Sodium Hydroxide ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a pH adjuster and neutralizing agent, used to bring formulas into the desired acidity or alkalinity range. It also supports soap-making by converting fatty acids or oils into soap salts during saponification.
What does Sodium Hydroxide do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a pH adjuster and neutralizing agent, used to bring formulas into the desired acidity or alkalinity range. It also supports soap-making by converting fatty acids or oils into soap salts during saponification.
Is Sodium Hydroxide clean?
Clean-beauty standards generally accept it when used to adjust pH, because it is not a fragrance allergen, preservative sensitizer, or restricted-list contaminant concern. Its key issue is concentration, since the raw material is strongly alkaline, while finished formulas are assessed by their final pH.
Is Sodium Hydroxide sustainable?
This material is typically made from brine through chlor-alkali electrolysis, so its footprint is tied mainly to electricity source and industrial processing efficiency. It does not persist or bioaccumulate in the usual cosmetic-use sense, because it dissociates in water and is neutralized by acids.
Is Sodium Hydroxide COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic frameworks for functions such as pH adjustment, neutralization, and soap processing. From a Green Chemistry view, it is a simple inorganic material with low persistence concerns, though its manufacture is energy-intensive and not based on renewable carbon feedstocks.
How does Sodium Hydroxide work chemically?
The molecule is an inorganic ionic base that dissociates completely in water, rapidly increasing pH and reacting with acids to form salts and water. In cosmetics it is usually used at low, formula-dependent levels to hit a target pH, and compatibility is managed by adding it slowly in aqueous phase with pH monitoring.
Last updated 2026-05-13