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Define “sulfate” and are there sulfur-free surfactants?
I tried looking online but I’ve had no luck so far.
What is the difference between a sulfate and non-sulfate surfactant? I just keep seeing ambiguous answers like “sulfates are harsher” which doesn’t help at all. Is there an actual definition for “sulfate” that differentiates it from other surfactants?
Also, I’m trying to find surfactants that haven’t had any reactions with sulfur or sulfur bi-products. Again, I haven’t had much luck just looking online aimlessly. Are there any resources that might help or suggestions or do I just have to buckle down and research every single surfactant individually to find out?
For context: I’m trying to find out by trial and error if the reason I react to sulfates and other surfactants is because they have had reactions with sulfur. My family and I all have sulfur allergies/issues.
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8 Replies
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You react to Sulfur? The element S with an atomic number 16? It’s an essential element ion all living organisms. You couldn’t be biologically viable if this were the case.
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Generally, there are 4 ingredients considered sulfate surfactants.
They include:
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate,
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate.All other surfactants are considered “non-sulfates”. There are too many to list but things like Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, or Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate.
If you are avoiding “sulfur” then you’d also want to avoid an ingredient like Sodium Olefin Sulfonate. Anywhere you see the letters “Sulf-“ that means there is sulfur in the molecule.
Of course, there are ingredients that are not surfactants that also include some sulfur like Sulfuric acid, Thioglycolic Acid, Allyl Isothiocyanate, Methionine (an amino acid), etc.
I will note that it is highly unlikely that sulfur is causing your problems. It is a component of every cell in your body and being allergic to it is not really possible. However, sensitivity to Sulfur derivatives is possible. That’s good news because it means that just because a product has some sulfur containing molecule doesn’t mean you will have a reaction.
Ultimately, yes you will have to try different cleansers until you find one that doesn’t cause your reaction.
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Thank you! It seems like in very low doses sulfur doesn’t cause issues like in eggs. Cooking the heck out of them until they start to smell like sulfur seems to help and then the super fresh, same-day-laid eggs are okay. Apparently sulfur increases as eggs get older but cooking can break it down and release some of it or something like that which is why they start to smell “eggy” after being cooked a long time. Eggs that are cooked a little less like over-easy or store-bought egg that are older make me very sick. Sulfa drugs are also deadly for my family members, among other sulfur-containing products. I would definitely say it’s a sensitivity since no egg is sulfur-free and we are made partially of sulfur. Bodies with allergies and sensitivities are weird haha. It may not be the sulfur in the surfactants, it could be just the eczema being sensitive too. I just don’t know and am clearly not a doctor. I really appreciate your input, it really helps!
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Search Google images for ingredient names and look for “Sulfate” as SO4
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It’s not feasible for someone to be allergic to “Sulfur” as it occurs naturally in the body and has multiple physiological functions. In Cosmetics, you can look for the -SO4 to avoid surfactants you perceive will be irritating but in general that isn’t a true immunologically mediated reaction. In Pharmacy, you could have a “sulfa” allergy which would refer to the molecular structure of many anti-biotics/oral hypoglycemics. It is a common misconception as in a retail setting I have had 100’s of patients tell me they were allergic to “sulfur.”
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I understand that that an allergy isn’t possible, I meant sensitivity and just misspoke. There is something there though that causes adverse reactions in an alarming amount of sulfur-containing foods and products. It just doesn’t feel like a coincidence.
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Most likely any food sensitivities are not from “sulfur” itself, but from sulfur-containing compounds. There are plenty of dietary nutritional sources of this information.
In Science, we don’t have coincidences. They are properly theses waiting for empirical study in a well-designed experiment.
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Thanks for your reply. That’s a good point about the compounds. I don’t know how I would go about figuring that out though 🫠. I agree there are no coincidences.
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