Dear anonymous777-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.
In order to answer your question, I direct you to this document
wherein an independent organization called the Cosmetic Ingredient
Review (CIR) (an independent panel comprised of a seven expert members
in the fields of dermatology, pharmacology, chemistry, and toxicology)
reported their findings regarding the safety of these substances:
Taken from: SLS ALERT
http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsalert.html
The report says in part:
“Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are cosmetic
detergents that exert emulsifying action…these two ingredients produce
eye and/or skin irritation in experimental animals and in some human
test subjects; irritation may occur in some users of cosmetic
formulations containing the ingredients under consideration. The
irritant effects are similar to those produced by other detergents,
and the severity of the irritation appears to increase directly with
concentration. However, Sodium and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate have not
evoked adverse responses in any other toxicologic testing.”
“It is recognized that Sodium and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate may induce
eye and skin irritation. However, on the basis of the available
information, the Panel concludes that Sodium Laureth Sulfate and
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are not as safe as presently used in
cosmetic products in amounts over 2%.. Most consumer products contain
more than 20% of sls.”
These finding were published in the “Journal of the American College
of Toxicology”, Volume 2, Number 5, pp. 1-34, 1983.
The Review goes on to say, in part:
“Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate are irritants in
patch testing at concentrations of 2 percent and greater, and that
irritation increases with ingredient concentration…”
“The longer these ingredients stay in contact with the skin, the
greater the likelihood of irritation…”
“Although Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is not carcinogenic in experimental
animals, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes to
the area of the skin of mice to which it was applied.”
“…studies of rat skin treated with radiolabelled Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
found heavy deposition of the detergent on the skin surface and in the
hair follicles; damage to the hair follicle could result from such
deposition.”
“Further, it has been reported that 1 percent and 5 percent Sodium
Lauryl Sulfate produced significant number of comedones when applied
to the pinna of albino rabbits. These two problems - possible hair
loss and comedone formation - along with proven irritancy…”
“Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate appear to pose less
potential hazard when in products designed for brief, discontinuous
use, following which they are thoroughly rinsed from the surface of
the skin. However, consumers who use these products daily and are
exposed at much higher rates, thus increasing the cumulative effect of
using these chemicals.”
“…the reports also are in agreement that this is a chemical that
should be reduced, reformulated or taken out of the products in public
consumption products.”
These findings were also published in the “Journal of the American
College of Toxicology”, Volume 2, Number 7, pp. 127-181, 1983.
Clearly then, if your term “harsh” refers to potential irritation and
damage to the skin and the hair follicle, both Sodium Laureth Sulfate
and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate have been found to pose roughly the same
potential threat as the other in terms of “harshness”, while neither
has been found to be nearly as harsh as either Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
or Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, which again are relatively equal in terms
of “harshness”. Regardless of what you may have read, heard or been
told by labels, manufacturers or retailers, this information, in the
form of a formal, independent toxicology report has been published by
one of the most eminent toxicology journals in existence.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
HEALTHY COMMUNICATIONS - SLS ALERT
http://www.healthy-communications.com/slsalert.html
JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE OF TOXICOLOGY
http://www.aromaleigh.com/finreponsafa.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
“Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
“Ammonium Laureth Sulfate”
“Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
“Ammonium Laureth Sulfate”
Toxicology “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
Toxicology “Ammonium Laureth Sulfate”
Toxicology “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
Toxicology “Ammonium Laureth Sulfate”
Hazards “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
Hazards “Ammonium Laureth Sulfate”
Hazards “Sodium Laureth Sulfate”
Hazards “Ammonium Laureth Sulfate” |
Clarification of Answer by
tutuzdad-ga
on
23 Jan 2003 06:40 PST
Dear anonymous777-ga;
Again, according to the “Journal of the American College of
Toxicology" two of these chemical components are virtually alike in
terms of harshness while the second two are almost like the other as
well.
Based on the information I read on the second source I provided for
you, if I had to list them in single order, 1 (being least harsh) to
(4 being most harsh) the list would look like this:
1. Sodium Laureth Sulfate
2. Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
4. Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
I tend to agree also with the statement by "tehuti-ga" below. It seems
that as "lauryl" is transformed into "laureth" it also looses some of
it irritating properties. This places the "laureths" higher on the
desirability scale than the "lauryls". While sodium (in this case)
refers to a mild surfactant, ammonium is (in this case) little more
than an acid detergent. So you see, what ultimately determines how
tempered these chemical are is how much of the sodium or ammonium is
actually used (percentage, ratio, parts per, or whatever)and whether
or not it has been married up with a lauryl or laureth.
Just to recap, I derived my information from a widely respected
journal. I too have seen some claims to the contrary but almost all of
the sites I saw were sites that were either old (prior to the studies
I offered) or they are owned and operated by a biased retailer or
manufacturer whose claims and motives I tend to question.
Regards;
tutuzsdad-ga
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