Home › Ingredients › Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)

Illustration of lab glassware, coconut, leaves and a magnifying glass — Illustration (AI-generated)

Sulfate (fails our check)

SLES is SLS that has been through an extra processing step (ethoxylation). The result is a little milder on skin, still foams heavily, and is far more common in drugstore shampoos and body washes than plain SLS.

Because it is still a sulfate, we count any product listing it as sulfate-containing, even when the label says gentle.

Questions

Is Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) a sulfate?

Yes.