What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Dodecanoic acid, methyl-2-sulfoethyl ester, sodium salt (1:1).”
- EU register name (INCI)
- SODIUM LAUROYL METHYL ISETHIONATE
- CAS number
- -
- EC number
- -
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate 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.
- Cleansing
-
The register’s general role for ingredients that help clean, from washing ingredients to some plant extracts.
Register definition: “Helping to keep the body surface clean.”
- Cleansing surfactant
-
The washing ingredients: they let water lift oil, product and dirt off hair and scalp. Shampoos list them near the top; some conditioners hold a little.
Register definition: “Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).”
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 2 labels First five names: 1 of 2 Shampoos without it
- Clarifying shampoos 2 labels First five names: 2 of 2 Clarifying shampoos without it
Every label, product by product (4)
- OLAPLEX No.4 Bond Maintenance Strengthening Shampoo Shampoo 2nd of 78 names
- Innersense Organic Beauty Hydrating Cream Hairbath Shampoo 9th of 35 names
- OLAPLEX No.4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 2nd of 55 names
- Bounce Curl Gentle Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 2nd of 31 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 cleansing ingredients on these labels
- Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate 19 labels
- Decyl Glucoside 17 labels
- Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract 12 labels
- Coco-Glucoside 6 labels
- Ceteareth-20 5 labels
- Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate 5 labels
- Lauryl Glucoside 5 labels
- Stearic Acid 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.