What it is
- EU register name (INCI)
- SODIUM LACTATE
- CAS number
- 72-17-3 / 867-56-1
- EC number
- 200-772-0 / 212-762-3
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Sodium Lactate in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.
- Buffering
-
Keeps the product’s pH (how acidic it is) steady.
Register definition: “Stabilising the pH of an aqueous medium in a narrow range even if an acid or base is added. Altering and/or maintaining a cosmetic product's pH at the desired level.”
- Humectant
-
Holds water in the product and on the surface it touches. Glycerin, honey and aloe are common humectants on curly-hair labels.
Register definition: “Retaining and/or preserving the moisture in a product during use.”
- Keratolytic
-
Helps loosen the dead cells of the skin’s outer layer. Salicylic acid in scalp products carries this role.
Register definition: “Helping to eliminate the dead cells of the stratum corneum.”
Where it sits on each label
US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.
- Shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Shampoos without it
- Clarifying shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Rinse-out conditioners 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
Every label, product by product (5)
- Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Shampoo Shampoo 40th of 41 names
- OLAPLEX No.4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 42nd of 55 names
- Cécred Hydrating Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 43rd of 50 names
- Kristin Ess Moisture Rich Curl Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 36th of 41 names
- Innersense Organic Beauty Hydrating Hair Mask Deep conditioner 27th of 54 names
Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.
Your next step
Other buffering ingredients on these labels
- Citric Acid 93 labels
- Sodium Hydroxide 25 labels
- Aminomethyl Propanol 15 labels
- Lactic Acid 12 labels
- Acetic Acid 7 labels
- Sodium Acetate 7 labels
- Disodium Phosphate 6 labels
- Sodium Phosphate 5 labels
Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.