Sodium coco sulfate creates a mild foam and cleanses hair and skin; it dissolves dirt and grease effectively. Made from the fatty acids of coconut oil, it's a good palm-free alternative to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Sodium coco sulfate is a surfactant. All surfactants are partly water-soluble and partly oil-soluble, allowing oil and water to become dispersed. Above a minimum concentration, the surfactant molecules become organised in a structure that can trap the oil-based dirt from the hair, allowing it to be rinsed away.
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data behind sodium coco sulphate and concluded that these compounds were safe for use as cosmetic ingredient.
Additionally, The Cosmetic Regulations of the European Union; if derived from plants, the alkyl sulfate ingredients may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union
What are sulfates anyway?
Sulfates are a type of surfactant, the ingredient in products that makes foam, or binds together water and oil. There are many, many surfactants out there, made from all kinds of derivatives (most commonly from palm oil or petrochemicals).
We don’t use sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLeS) Surfactants are made using the fatty acids found in oils like coconut and palm. Oils contain a variety of fatty acids, like lauric, palmitic and myristic. Fatty acids differ only by how long their carbon chains are in the molecules. SLS uses lauric acid (usually from palm oil), which means it is a phenomenally effective cleanser; which can also be too effective and too harsh.
Sodium coco sulfate (SCS) is a mix of all of the fatty acids from coconut oil, including lauric, which means it is milder, but still produces that lather we want.
Don’t be fooled though - despite the name, sodium coco sulfate can be made from palm oil too… so make sure you ask your manufacturer! Of course, ours comes from coconut.
Continue reading
