SLS and SLES, what exactly is that?
SLS : Sodium lauryl sulphate
SLES : Sodium laureth sulphate
SLS is a cleanser, a soap, a detergent. It removes grease and impurities. Sulphates also make your detergent, shower gel or soap lather up nicely. Of course, there are different types of sulphates and soaps. SLS is a harsh, irritating and drying substance.
SLES is practically the same as SLS, only slightly milder. It is less irritating, but it is also added to products to make them lather. However, if you have sensitive skin, you should be careful with SLES. Whether it irritates your skin depends largely on the concentration in the product.
Both SLS and SLES are surfactants. These are substances that can be used in combination with water to dissolve oil or grease. So you can use surfactants to cleanse your skin. Because surfactants lower surface tension, they create foam and make products easier to spread.
However, a disadvantage of surfactants is that they easily dissolve not only sebum and dirt, but also natural skin fats. This disrupts the skin's barrier function and can leave you with dry, flaky and dehydrated skin. You may also experience pimples and redness.
Despite all the negative reports about SLS, there is no evidence that it is carcinogenic or toxic. It can be irritating because it is common nowadays to irritate small pieces of skin with this substance to measure the softening effect of new cosmetic ingredients. SLS breaks down the outer layer of the skin, even in very low concentrations, which is why it is sometimes used to allow other active ingredients to penetrate deeper into the skin.
You can find all these silicone/paraben/SLS/SLES-free products at Eslabondexx Clean Care.
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