CLEANSER
Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
- cleanser
A mild cleanser that foams well in hard water, usually paired with disodium 2-sulfolaurate.
- products in our library
- 41
- of researched products
- 0.6%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #5
- 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 | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Lather | Modest | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A milder detergent class, used where a formula avoids sulfates.
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
40 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Scalp treatment
1 product
|
leading · #3 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 40 | 3% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 1 | 0% | 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 | 18 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 11 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 7 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 3 |
| 26+ | Trace | 2 |
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.
Cleansing is what lifts deposited films off the strand. How completely depends on which detergent it is and how high on the list it sits.
Every detergent removes some sebum along with the product it is there to wash out. Which detergent it is matters more than that there is one.
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 product that actually cleans
- a rinse-clean feel
- a routine that does not build up
- 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 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)
- 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.
- Disodium 2-Sulfolaurate · 40
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 23
- Sodium Chloride · 21
- Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine · 20
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 20
- Polyquaternium-10 · 16
- Glycol Distearate · 14
- Benzyl Alcohol · 14
- Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate · 13
- Propanediol · 13
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to clean and build foam, keep the formula stable, 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.
Color Wow · Shampoo
Color Security Shampoo
#2 on the label · $3.10/oz
Color Wow · Shampoo
Hooked 100% Clean Shampoo for Curly Hair
#2 on the label · $2.90/oz
Kevin Murphy · Shampoo
BLOW.DRY WASH
#2 on the label · $5.09/oz
Kevin Murphy · Shampoo
PLUMPING.WASH
#2 on the label · $5.33/oz
Kevin Murphy · Shampoo
REPAIR-ME.WASH
#2 on the label · $4.87/oz
Mielle Organics · Shampoo
Sea Moss Shampoo
#2 on the label · $1.25/oz
Alterna Haircare · Shampoo
Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Shampoo
#3 on the label · $4.12/oz
Andalou Naturals · Shampoo
Argan Oil & Shea Moisture Rich Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.96/oz
Andalou Naturals · Shampoo
Argan Stem Cell Age Defying Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.96/oz
Andalou Naturals · Shampoo
Lavender & Biotin Full Volume Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.96/oz
Andalou Naturals · Shampoo
Sunflower & Citrus Brilliant Shine Shampoo
#3 on the label · $0.96/oz
Color Wow · Shampoo
Money Laundering Hydrating Shampoo
#3 on the label · $3.57/oz
See all 41 products in the library that list Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate
- sodium methyl 2-sulfolaurate
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Methyl 2-Sulfolaurate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
41 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 23691031, C13H25NaO5S · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 41 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.
