Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Is sodium lauryl sulfate classified as o/w emulsifying agent?

  • Is sodium lauryl sulfate classified as o/w emulsifying agent?

    Posted by carplgrower on December 7, 2018 at 5:43 am

    Emulsifying Wax BP is contains;
    Cetearyl alcohol and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.

    And on the description it says;
    Emulsifying Wax BP is a It’s very effective in emulsifying water and oil phases in creams, butters, and can be used in place of Emulsifying Wax NF, which is a U.S. standardised product which may not be easily available in Europe.

    Can sodium lauryl sulfate be used as emulsifying agent for o/w emulsions?

    em88 replied 5 years, 11 months ago 6 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • EVchem

    Member
    December 7, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    I haven’t used it specifically for emulsifying, but technically it could work.. I would also expect it to foam unless the oils or silicones in your formula overwhelm it. There’s probably better options if you aren’t trying to make some kind of cleanser

  • OldPerry

    Member
    December 7, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    I believe any surfactant that can create micelles has the potential to be an emulsifier. In fact, SLS works as a detergent because it “emulsifies” the oils that are on the surface of hair and skin. It’s just that there are better options because (among other things) SLS is irritating and not something you want to leave on the skin for long.

  • DAS

    Member
    December 7, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    Yes, as Perry says it is irritant so the use you can give to an ewax made with SLES is limited, I wouldn’t use anionics on leave-on products. But there are good applications to it. Read this discussion.

  • Doreen

    Member
    December 8, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Isn’t that Lanette W from BASF? It’s a much used anionic emulsifier blend in pharmacies here for indifferent creams (= without pharmaceutical substance). This is a standardized recipe here:

    15% Cetearyl Alcohol + SLS (Lanette W)
    20% Decyl Oleate (Cetiol V)
    4% Sorbitol 70% non cryst.
    0,15% sorbic acid
    aqua purificata ad 100

    (this one is called Lanette I , all standard/basic ‘indifferent’ creams here are named after their emulsifier(s).)

    This is Lanette II:

    24% Lanette W
    16% Cetiol V
    4% Sorbitol 70% non cryst.
    0,15% sorbic acid
    aqua purificata ad 100

  • carplgrower

    Member
    December 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    thank you for your replies. I don’t think to use it. I only ask for learning:)

  • Doreen

    Member
    December 9, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    No problem! :+1: :)

  • em88

    Member
    December 10, 2018 at 9:58 am

    BASF han an other similar blend called Lanette N or Colliphor CSA  (Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate) and Lanette SX which is Lanette N + Lanette W.

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