Surfactants: Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (DLS) – a type of sulfosuccinate

If you’ve read any of the shampoo posts on this blog, you’ll know I love sulfosuccinates! This happy molecule is disodium laureth sulfosuccinate (known as DLS mild) and it is a mono-ester of a sodium salt. Sulfosuccinates are generally sodium salts of alkyl esters of sulfosuccinic acid that are a result of condensation of maleic...

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Surfactants: Alkyl-aryl sulfonates

The linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is one of the most widely used detergents, but its use in personal care is very limited. It has a very low compatibility with skin, and is usually only used in anti-seborrheic or very oily skin cleansers.This picture is of sodium linear alkyl benzene sulfonate. It has good detergency and...

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Surfactants: Alkyl sulfonates – like Bioterge AS-40 or Bioterge AS-90 (INCI: C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate)

There are three main types of alkyl sulfonates – primary paraffin sulfates (PPS), secondary paraffin sulfates (SPS) or secondary alkyl sulfates (SAS), and alpha-olefin sulfates (AOS). The paraffin sulfonates are good foamers and good oil in water emulsifiers. They do not thicken with the addition of salt. I can’t find any examples of these surfactants. The...

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Surfactants: Sulfonates

Sulfonates are very closely related, but not exactly the same as sulfates. In a sulfate, the sulfur is linked directly to the carbon chain via an oxygen atom. In a sulfonate, the sulfur is linked directly to a carbon atom (the R in the picture). What difference does this make? Tune into the posts to...

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What makes a shampoo clarifying?

What’s the difference between a clarifying shampoo and a regular shampoo? Clarifying shampoos are intended to remove the styling agents you’ve been using while curling or straightening, so they don’t contain conditioning agents or silicones. You’ll notice I don’t tend to use conditioning agents or dimethicone in my shampoo recipes. The reason for this is...

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