Sodium dodecyl sulfate

Studies in people

• Concern

  Skin irritation during patch testing¹

  In patch tests, sodium dodecyl sulfate caused a positive skin reaction in about one in five people.

• Concern

  Skin reaction by body site²

  Sodium dodecyl sulfate irritated upper back skin more than forearms, and emollient cream did not help either spot.

• Concern

  Skin irritation on the face³

  In people, sodium dodecyl sulfate irritated younger faces more than older ones, but not every area reacted.

• No harm found

  Skin reaction in allergy-prone people⁴

  People with eczema or allergies reacted to sodium dodecyl sulfate on the skin no more than others did.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Skin barrier damage⁵

  Even a one-minute wash with sodium dodecyl sulfate can weaken the skin's barrier right away.

• Open question

  Skin penetration over time⁶

  Sodium dodecyl sulfate soaks into the top skin layers, and longer contact lets more of it through.

• Concern

  Skin cell stiffness⁸

  In lab studies, sodium lauryl sulfate made skin cells softer, even at low amounts.

How it’s made and used

• How much soaks into skin⁷

  In lab studies on human skin, sodium dodecyl sulfate soaked in less when mixed with lauramidopropyl betaine.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what published research says about putting it on skin. Talk to a doctor or dermatologist about your own skin.