Sodium Myreth Sulfate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is an anionic cleansing surfactant that builds foam and removes oil and soil in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It also helps create an easy-rinse lather when paired with amphoteric surfactants.
What does Sodium Myreth Sulfate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is an anionic cleansing surfactant that builds foam and removes oil and soil in shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers. It also helps create an easy-rinse lather when paired with amphoteric surfactants.
Is Sodium Myreth Sulfate clean?
From a clean-beauty lens, it faces scrutiny because it is a it cleanser and is made through ethoxylation, which requires tight control of residual ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane. It can be more drying or sting-prone than milder nonionic or amino-acid surfactants, especially at higher active levels.
Is Sodium Myreth Sulfate sustainable?
This material is typically made from fatty alcohol feedstocks that can be palm, coconut, or petrochemical derived, then modified with petrochemical ethylene oxide and sulfation. It is expected to be readily biodegradable, but sourcing transparency and trace-residue control are the main sustainability and process-quality questions.
Is Sodium Myreth Sulfate COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not permitted in COSMOS organic or natural formulas because ethoxylated ingredients sit outside the standard’s allowed chemistry. Green Chemistry alignment is mixed: good biodegradability and efficient cleansing are offset by petrochemical input and possible trace process residues.
How does Sodium Myreth Sulfate work chemically?
The molecule is a sodium salt of a sulfated ethoxylated C14 fatty alcohol, giving it a negatively charged it head and a hydrophobic alkyl tail. It is commonly formulated at roughly 2 to 10% active matter in rinse-off systems, is stable around mildly acidic to neutral cleanser pH, and is often blended with betaines or nonionics to reduce irritation and tune viscosity.
Last updated 2026-05-16