Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and SLES or Sodium Laureth Sulfate were proven to cause irritations on hair and skin. Prolonged use may mean more susceptibility to adverse effects. Yet, no studies ever prove that they are carcinogenic. Johnson's Baby shampoo is one trusted brand that makes use of SLES and their shampoo has milder, safer version.

Recently, a lot of health conscious consumers, particularly parents have become so concerned with ingredients in shampoos that may possibly harm their little ones. One of the ingredients that has been the subject of distress of many is known as the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Is the chemical really hazardous? Or is it just having its own share of erroneous information?

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate indeed is a chemical component commonly mixed in many of the personal care products such as shampoos, bath soaps, shower baths, and gels. The SLS is also a typical ingredient of household cleaning agents like dish washing liquids and detergent soaps. Its variation and sister chemical, SLES or Sodium Laureth Sulfate generally is applied in many skin and health care essentials such as baby shampoos.

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) assessed the Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. CIR is a group specialized in comprehensive, impartial evaluation and analysis of safety of the components and ingredients of commercial products. The organization formed a team consisting of seven experts to complete the SLS reviews. The team has experts in various fields including toxicology, pharmacology, dermatology, and chemistry. The CIR discovered SLS to be safe, although it will have to perform more assessments and tests for absolute resolution on the chemical's safety.

According to the team's review, Sodium Laureth Sulfate as well as SLS can virtually take away natural oil and dirt from human skin and hair. This is mainly because these two ingredients deliver high emulsification activities. These ingredients proved to be the source of skin and eye irritations. It was found out that those irritations were the same as those given off by other cosmetic detergents. Moreover, the gravity of the irritations seems to intensify with the ingredient dilution. These chemicals however, have not induced harmful reactions in any other toxicological experimentation.

Centered on the experts' information, the Sodium Laureth Sulfate certainly is not safe for use in products if it totals greater than 2%. However, many cosmetic and household products today have 10 to 20% of SLS. These ingredients offer fewer possible dangers when products are used for shorter episodes and are washed meticulously from the skin's surface. Yet, if babies use the products everyday, they are more prone to mounting the effect of these ingredients.

The American College of Toxicology almost has the same results as CIR. Allergies and irritations magnify with concentration of SLS. It was known that the probability of irritations is higher when the chemicals reside in the human skin for extended periods. The testing shows that there was extreme transformation of the mice's epidermis to which SLS was put. However, the study does not prove that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can cause cancer.

Johnson's baby shampoo has been one of the most favorite and trusted brands for babies throughout the decades. Its no more tears formulation is so gentle that it does not irritate the baby's eyes. However, Johnson's baby shampoos along with many of its consumer products contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate. The company makes use of the ingredient because the US Food and Drug Administration approved the application of it in products. Sodium Laureth Sulfate actually is made from coconut oil, which goes through the ethoxylation process. Ingredients then are added to make the shampoos soluble by water. It's so gentle and non-irritant that many ophthalmologists even recommend Johnson's baby shampoo to be adopted as eyelid scrubs or cleansers by patients having eye infections.