First off, let’s shed the abbreviated lingo (for now). SLS stands for “Sodium Lauryl Sulfate” or “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”. Words you’ve seen and heard, I’m sure. But did you ever stop to ask yourself, “Why don’t I want these in my health and beauty products?” As far as chemicals go, they don’t sound so bad – the words sort of just roll right off the tongue. We’re starting to see “SLS free” or “No Sodium Lauryl Sulfates” pop up on labels. You’ll even find this on the JOON label. Go figure.
Well, here’s a little primer that will help you better understand why you may choose to avoid them. SLSs are often found in shampoos, body washes because they make your products foam really well. And, who wants shampoo that doesn’t foam, right? As an aside, I remember working for an ad agency years ago and one of our clients was a large packaged goods company. I won’t disclose the name of the company, but there are only a few really big ones. Anyway, they were coming out with a new body wash that they believed could be the “Nike of body washes”. I didn’t make that up. A brand manager from the company seriously let those words fall out of his mouth. It’s hard to stifle that laugh in a meeting:-) Getting back to the point…we did a lot of focus groups with women and one thing that we heard repeatedly was that they all wanted a body wash that was really “foamy”, “sudsy”. It made them feel that the product was effective and doing its job of cleaning them. This was over 10 years ago and SLS-free was not part of anyone’s lexicon back then. My point…as consumers, we actually like SLSs without even thinking about what’s actually making these products foam and never asking ourselves if it’s really the foam that’s actually making us clean. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.
When we started JOON and were in product development, one of our strict mandates was NO SLSs, but I have to admit that we had a hard time making our products sudsy. In fact, our Happy Face Wash is a non-foaming product. (We don’t believe that young girls need harsh foaming agents on their delicate skin.) We don’t believe that the suds make you clean, but people are simply used to that idea and if we took that away, well, I think a lot of people would simply turn to a conventional product that did what they expected. Our body washes don’t lather like Dial or Dove or Herbal Essences washes, but they work and they’re safe. That’s what we set out to create – safe and effective products.
Back to SLSs and whether or not they’re good or bad. There has been lots of debate. You can find studies that say that in small doses, SLSs don’t cause any health issues. But you’ll also find studies, such as one reported in the Journal of the American College of Toxicology, that say otherwise. They report that this ingredient has a “degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties.” Furthermore, ”high levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentrations.” Call me crazy, but that doesn’t sound like a good thing.
Following are some facts that will allow you to decide whether or not SLSs are good or bad. (bear in mind…all of the information out there isn’t necessarily bad)
Some studies have indicated that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact.
Other research suggest that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate may actually be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin.
Although it is not carcinogenic in experimental studies, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes in the area of the skin that it has been applied. (Perhaps this warrants further research? I’m just saying.)
If you Google SLSs (Sodium Lauryl Sulfates or Sodium Laureth Sulfates), you’ll find some scary information and lots of information indicating that it’s not such a bad thing when used/applied in small doses. Here’s where I stand. There is enough research on these chemicals to make me think twice. When it comes to the health of my children, both present and future, I don’t want to take a chance. I’ve weighed the good and the bad and I’ve obviously taken a side on this debate. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t just listen to me, for God’s sake!:-) I think it’s important for this conversation to exist outside of the scientific community or even the cosmetics industry. And, we should know what it means when a label says “Sodium Lauryl Sulfate free” or “NO SLSs”.
