Sina Ghaffarnejad Ingredients Analysis
Mrs. Parsons
1/27/2015
1. What is your ingredient?
My ingredient is Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLES).
2. How is your ingredient classified in your product? (coloring agent, base, bulking agent, sunscreen or additive)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a surfactant used in shampoos.
3. Draw the general chemical structure for your ingredient.
Mrs. Parsons
1/27/2015
1. What is your ingredient?
My ingredient is Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLES).
2. How is your ingredient classified in your product? (coloring agent, base, bulking agent, sunscreen or additive)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is a surfactant used in shampoos.
3. Draw the general chemical structure for your ingredient.
4. Are there different kinds or varieties of your ingredient? (for example, there are butylparabens, ethylparabens, methylparabens and propylparabens). If so, please list them and briefly explain their differences and/or similarities.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is an anionic detergent and surfactant used as a inexpensive and very efficient foaming agent in shampoo. The main use for the chemical in cosmetics and specifically in shampoo is for its cleansing and emulsifying properties.
6. Briefly list and explain the positive aspects of this ingredient.
7. Briefly list and explain the negative aspects of this ingredient.
My product is hazardous material but is not labeled as FDA restricted or prohibited. The reason for this is because the FDA laws really aren’t strict on many chemicals and that is a great problem when it comes to the safety and health of the consumers. There isn't any laws that talk about the restriction of the chemical and therefore the amount of use for the chemical is endless for the producers.
9.What is the allowable concentration of your ingredient in your product in order to be considered "safe"?
The concentration of use that is considered “safe” for this chemical is one percent. But overtime along with constant use of this chemical, the percentages add up to create a greater percentage in your body and bloodstream. In fish and aquatic animals, sodium laureth sulfate accumulates at a rate of 7ppm(particles per minute).
10. What is your opinion of this ingredient based on what you have researched?
My opinion on the chemical, sodium laureth sulfate is that it should become prohibited from use in cosmetic products like shampoo because even though it is an inexpensive and very efficient chemical. The dangers and health risk of it are far too great for us to discard and forget. There probably is other chemicals that can do the same job that sodium laureth sulfate accomplishes in cosmetics without the hazardous components that it has right now.
11. Describe your ideal product. What would it be like?
My ideal product should definitely not include a bunch of ingredients and chemicals like the many other products that on the market right now. I would like to have it be a simple product that does one simple job, clean my hair. I would also like to have a product that softens and moisturizes my hair without making it toxic by adding a toxic chemical. I would not care what color or texture the product will have as long as it can easily be used. I would though like to have it possess a fragrance that was pleasing.
12. What qualities or characteristics do you want to test?
Some qualities that I would like to test with my product are the following.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- SLES is a concern because it can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which may cause cancer
- It can last in the environment for a long time.
- To make SLS less irritating, it is often ethoxylated (by adding ethylene oxide), resulting in the modified compound of SLES
- Both can be derived from petroleum, although there are plant-based alternatives as well.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate is an anionic detergent and surfactant used as a inexpensive and very efficient foaming agent in shampoo. The main use for the chemical in cosmetics and specifically in shampoo is for its cleansing and emulsifying properties.
6. Briefly list and explain the positive aspects of this ingredient.
- Inexpensive
- Very efficient
- Cleans and emulsifies
7. Briefly list and explain the negative aspects of this ingredient.
- Can be irritating to eyes and skin
- May contain the carcinogen dioxane
- Causes hair loss
My product is hazardous material but is not labeled as FDA restricted or prohibited. The reason for this is because the FDA laws really aren’t strict on many chemicals and that is a great problem when it comes to the safety and health of the consumers. There isn't any laws that talk about the restriction of the chemical and therefore the amount of use for the chemical is endless for the producers.
9.What is the allowable concentration of your ingredient in your product in order to be considered "safe"?
The concentration of use that is considered “safe” for this chemical is one percent. But overtime along with constant use of this chemical, the percentages add up to create a greater percentage in your body and bloodstream. In fish and aquatic animals, sodium laureth sulfate accumulates at a rate of 7ppm(particles per minute).
10. What is your opinion of this ingredient based on what you have researched?
My opinion on the chemical, sodium laureth sulfate is that it should become prohibited from use in cosmetic products like shampoo because even though it is an inexpensive and very efficient chemical. The dangers and health risk of it are far too great for us to discard and forget. There probably is other chemicals that can do the same job that sodium laureth sulfate accomplishes in cosmetics without the hazardous components that it has right now.
11. Describe your ideal product. What would it be like?
My ideal product should definitely not include a bunch of ingredients and chemicals like the many other products that on the market right now. I would like to have it be a simple product that does one simple job, clean my hair. I would also like to have a product that softens and moisturizes my hair without making it toxic by adding a toxic chemical. I would not care what color or texture the product will have as long as it can easily be used. I would though like to have it possess a fragrance that was pleasing.
12. What qualities or characteristics do you want to test?
Some qualities that I would like to test with my product are the following.
- How well it cleans hair
- How soft it makes your hair
- How good it smells