The Skinny on: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

This is the first in a series of posts which are extracts from my 'The Skinny' newsletters over the years:

Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, or SLS as it’s commonly known, is a surfactant that began its career as an industrial degreaser. It has powerful wetting and foaming properties and is extremely cheap.

It’s availability and low price made it a popular choice for the personal care industry. It is now found in shampoos, body washes and toothpastes.

Recent research suggested that SLS is not as safe as manufacturers lead consumers to believe. Studies showed that due to its low molecular weight, it could be easily absorbed into the skin. Other studies suggested that it could build up in the heart, liver and brain and cause major problems in these organs. Also of concern was comments that SLS caused improper eye development in young children.

Companies such as Neways and Amway made the most of these claims and introduced products that were SLS free. Statements were made of the  dangers of SLS in our products.

I have yet to be convinced of any of these claims. Many of the studies used massive amounts of concentrated product to try to prove it was irritating and dangerous. Huge amounts of concentrated soap can be irritating and dangerous!

Nevertheless, I choose not to use SLS, or ALS (Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate) or any of their derivatives such as SLeS (Sodium Laureth Sulphate). These are cheap and harsh surfactants that I don’t believe are the best option for use in my products.

I use a variety of very gentle coconut and sugar based surfactants such as Cocobetaine, Polyglucose and Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI).

I also use other products to make the formula even more mild, such as Almond Glycerides and Glucose Cocoate.

Check the labels of even the highest price shampoos and you’ll find SLS is a major ingredient.

Why then is the product so expensive when the main ingredient is one of the cheapest available?

The answer is simple. The major brands have enormous marketing and advertising budgets that need endless funds. These advertising campaigns are simply to try to gain a larger market share. The actual ingredients make up the lowest cost in their production costs.

I keep my prices low because my margins are low.

My ingredients are the major component of my production costs, not packaging or advertising.

Read the label and choose the gentler alternatives.

Ingredients

I'll be starting a series of posts on my blog about the different ingredients that I use in Skinflint products. Some you may have already read in previous issues of 'The Skinny', but I do think they're worth repeating.
We're bombarded all the time with advertisements for 'miracle creams', and products with names like 'Miracle Lift'.
I'm appalled when I read all the ridiculous promises that are made by the advertisers of cosmetic products. Statements such as, ' complete lifting action', 're-meshing support' and wrinkle-releasing'.
Then follows the percentages: '88% more defined contours' etc. etc. These dubious statistics are self evaluated with no controls at all. Even the laboratory run testing uses a control with absolutely no moisturiser, so is able to state that the skin with the miracle cream is softer, smoother and wrinkles are less-defined. Well, duh... You can slather anything on and your skin will look better than it does without moisturiser!

So, to help you sift through all the non facts and the real facts, I'll attempt to break down the information on some of the ingredients in the cosmetic industry so that you can make an informed decision. Advertising tells only one part of the story, you need to hear it from the other side.

RRR Network News

I'm thrilled to have been asked to contribute an article about Skinflint to the RRR Network News. My story has appeared in the Spring edition and can be downloaded here

So many people came up at the Newdegate Field Days after seeing the article, it was great to note everyone's interest.

It's interesting to read all the other stories in the Network News. So many clever women, I'm honoured to be amongst them!