Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

TL;DR. This ingredient is a mild anionic surfactant used to cleanse, create foam, and improve rinse feel in face washes, shampoos, body washes, and toothpaste.

What does Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is a mild anionic surfactant used to cleanse, create foam, and improve rinse feel in face washes, shampoos, body washes, and toothpaste.

Is Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate clean?

Clean-beauty frameworks generally view it as a well-tolerated alternative to harsher sulfate-based surfactants, with irritation mainly tied to concentration and overall formula design. Quality control should manage residual reactants and nitrosating-agent incompatibilities.

Is Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate sustainable?

This material is commonly made from a C12 fatty acid source, often coconut or palm kernel, combined with an amino-acid-derived component. It is readily biodegradable, with the main sustainability question being traceable fatty-acid sourcing, especially where palm-derived inputs are used.

Is Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate COSMOS-approved?

It is generally permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when made from approved natural-origin feedstocks and compliant processing. Its Green Chemistry profile is favorable because it uses renewable fatty-acid inputs, works in water-based systems, and biodegrades readily.

How does Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate work chemically?

The molecule is an amphiphilic N-acyl amino acid salt, with a C12 hydrophobe and a carboxylate-containing polar head that gives strong cleansing with comparatively mild skin feel. It is often used around 1% to 10% active in rinse-off formulas, performs best near pH 5 to 8, and can lose solubility if the formula is acidified too far.

Last updated 2026-05-13