Magnesium Laureth Sulfate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an anionic surfactant used primarily for cleansing and foam in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It helps lift oil and soil while contributing viscosity and a creamy lather when paired with amphoteric surfactants.
What does Magnesium Laureth Sulfate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an anionic surfactant used primarily for cleansing and foam in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It helps lift oil and soil while contributing viscosity and a creamy lather when paired with amphoteric surfactants.
Is Magnesium Laureth Sulfate clean?
From a clean-beauty lens, it gets scrutiny because it is ethoxylated, so tight supplier controls are expected for residual 1,4-dioxane and unreacted ethylene oxide. It can be drying or irritating at higher active levels, although the divalent counterion and blending with milder co-surfactants can improve skin feel.
Is Magnesium Laureth Sulfate sustainable?
The fatty chain is typically sourced from coconut or palm-kernel oil, sometimes petrochemical feedstock, while the ethoxylate portion is generally petrochemical. It is expected to biodegrade more readily than silicone or fluorinated materials, but palm-linked sourcing and surfactant aquatic load make supplier traceability and wastewater treatment relevant.
Is Magnesium Laureth Sulfate COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not permitted in COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic formulas because the ethoxylation step and petrochemical ethylene oxide are outside the standard’s preferred chemistry. Green Chemistry alignment is mixed: efficient cleansing and biodegradability are positives, while non-renewable input and ethoxylation-residue controls are drawbacks.
How does Magnesium Laureth Sulfate work chemically?
The molecule is an anionic ether it built from a C12-rich fatty alcohol chain, a short polyoxyethylene spacer, a it head group, and a divalent counterion. It is usually supplied as an aqueous surfactant solution and performs best in mildly acidic to neutral cleansers, with viscosity and irritation profile strongly shaped by salt level, amphoteric co-surfactants, and total active matter.
Last updated 2026-05-16