What is SLS and SLES?
SLS, or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate , is an aggressive substance and has an irritating effect on the skin, even in low concentrations. The problem with SLS is that the substance is very powerful. It not only removes dirt, but also attacks the epidermis. It dries out the skin and damages the skin. This applies to a lesser extent to SLES, or Sodium Laureth Sulfate . The disadvantage of SLES is that it contains dioxane as a by-product. There are strong suspicions that dioxane is carcinogenic. Why are these substances so widely used? Simply because these are very cheap cleaners that provide a lot of foam. This is also why these two ingredients can often be found at the top of the ingredient list of many shampoos.