In recent months there has been a myth making its way around the net that sodium laureth sulfate causes cancer. At some level that is probably true. It is also probably true that if you poke yourself in the eye every day with a bratwurst, after 20 or 30 years the affected area will become cancerous. Other than that, the rumor is nothing more than that, rumor, with no basis in reality or science. Sodium laureth sulfate is a surfactant. Its purpose in shampoo is to act as a cleaning agent and to create bubbles. It is one of the gentlest chemicals on the market today and one of the more expensive too. It is infinitely safer than ammonium laurel sulfate, the most common surfactant, which is used primarily by grocery store level shampoos because it is cheap and creates more than a ton of bubbles.



Although no one seems to know for sure who started the rumor, it is commonly believed that the rumor was created and spread by companies that make grocery store shampoos. This is a desperate effort to combat the huge losses their products are taking as more and more people switch to professional salon lines.

Aside from the point that this is an awfully sick and probably illegal tactic, the sad thing is that instead of spreading such vicious gossip, all these companies had to do to regain their market share is to replace their cheap ingredients with good ones. They could even advertise the improvement as such and charge more money, thus increasing their profits. Some companies just never learn.