Sulphates (SLS and SLES)
Strong foaming cleansers such as SLS and SLES; effective, but they can strip dry or sensitive skin, so milder cleansers suit most faces.
sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium lauryl sulfate, SLS, sodium laureth sulphate, sodium laureth sulfate, SLES, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium coco-sulfate, sulfates, sulphate-free
Blemish-prone skin
What it does
Sulphates are surfactants: the ingredients that let a cleanser lift oil and dirt so they rinse away, and that create a rich lather. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is the best known and among the most stripping; sodium laureth sulphate (SLES), a modified form, is milder, and ammonium lauryl sulphate is a close relative. MG's Notes advise avoiding harsh sulphates if your skin is sensitive, dry or mature, in pregnancy and during cancer treatment, because they can strip the skin's natural oils and disrupt its barrier.
How it works
How harsh a sulphate is depends on its strength, the rest of the formula and how long it stays on the skin. In a well-formulated rinse-off cleanser, softened by gentler co-surfactants and hydrators and rinsed off promptly, a sulphate can suit oily or resilient skin. Problems come with high levels, frequent use or long contact, which strip barrier lipids, disturb the acid mantle and leave skin tight and reactive. Not every 'sulphate' on a label is a cleanser: magnesium, zinc and cholesterol sulphate have quite different roles.
MG says
If your skin is sensitive, dry or mature, or you're pregnant, choose mild, pH-balanced cleansers such as milks, balms and creams, which cleanse without stripping; Biologique Recherche's milk cleansers do this without harsh surfactants. Oilier skin can use a gentle gel or foaming cleanser, particularly in summer.
Cautions
Avoid sulphate cleansers if your skin is sensitive, dry, mature or reactive; MG's Notes also suggest gentler cleansers in pregnancy and during cancer treatment. On any skin, rinse them off promptly with lukewarm water, keep them away from the eyes, and stop if skin feels tight, dry or irritated.
