Is there any difference between sodium lauryl sulphate and ammonium lauryl sulphate?
Although they have similar names, have similar functions and can both be extracted from the same plant source of coconut oil, these two ingredients are quite different. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is an anionic surfactant used as a cleanser and foaming agent in a wide range of shampoos, bubble-baths, liquid soaps and toothpastes. It is a known skin irritant and may cause sensitisation when used over a period of time. The molecular structure of SLS is small enough to allow it to penetrate to the lower layers of the skin where it is most irritating. Ammonium lauryl sulphate (ALS) is also an anionic surfactant used as a cleansing foaming agent but has a different molecular structure. This difference means that the ALS molecule is much larger than that of SLS and so it cannot penetrate the upper layers of the skin, making it much less irritating to the skin. Green People do not use SLS at all, and only use ALS in a very few products, all of which are designed to be rinsed off shortly afte
