Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a strong anionic surfactant used for cleansing, foam building, and oil removal in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It gives dense lather and a high-detergency feel, often paired with milder amphoteric or nonionic surfactants to soften the skin feel.
What does Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a strong anionic surfactant used for cleansing, foam building, and oil removal in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It gives dense lather and a high-detergency feel, often paired with milder amphoteric or nonionic surfactants to soften the skin feel.
Is Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is acceptable in many formulas but has friction because it can feel stripping or irritating at higher use levels, especially in leave-on or sensitive-skin products. It is not ethoxylated, so 1,4-dioxane is not the usual concern, but overall mildness depends heavily on concentration and the surfactant blend.
Is Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate sustainable?
This material is commonly made from petrochemical or mixed-origin alpha-olefin feedstocks, though renewable routes may exist depending on supplier. It is generally considered readily biodegradable, with lower persistence concerns than many non-biodegradable conditioning polymers or silicones.
Is Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not a straightforward fit for COSMOS-organic or COSMOS-natural when made from petrochemical feedstocks, and approval would depend on documented renewable origin and compliant processing. From a Green Chemistry lens, its biodegradability is a positive, while synthetic feedstock origin and strong aquatic surfactant activity create some compromise.
How does Sodium C14-16 Olen Sulfonate work chemically?
The molecule is a mixture of anionic alkene it and hydroxyalkane it salts in the C14 to C16 range, giving high foaming and strong detergency across a broad pH range. It is typically used in rinse-off cleansers at low-to-mid single digit percentages as active matter within a surfactant system, where amphoteric co-surfactants and polymers can reduce irritation potential and improve feel.
Last updated 2026-05-14