CLEANSER
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
- cleanser
An amino-acid-derived cleanser, among the mildest in common use.
- products in our library
- 22
- of researched products
- 0.3%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #4
- 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 | Gentle | 3 of 5 |
| Lather | Creamy | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
An acyl amino-acid or isethionate detergent: less stripping than a sulfate, creamier foam.
Foam is a feel, not a measure of how clean hair gets.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
The mechanism behind every wash: oil pulled off the hair and rinsed away.
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
9 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Leave-in
4 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Conditioner
3 products
|
secondary · #29 | |
Co-wash
2 products
|
secondary · #30 | |
Heat protectant
1 product
|
secondary · #34 | |
Mask / treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: curl cream
1 product
|
secondary · #29 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
secondary · #20 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 9 | 1% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 4 | 1% | 27 | 12 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 3 | 0% | 29 | 29 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 2 | 2% | 30 | 27 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 1 | 0% | 34 | 34 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 1 | 0% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 1 | 0% | 29 | 29 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
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 | 2 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 6 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 2 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 2 |
| 26+ | Trace | 10 |
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.
The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.
A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.
Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.
A milder detergent removes less of a water-insoluble film. On a routine leaning on silicones or waxes, deposits accumulate between washes.
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.
- gentle cleansing
- sulfate-free shampoos
- a creamy lather
- a gentler wash that still foams
- 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 supporting mild anionic cleanser alongside the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- harshness or irritation
- 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.
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.
- Propanediol · 14
- Sodium Chloride · 12
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 11
- Tocopherol · 11
- Propylene Glycol · 9
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 9
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate · 8
- Stearic Acid · 7
- Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract · 7
- Glyceryl Stearate · 7
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, keep the formula stable, and clean and build foam.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Palmer's · Shampoo
Olive Oil Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.41/oz
Palmer's · Shampoo
Tahitian Vanilla Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.60/oz
Dove · Shampoo
Curl Nourishment Baby Shampoo
#4 on the label · $0.65/oz
Olaplex · Shampoo
Nº.4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo
#4 on the label · $4.00/oz
Palmer's · Shampoo
Cocoa Butter Formula Length Retention Shampoo with Biotin
#4 on the label · $0.49/oz
Palmer's · Shampoo
Coconut Oil Shampoo
#4 on the label · $0.57/oz
LUSETA · Shampoo
Hemp Seed Oil Complex Strengthening Shampoo
#5 on the label · $0.47/oz
Wella Professionals · Shampoo
Nutricurls Micellar Curls Shampoo
#5 on the label · $0.61/oz
Davines · Mask / treatment
Moisturizing Balm
#9 on the label · $6.63/oz
Leonor Greyl · Leave-in
Lait Luminescence
#12 on the label · $12.62/oz
Leonor Greyl · Shampoo
Bain Sublime Couleur
#19 on the label · $9.29/oz
Leonor Greyl · Styler
Baume Bois de Rose
#20 on the label · $37.87/oz
See all 22 products in the library that list Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate
- CAS 29923-31-7
- PubChem 23668603
- mild anionic cleanser
- sodium lauroyl glutamate
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
22 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 23668603, CAS 29923-31-7, C17H30NNaO5 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 22 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.
