SOS, it has SLS! : Why You Should Consider Cutting Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Out of Your Daily Routine

Ahh the pesky little ingredient that happens to be in ALMOST ALL bathroom products, that is also a well-known skin irritant. The irony, I know.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is a detergent and surfactant, meaning it is a cleansing agent and it stabilizes mixtures of oil and water. These do not seem to be negative traits, but this ingredient in particular is know for stripping the skin of its natural oils and causing dryness or even severe reactions. This is most certainly the case for myself, due to my penchant for perioral dermatitis. I have flare-ups of milia (tiny subdermal bumps) and redness all over my face when I am exposed to SLS.

Now, what kinds of products have SLS?

SLS is in almost all flouride toothpastes, the majority of shampoos and conditioners, the majority of body washes, and sometimes even in makeup and skincare products. Additionally, when it is present in these products, SLS is almost always one of the very first ingredients listed, meaning there is a high percentage of the product made up by this irritant.

So, if this ingredient is so clearly bad for the skin, why are companies still using it so frequently?

First, it is cheap and abundant.

Second, since it is mostly found in things that we use in our bathrooms during our morning and nighttime routines, it is assumed that these products are only used to cleanse our bodies momentarily, and therefore, will not have contact with the skin for very long periods of time. However, considering the fact that SLS not only irritates the top layer of skin, but is also known to be able to penetrate the skin, it seems to me that manufacturers are covering their a**es with this one.

How do I know that it is the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and not the other ingredients in the products, causing these reactions? It all points to toothpaste.

Personal Storytime:

When I was first diagnosed with having perioral dermatitis, I was told that I had to lay off of whitening toothpastes (RIP to my beloved Colgate Optic White) and fluoride toothpastes. I immediately switched to natural alternatives, and was shocked at just how poorly most of the natural toothpastes on the market performed. I tried Tom's of Maine, my mouth didn't feel clean. I tried Burt's Bees, my teeth had a grittiness left over after brushing. I tried Hello, it felt like the product was doing absolutely nothing after a while. I was so furious because not only was my mouth not feeling clean enough, but it also looked as though my teeth were getting more and more yellow. This was not normal for me, I had always had very white teeth naturally.

I felt as though I had to choose between the health of my teeth and the health of my skin. I had no choice but to bounce back and forth between the irritating fluoride toothpastes and the seemingly useless natural toothpastes, just to give my face a break sometimes.

This is when I found a brand called Biotène. This brand caught my eye because they seemed to have the only fluoride toothpaste on the market that does not contain SLS. I HAD to try it to see if it was really the fluoride in the toothpaste that was causing my skin problems.

I found that Biotène did not irritate my skin at all! It was in fact the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in the other brands that was exacerbating my condition. This just goes to show that SLS is not as necessary of an ingredient as the market makes it out to be.

Going forward, I would love to see more brands release SLS-free formulas of the products that we all know and love. Unlike toothpaste, there are plenty of sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner formulas on the market, but many of them leave your hair feeling greasy and weighed down by product. Customers should not have to sacrifice the quality of their daily self-care products when they switch to less irritating formulas. Additionally, people with sensitive skin should always have options to choose from.

With more widespread knowledge of harmful ingredients like SLS, manufacturers will feel more pressure to reformulate and make their products not only more appealing to customers, but more inclusive as well.