps used to synthesize it. Since the presence of 1,4-dioxane was recognized, many manufacturers have implemented purification processes, such as vacuum and steam stripping, to reduce its concentration in finished products.

References

Kurt Kosswig,"Surfactants" in ''Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry'', Wiley-VCH, 2005, Weinheim. {{doi. 10.1002/14356007.a25_747
"Safety Data Sheet Bayer FINALE Herbicide".
(1986). "Relationship of Structure to Properties of Surfactants. 13. Surface and Thermodynamic Properties of Some Oxyethylenated Sulfates and Sulfonates". The Journal of Physical Chemistry.
Inala, E. R., & Ikpesu, T. O.. (2021). "Subacute Effects of Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate on Oxidative Enzymes and Liver Responses in Clarias gariepinus: Dose and Time-Dependent Effects". Communication in Physical Sciences.
Bhattacharya, R., Chatterjee, A., Chatterjee, S., & Saha, N. C.. (2021). "Acute toxicity and sublethal effects of sodium laureth sulfate on oxidative stress enzymes in benthic oligochaete worm, Tubifex tubifex". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology.
Caracciolo, A. B., Cardoni, M., Pescatore, T., & Patrolecco, L.. (2017). "Characteristics and environmental fate of the anionic surfactant sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES) used as the main component in foaming agents for mechanized tunnelling". Environmental Pollution.
(2010). "Final Report of the Amended Safety Assessment of Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Related Salts of Sulfated Ethoxylated Alcohols". International Journal of Toxicology.
(13 November 2024). "Final Risk Evaluation for 1,4-Dioxane". US Environmental Protection Agency.
Mohr, Thomas K.G.. (2020). "Environmental Investigation and Remediation". CRC Press.
Bettenhausen, Craig A.. (22 March 2020). "How companies are getting 1,4-dioxane out of home and personal care products".

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cosmetics-chemicals ethers household-chemicals organic-sodium-salts anionic-surfactants organosulfates dodecyl-compounds

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