CLEANSER
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- cleanser
A sulfate detergent similar in strength to sodium lauryl sulfate, used for fast, high foam.
- products in our library
- 44
- of researched products
- 0.6%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #2
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How much oil it strips, as a class.
The foam the class is known for, not a measured volume.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Cleansing strength | Strong | 5 of 5 |
| Lather | Dense | 5 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A sulfate: quick to lift oil and product, and the class "sulfate-free" labels leave out.
A high-foaming detergent class that removes oil and product quickly.
Foam is a feel, not a measure of how clean hair gets.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself, so hair pushes it away instead of holding on to it. It rinses off easily, and most detergents carry this charge.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone, so it does not build up on hair between washes.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
43 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Relaxer
1 product
|
leading · #3 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 43 | 3% | 2 | 2 | leading |
| Relaxer | 1 | 25% | 3 | 3 | leading |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 39 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 5 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 0 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 0 |
| 26+ | Trace | 0 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
A sulfate detergent can lift deposited silicone, wax and styling films, which is what resets a routine before build-up is visible.
Fine hair that goes limp under conditioning films usually reads a full detergent wash as volume returning.
Coarse and high-porosity hair loses water quickly on its own; an efficient detergent removes the surface oils that were slowing that down.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.It lifts sebum and conditioning films efficiently. Hair already short of both keeps less of what it has through a wash with one high on the list.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- a deep clean
- a dense, fast lather
- a thorough wash that lifts product and oil
- a product that actually cleans
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a primary sulfate cleanser near the top of the ingredient list in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- that a product is drying (its position and the rest of the formula decide that)
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Why some people avoid it
The primary detergent. It is what lifts oil and product off hair and produces the lather most people read as a proper wash.
Sulfates are efficient cleansers, and on dry, coarse, curly or colour-treated hair that efficiency can strip more oil than the hair can spare. This is a question of performance and preference, not toxicity. The frequent claim that sulfates are carcinogenic has no support.
Where regulators stand: Permitted everywhere and unrestricted. Sulfate-free is a formulation choice, and the curly-method communities that popularised it were making an argument about dryness.
A formulation preference, not a regulatory finding
Browse products in our library without Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Sodium Chloride · 30
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 20
- Sodium Hydroxide · 18
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone · 15
- Methylisothiazolinone · 15
- Polyquaternium-10 · 14
- Disodium EDTA · 14
- Propylene Glycol · 14
- Benzyl Alcohol · 13
- Cocamide MEA · 12
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to keep the formula stable, clean and build foam, and improve feel after rinsing.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
American Crew · Shampoo
Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo
#2 on the label · $1.81/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Daily Cleansing Shampoo for Men
#2 on the label · $2.32/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Daily Deep Moisturizing Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.49/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Daily Silver Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.02/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Detox Shampoo
#2 on the label · $1.66/oz
American Crew · Shampoo
Fiber Pre-Styling Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.02/oz
Aveda · Shampoo
Brilliant™ Shine Boosting Shampoo for softness, shine and deep cleansing
#2 on the label · $3.77/oz
Aveda · Shampoo
Cherry Almond Softening Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.59/oz
Aveda · Shampoo
Shampure Nurturing Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.59/oz
Biolage · Shampoo
Full Rescue Shampoo
#2 on the label · $1.66/oz
Bumble and bumble · Shampoo
Seaweed Oil Control Shampoo
#2 on the label · $4.47/oz
Fanola · Shampoo
Keraterm Shampoo
#2 on the label · $1.48/oz
See all 44 products in the library that list Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- CAS 2235-54-3
- PubChem 16700
- sulfate cleanser
- ammonium lauryl sulfate
For your hair?
Whether Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
44 products in our library list itWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 16700, CAS 2235-54-3, C12H29NO4S · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 44 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
