SLS and SLES in Cleansers: Using Zerotox to Explore Alternatives
Explore where sodium lauryl sulfate and SLES appear in cleansers and shampoos. Use Zerotox for surfactant safety analysis and ingredient breakdowns.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not provide medical, diagnostic, treatment, legal, or regulatory advice and is not a substitute for professional judgment. It does not evaluate, endorse, or criticize any specific product, brand, or company. Safety and regulatory views described here are based on population-level data available at the time of writing and may change as new evidence or laws emerge.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are common surfactants in many cleansers and shampoos. Some users prefer to reduce their use of these ingredients, while others are comfortable with them.
Finding SLS / SLES in Zerotox
Search for your everyday cleansers and check the ingredient section for SLS and SLES. Zerotox will show their severity labels and count them into the overall score. You can then search for alternatives in the same category with higher scores and different surfactant systems.
No single ingredient tells the whole story of a product, but seeing where these surfactants appear can support more deliberate choices.