Sodium Laurate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an anionic surfactant and cleansing agent, most often used to create foam and remove oil in bar soaps, solid cleansers, and high-pH wash products.
What does Sodium Laurate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an anionic surfactant and cleansing agent, most often used to create foam and remove oil in bar soaps, solid cleansers, and high-pH wash products.
Is Sodium Laurate clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally accepted and not a common restricted-list ingredient. Its main tradeoff is skin feel, since strong cleansing and alkaline formulas can be drying or irritating for some users, especially on the face or around the eyes.
Is Sodium Laurate sustainable?
It is usually made from plant-derived fatty feedstocks such as coconut or palm-kernel oil, so traceability matters where palm derivatives are involved. It is readily biodegradable and is not associated with persistence or bioaccumulation concerns.
Is Sodium Laurate COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS natural and organic finished products when made from allowed fatty feedstocks and approved alkali chemistry. Its Green Chemistry profile is solid on biodegradability and renewable sourcing, with the main caveat being feedstock traceability.
How does Sodium Laurate work chemically?
The molecule is a 12-carbon saturated fatty-acid carboxylate paired with a sodium counterion, which gives it strong anionic surface activity and good foam in alkaline systems. It is most stable and soluble at higher pH, can lose performance in hard water through insoluble salt formation, and is commonly balanced with amphoteric or nonionic surfactants to soften skin feel.
Last updated 2026-05-13