Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Decode Label flags Sodium Laureth Sulfate as a low concern in cosmetics and personal care (skin irritant). It appears in 19 of the 893 published products we have analysed (2.1%).
The concern
Surfactant — can irritate sensitive skin; may carry a 1,4-dioxane impurity
SLES is a cleansing agent that is milder than SLS but can still irritate very sensitive or compromised skin. Separately, because it is made by ethoxylation, it may carry a residue of 1,4-dioxane, which IARC classifies as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). The ingredient list cannot show whether any is present or how much. The EU SCCS considers 1,4-dioxane at or below 10 ppm in a finished cosmetic to be safe, and manufacturers reduce it by vacuum stripping.
Most relevant to
How common it is in this catalogue
Measured across every product Decode Label has analysed — not estimated, and not taken from anyone else's dataset.
By category
Hazard classification
The concern is the ethoxylation by-product 1,4-dioxane (IARC Group 2B, possibly carcinogenic to humans), not SLES itself; the ingredient list cannot show whether any is present. SCCS's target trace level is ≤10 ppm in finished product; vacuum-stripping during manufacture reduces it.
Identity
- Canonical name
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- CAS number
- 9004-82-4
Also appears on labels as
Questions
Is Sodium Laureth Sulfate safe?
EU: SCCS Opinion SCCS/1570/15 — 1,4-dioxane trace impurity, ≤10 ppm considered safe. Why it is flagged: Surfactant — can irritate sensitive skin; may carry a 1,4-dioxane impurity. Decode Label treats it as a low concern in cosmetics and personal care. It appears in 19 of the 893 published products we have analysed (2.1%).
How common is Sodium Laureth Sulfate in Indian packaged products?
Decode Label found Sodium Laureth Sulfate in 19 of 893 published products (2.1%), most often in Haircare, Bath & Body.
Which authorities have classified Sodium Laureth Sulfate?
EU — SCCS Opinion SCCS/1570/15 — 1,4-dioxane trace impurity, ≤10 ppm considered safe.
Who should be most careful with Sodium Laureth Sulfate?
People prone to allergies; People with sensitive skin.
Products containing Sodium Laureth Sulfate
19 published products, each with its own full analysis.
Related ingredients
Other entries in the register with the same kind of concern.
Method and limits
- Prevalence counts published products whose decoded ingredient list matches this substance or one of its label synonyms, using the same matching the score itself uses. It describes our catalogue of 893 products, not the Indian market as a whole.
- Presence is not dose. An ingredient list gives order, not quantity, unless the pack declares a percentage. Nothing here estimates how much of this substance any product contains.
- A classification is not a verdict on a product. An agency classifies a substance under defined conditions of exposure; whether that matters in a given food or cosmetic depends on route, concentration and use.
- No regulatory rows. This substance is not matched in our regulatory warehouse, so the concern above rests on the cited authority alone.
- Last updated. This register entry was last changed on 2 October 2026.
- Corrections. Every figure here is reproducible from the sources named. If something is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and say what changed.