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HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES Learn more About EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Limited

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

  • Products with this ingredient are allowed for use in EWG VERIFIED but must meet use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
  • This ingredient's score is higher if used in product forms that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns. The score is lower if used in product forms that have lower risk of inhalation (e.g., solids, liquids)
  • This ingredient's score is higher if used in products that may not meet industry safety guidelines or U.S. and international government requirements and may have contamination concerns from toxic impurities. The score will be lower if used in products that do meet these safety guidelines and requirements and EWG’s contamination restrictions.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (low), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (low_moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● DSSTOX_GSID_29298
● DSSTOX_RID_78753
● SODIUM POLYOXYETHYLENE (7) LAURYL ETHER SULFATE
● SCHEMBL675596
● 95508-27-3
● POLY(OXY-1,2-ETHANEDIYL), ALPHA-SULFO-OMEGA-(DODECYLOXY)-, SODIUM SALT
● GLYCOLS, POLYETHYLENE, MONO(HYDROGEN SULFATE), DODECYL ETHER, SODIUM SALT
● SODIUM POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (5) LAURYL ETHER SULFATE
● C14H29O5S.NA
● SODIUM POLYOXYETHYLENE (12) LAURYL ETHER SULFATE

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is and ingredient derived from ethoxylated lauryl alcohol and used as a surfactant; may be contaminated with potentially toxic manufacturing impurities such as 1,4-dioxane.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • LOW
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
anti-aging3 products
antiperspirant/deodorant1 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)1 products
baby bubble bath15 products
baby lotion1 products
baby shampoo60 products
baby soap28 products
bar soap56 products
bath oil/salts/soak137 products
beard care2 products
beard cleanser7 products
Beard Soaps2 products
body art1 products
body firming lotion4 products
body powder1 products
body wash/cleanser1427 products
bronzer/highlighter7 products
brow liner21 products
bubble bath234 products
conditioner331 products
damaged skin treatment1 products
detangler2 products
exfoliant/scrub154 products
Exfoliants5 products
eye liner52 products
eye makeup remover8 products
eyelash glue3 products
facial cleanser294 products
Facial Cleansing Water2 products
facial moisturizer/treatment6 products
foot cleansing4 products
foot moisturizer1 products
foot odor control1 products
foundation115 products
fragrance for men1 products
hair color and bleaching84 products
hair relaxer13 products
hair spray6 products
hair styling aid8 products
hair treatment/serum16 products
hair-loss treatment3 products
lip balm1 products
lip gloss2 products
lip liner6 products
liquid hand soap893 products
makeup primer5 products
makeup remover8 products
mascara210 products
mask19 products
moisturizer18 products
daily use with SPF1 products
Oils & Serums1 products
Preshave Preparations2 products
serums & essences3 products
shampoo1611 products
shaving cream19 products
shaving cream (men's)2 products
styling mousse/foam6 products
sunless tanning2 products
vapor rubs2 products
Wipes2 products

Contamination concerns

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Chemical
ETHYLENE OXIDE
1,4-DIOXANE

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported 'as used' concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Human any irritant - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
skin/eye/lung irritation - weight of evidence unknown/unassessedCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be persistentEnvironment Canada
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada
  • Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR)
  • Environment Canada

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.


HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG Verified® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend
WEIGHT-OF-EVIDENCE APPROACH

A product’s hazard score is not an average of the ingredients’ hazard scores. It is calculated using a weight-of-evidence approach that factors in all of the hazards or health impacts associated with the ingredients.

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability
NONE

Ingredients have not been assessed.

LIMITED-FAIR

There is only a modest volume of research.

GOOD-ROBUST

Ingredients have been studied extensively.

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

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