Mild cleansers with 'sulfate-free' surfactants

In the personal care industry, there is an ever-increasing demand for milder, naturally derived ingredients that has been driving the selection of raw materials globally. In addition, there remains a focus within the industry to find alternatives to sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium lauryl ether sulfate. 

The reasons for the shift towards sulfate-free mostly arises from reports of skin irritation due to exposure to both of these sulfate based surfactants.1 To facilitate the move to using alternatives to alkyl sulfates and alkyl ether sulfates, Innospec have developed a wide range of chemistries based on both (alkyl) acyl amino acids and acyl (methyl) isethionate chemistries to improve skin mildness in formulations (Table 1).

The drive towards sulfate-free started over 15 years ago when concerns were raised in an internet blog over the use of alkyl and alkyl ether sulfates in personal care products. Over the past ten years, consumer concern has continued to grow significantly causing market leaders to launch an ever-increasing number of sulfate-free formulations to both the consumer and professional personal care markets. One key thing to remember: economics will never be the driving factor in the journey to develop sulfate-free formulations.