CLEANSER
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- cleanser
A mild cleanser and emulsifier that also conditions slightly.
- products in our library
- 28
- of researched products
- 0.7%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #14
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
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 Lactylate 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.
Without one, a cream separates in the bottle.
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 it is repelled rather than attracted, rinses away cleanly, and is the charge most detergents carry.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone — it does not accumulate 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
14 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Co-wash
4 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Leave-in
4 products
|
secondary · #26 | |
Conditioner
2 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Mask / treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #26 | |
Styler: curl cream
1 product
|
secondary · #27 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 14 | 2% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 4 | 4% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 4 | 1% | 26 | 17 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 2 | 0% | 27 | 25 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 18 | 16 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 1 | 0% | 26 | 26 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 1 | 1% | 27 | 27 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed 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 | 1 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 8 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 4 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 12 |
| 26+ | Trace | 8 |
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
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion 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 this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- 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 by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary mild anionic cleanser, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Caprylyl Glycol · 22
- Betaine · 14
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · 13
- Phytosterols · 11
- Decyl Glucoside · 11
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate · 11
- Polyquaternium-10 · 10
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 10
- Cetyl Alcohol · 10
- Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate · 9
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to hold on to water, give the formula body and hold, 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.
SheaMoisture · Shampoo
Baby Wash & Shampoo Raw Shea, Chamomile & Argan Oil
#3 on the label · $0.64/oz
Wondercurl · Shampoo
ACV Clarifying Shampoo
#4 on the label · $2.25/oz
L'anza · Shampoo
Healing Volume Shampoo
#5 on the label · $3.68/oz
Bread Beauty Supply · Shampoo
hair-wash
#6 on the label
Act+Acre · Shampoo
Daily Hydro™ Hydrating Shampoo
#7 on the label · $3.80/oz
Act+Acre · Shampoo
Plant Based Stem Cell Shampoo™
#7 on the label · $4.20/oz
As I Am · Shampoo
Born Curly Baby Shampoo & Body Wash
#7 on the label · $0.87/oz
Camille Rose · Shampoo
Curl Love Moisturizing Shampoo
#7 on the label · $1.05/oz
Bread Beauty Supply · Co-wash
Hair-Wash Milky Hair Cleanser
#8 on the label · $2.38/oz
The Doux · Co-wash
ONE LOVE Co-Wash
#9 on the label · $0.94/oz
Oribe · Shampoo
Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo
#11 on the label · $2.71/oz
Kristin Ess · Shampoo
High Gloss Shampoo
#13 on the label · $1.42/oz
See all 28 products in the library that list Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate
- CAS 13557-75-0
- PubChem 23674328
- mild anionic cleanser
- emulsifier
- sodium lauroyl lactylate
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
28 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 is read 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 23674328, CAS 13557-75-0, C18H31NaO6 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 28 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- 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; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-02. Product-page methodology: the product library.